Prevention, early detection, rapid response, and prioritization are essential components of effective and cost-efficient invasive plant management. However, successfully implementing these strategies requires the ability to accurately predict the temporal and spatial dynamics of newly/recently detected nonnative species. Why some nonnative species become invasive and the source of variation in lag time between arrival and the onset of invasive expansion are poorly understood. One tool to fill these knowledge gaps is the “invasion curve,” which tracks nonnative species abundance (i.e., area invaded) over time after arrival in a new area. Since invasive species curves rely primarily on records from herbarium collections, we propose that these collections can be used as a springboard to develop a standardized approach to building invasion curves. This would allow researchers to compare the trajectories of nonnative species, improving risk assessment and our ability to recognize potential invasive species and factors contributing to both invasibility and invasiveness. While there have been admirable efforts to produce invasion curves, several barriers exist to their reliable production and standardization. In this paper, we explore the challenges related to the efficient production of these curves for plants using herbarium data and suggest ways in which progress could occur. It is our hope that this will better position herbaria and researchers to aid natural resource managers to prioritize needs, make effective management decisions, and develop targeted prevention and monitoring programs by taking advantage of lag times to implement timely responses.

The negative effects of invasive plant species on native ecosystems, which can be large and long-lasting, are the primary justifications for their research and management. Tremendous effort is focused on quantifying the ecological impacts of invasive plants, though two different methods are primarily used: observational (compare invaded and uninvaded) and removals (compare invaded and invader removal). However, it is unknown whether these methods, which differ in their assumptions and execution, yield similar results, which could affect our ability to draw broad conclusions within and across studies. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis on 174 studies that described 547 impacts of 72 invasive plants to test the effect of study method, invader cover, and removal period on the direction and magnitude of impact. Overall, by only considering impact magnitude and not direction, both observational and removal methods yielded similar results—invasive plants are changing most aspects of the ecosystem—and the variation among species and study systems was dramatically reduced compared with traditional, directionally focused studies. This is contrary to a similar analysis that did not control for directionality of impacts, which found overall differences in impact depended on methodology. However, even when the effects of study ecosystem, invader life-form, and impact type were accounted for, significant differences occurred between removal and observational studies. Particularly vulnerable systems appear to be those that would be more greatly disturbed by the removal of the target species, such as tree species or invasive plants in riparian areas. Additionally, impact magnitude increased with invader cover and removal time. We confirm that invasive plants impact the systems they invade in a nonuniform manner; however, we suggest some study conditions may be more sensitive to study methodology. Careful consideration should be given as to which methodology is used in the context of the study system.

The horticultural industry is an important source of invasive ornamental plant species, which is part of the motivation for an increased emphasis on using native alternatives. We were interested in the possibility that plants marketed in the midwestern United States as the native Celastrus scandens, or American bittersweet, were actually the difficult-to-distinguish invasive Celastrus orbiculatus (oriental bittersweet) or hybrids of the two species. We used nuclear microsatellite DNA loci to compare the genetic identities of 34 plants from 11 vendors with reference plants from wild populations of known species identity. We found that 18 samples (53%) were mislabeled, and 7 of the 11 vendors sold mislabeled plants. Mislabeled plants were more likely to be purchased through Internet or phone order shipments and were significantly less expensive than accurately labeled plants. Vendors marketed mislabeled plants under five different cultivar names, as well as unnamed strains. Additionally, the most common native cultivar, ‘Autumn Revolution,’ displays reproductive characteristics that diverge from the typical C. scandens, which could be of some concern. The lower price and abundance of mislabeled invasive plants introduces incentives for consumers to unknowingly contribute to the spread of C. orbiculatus. Revealing the potential sources of C. orbiculatus is critical for controlling further spread of the invasive vine and limiting its impact on C. scandens populations.

Nomenclature American bittersweet, Celastrus scandens L. oriental bittersweet, Celastrus orbiculatus Thunb

