Oh, crap! Worrying evidence of weed dispersal in horse dung
An Australian researcher has uncovered worrying bear witness nearly the dispersal of weed seeds inward Equus caballus dung.
Associate Professor Catherine Pickering, of Griffith University inward Queensland, carried out a global review of weeds that tin post away germinate from Equus caballus dung.
Pickering, amongst immature human researcher Michael Ansong, reviewed xv studies on seed germination from Equus caballus dung – half dozen from Europe, iv from North America, iii from Commonwealth of Australia too ane report each from Africa too Central America.
Seed from 249 species from 43 families were identified every bit germinating from Equus caballus dung.
“The diverseness of species amongst seed that tin post away germinate from Equus caballus dung highlights the potential of horses to disperse a hit of seed over long distances,” the twosome wrote inward their findings, published inward the journal, Ecological Management & Restoration.
“Whether such dispersal is beneficial or harmful depends on the flora too the context inward which it germinates,” they wrote. “To hold the conservation value of protected areas, it is of import to sympathise too instruct by the dissimilar potential weed dispersal vectors, including horses.”
“Of the 2739 non-native plants that are naturalised inward Australia,” Pickering added, “156 stimulate got been shown to germinate inward Equus caballus dung.
“What is rattling concerning is this includes sixteen of the 429 listed noxious weeds inward Commonwealth of Australia too 2 weeds of national significance,” she said.
The report constitute a like threat was emerging overseas, amongst seeds from 105 of the 1596 invasive/noxious flora species inward North America besides germinating inward Equus caballus dung.
“Not alone are the seeds dispersed through dung only the manure provides the agency past times which the introduced flora takes hold,” Pickering said.
“Habitat disturbance from trampling has been demonstrated to farther facilitate the germination of seedlings from dung inward both natural too experimental studies.”
The report highlighted the hit of flora species amongst the potential to live dispersed over long distances, only the extent to which this dispersal is harmful depended on the private flora species, Pickering said.
Some plants germinated from dung too went on to accomplish maturity too flower, piece others germinated only did non hold out due to unfavourable growing atmospheric condition inward the field.
Pickering said in that place were other factors to consider. “Additional threats come upwards inward the shape of trampled soils too vegetation, food add-on via dung too urine, too changing hydrology via harm to riverine systems.
“Legislators everywhere should accept these into consideration earlier opening parks to this recreational activity,” she said.
The study, entitled “A global review of weeds that tin post away germinate from Equus caballus dung”, constitute that almost two-thirds of the species that germinated inward Equus caballus dung were forbs (herbaceous flowering plants) and 33 per centum were graminoids (grasses, sedges and rushes), amongst over one-half existence perennials too 32 per centum annuals.
Nearly every species – 99 per centum of those reviewed – was considered a weed somewhere, amongst 47 per centum recorded every bit invasive too xix per centum international environmental weeds.
Ansong, M. too Pickering, C. (2013), Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 global review of weeds that tin post away germinate from Equus caballus dung. Ecological Management & Restoration, 14: 216–223. doi: 10.1111/emr.12057
The abstract tin post away live read here.
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