Plant species that receive significant human introduction effort and assistance generally are the most problematic invaders. Despite this, invasive ornamental species in urban settings have received relatively little attention if not invading natural areas. Here we consider Centranthus ruber in an urban setting in South Africa as a case study and explore when emerging invaders are able to cross the urban–wildland interface and what hinders early eradication in urban environments. Centranthus ruber was introduced into Cape Town, South Africa, more than a century ago as a garden ornamental, but until recently was not considered invasive. We determine the current and potential future distribution in South Africa, evaluate current management activities, and provide recommendations for control and legislation. By August 2013, we had found 64 populations, of which 31 were casual, 27 naturalized, and 6 invasive. This increased to more than 530 identified populations by the end of 2015, due to both spread and increased awareness. Centranthus ruber can invade near-pristine areas, with one population found in natural vegetation in the Table Mountain National Park. However, with only one slowly spreading population, the threat might be limited. We found no difference in plant mortality between chemical and mechanical clearing, but with mechanical clearing stimulating the soil seedbank, we recommend chemical methods. Using a species distribution model, we found large parts of South Africa, including the southwestern Cape where we conducted our surveys, to be climatically suitable for this species. Consequently, the category 1b regional listing in NEM:BA in the Western Cape is justified, but a listing in other parts of the country also might be appropriate. Based on our findings, we suggest that the extirpation of C. ruber in South Africa is possible, but without buy-in from residents in urban environments, reinvasion will render this impossible. This study stresses the importance of managing and legislating emerging invaders at the urban–wildland interface and the monitoring of common ornamental species with invasive traits.

Nomenclature Red valerian, Centranthus ruber (L.) DC

Canada thistle can cause greater than 50% yield loss in small grain crops, but little is known about production losses when the weed invades pasture and wildlands. Change in grass, forb, and woody species production from Canada thistle infestations was evaluated in two separate studies in North Dakota. The first measured change in production following aminopyralid applied at 120 g ha⁻¹ to control Canada thistle at two prairie sites. In general, grass, broadleaf, woody, and total plant yields were similar between treated and untreated prairie, regardless of the near-complete control of Canada thistle following aminopyralid application. Grass yield increased by 365 kg ha⁻¹ the year after treatment at one location, with no change in forb or woody species production. Plant production was also estimated at 20 ungrazed wildland preserves located within two Major Land Resource Areas (MLRAs). Similar to the prairie sites, minimal differences in production between Canada thistle–infested and noninfested sites were observed. The only exception was an increase in grass production of 425 kg ha⁻¹ at one of the MLRAs, with no change in broadleaf or woody species production between the Canada thistle–infested and noninfested sites. In contrast to cropland, pasture and wildland production of other species was not consistently reduced by Canada thistle.

Nomenclature Aminopyralid, Canada thistle, Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop

Russian-olive is a nitrogen-fixing tree invading riparian corridors in western North America. The premise of revegetation after weed removal is that revegetation is required to return native species to a removal site and that revegetation improves site resistance to invasion or reinvasion via competitive exclusion. Therefore, we expected that revegetation would reduce invasive species cover and increase native species cover compared with non-revegetated controls. Native understory species diversity increased with time since removal. We recorded 18.2 native species in 2012, and 28.2 native species in 2016. Out of 22 planted species, 2 did not establish. Diversity in revegetated plots did not differ from unplanted controls, likely because species spread quickly across plot boundaries. Native perennial grass, seeded species, and annual bromes increased over time, while nonnative forbs and native forbs decreased over time. Only invasive perennial grass cover responded to the revegetation treatment with cover much higher in controls compared with revegetated plots (25.7% vs. 7.7%); this was likely a response to a preplanting herbicide treatment. All categories of species diversity except invasive species diversity increased over time. Only 4% of Russian-olive stumps resprouted in the first year of removal, less than 1% resprouted 2 yr after removal. There was no Russian-olive emergence from seed in the removal year, and seed emergence varied exponentially among following years. Seeded native species did not have trouble establishing once adequate spring moisture occurred in the second growing season after Russian-olive removal, indicating that removal did not present substantial obstacles to successful revegetation. Follow-up control of Russian-olive is critical after initial treatment.

Nomenclature Russian-olive, Elaeagnus angustifolia L

Effective control measures are required for the invasive forage grass smooth brome in native prairie to maintain native prairie diversity and function. The objective of this study was to assess the long-term effectiveness of glyphosate as a control method for smooth brome and to evaluate the subsequent recovery of native prairie species at Kernen Prairie near Saskatoon, SK, Canada. In 1999 and 2000, a total of forty 6- to 8-m-diameter patches of smooth brome were spot sprayed with glyphosate; community composition in each patch was monitored for 17 yr. Following glyphosate application, the abundance of smooth brome decreased, and recovery of native species richness and the abundance of important native species, including plains rough fescue, was observed. In the long term however, the elimination of smooth brome created empty niche space ultimately occupied by other invasive species, particularly Kentucky bluegrass. The spot application of glyphosate is thus an effective control method for reducing smooth brome in native prairie; however, maintaining desirable native species composition in this system posttreatment depends on other factors, including the presence of additional invasive species that may move in after the elimination of smooth brome.

Nomenclature Glyphosate, smooth brome, Bromus inermis Leyss, BROIN plains rough fescue, Festuca hallii (Vasey) Piper, Kentucky bluegrass, Poa pratensis L. POAPR