Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Invasion success of cogongrass, an alien C4 perennial grass, in the southeastern United States: exploration of the ecological basis

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Biological Invasions Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) is considered one of the worst invasive species in the world. The species is readily adaptable to a wide range of environmental conditions and upon invasion reduces forest productivity, alters nutrient cycling, and threatens native species biodiversity. This paper explores seven major ecological hypotheses (Propagule Pressure Hypothesis, Natural Enemies or Enemy Release Hypothesis, Empty Niche Hypothesis, Invasional Meltdown Hypothesis, Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability Hypothesis/Superior Competitor Hypothesis, Novel Weapons Hypothesis, and Diversity—Invasibility (Elton’s) Hypothesis) that explain the invasiveness of cogongrass in the southeastern United States. Information gathered from this review can be used to reduce the spread of cogongrass and is applicable for control of other invasive species as well.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ayeni AO, Duke WB (1985) The influence of rhizome features on subsequent regenerative capacity in speargrass [Imperata cylindrica (L.) Veauv.]. Agr Ecosyst Environ 13:309–317

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bais HP, Vepachedu R, Gilroy S, Callaway RM, Vivanco JM (2003) Allelopathy and exotic plant invasion: from molecules and genes to species interactions. Science 301:1377–1380

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bajwa R (2005) Effects of arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) and effective microorganisms (EM) on various plants under allelopathic stress. Allelopathy J 16:261–271

    Google Scholar 

  • Blossey B, Nötzold R (1995) Evolution of increased competitive ability in invasive nonindigenous plants: a hypothesis. J Ecol 83:887–889

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brewer S (2008) Declines in plant species richness and endemic plant species in longleaf pine savannas invaded by Imperata cylindrica. Biol Invasions 10:1257–1264

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brewer JS, Cralle SP (2003) Phosphorus addition reduces invasion of longleaf pine savanna (Southeastern USA) by a non-indigenous grass (Imperata cylindrica). Plant Ecol 167:237–245

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Callaway RM, Aschehoug ET (2000) Invasive plants versus their new and old neighbors: a mechanism for exotic invasion. Science 290:521–523

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Colautti RI, Grigorovich IA, Macisaac HJ (2006) Propagule pressure: a null model for biological invasions. Biol Invasions 8:1023–1037

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collins AR, Jose S (2008) Cogongrass invasion alters soil chemical properties of natural and planted forestlands. In: Kohli RK, Jose S, Batish D, Singh H (eds) Invasive plants and forest ecosystems. CRC, Boca Raton, FL

    Google Scholar 

  • Collins AR, Jose S, Daneshgar P, Ramsey C (2007) Elton’s hypothesis revisited: an experimental test using cogongrass. Biol Invasions 9:433–443

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daneshgar P, Jose S (2009a) Imperata cylindrica, an alien invasive grass, maintains control over nitrogen availability in an establishing pine forest. Plant Soil 320:209–218

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Daneshgar P, Jose S (2009b) Role of species identity in plant invasions: experimental test using Imperata cylindrica. Biol Invasions 11:1431–1440

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daneshgar P, Jose S, Ramsey C, Collins AR (2008) Impacts of an invasive grass on the productivity of an establishing pine forest. Forest Sci 54:579–587

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis MA, Grime JP, Tompson K (2000) Fluctuating resources in plant communities: a general theory of invasibility. J Ecol 88:528–534

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dozier H, Gaffney JF, McDonald SK, Johnson ERRL, Shilling DG (1998) Cogongrass in the United States. History, ecology, impacts, and management. Weed Technol 12:737–743

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehrenfeld JG (2003) Effects of exotic plant invasions on soil nutrient cycling processes. Ecosystems 6:503–523

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Elton CS (1958) The ecology of invasion by animals and plants. T Metheun and Co., London

    Google Scholar 

  • Hierro JL, Maron JL, Callaway RM (2005) A biogeographical approach to plant invasions: the importance of studying exotics in their introduced and native range. J Ecol 93:5–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hobbs RJ, Huenneke LF (1992) Disturbance, diversity, and invasion: implications for conservation. Conserv Biol 6:324–337

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holm LG, Pucknett DL, Pancho JB, Herberger JP (1977) The world’s worst weeds. Distribution and biology. University Press of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI

    Google Scholar 

  • Holzmueller EJ, Jose S (2009) Invasive plant conundrum: what makes the aliens so successful? J Trop Agr 47:18–29

    Google Scholar 

  • Holzmueller EJ, Jose S (In Press) Response of cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) to imazapyr herbicides on a reclaimed phosphate-mine site in central Florida, USA. Ecol Restor

  • Hussain F, Abidi N (1991) Allelopathy exhibited by Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv. P. Pak. J Bot 23:15–25

    Google Scholar 

  • Inderjit S, Dakshini KMM (1991) Investigations on some aspects of chemical ecology of cogongrass, Imperta cylindrical (L.) Beauv. J Chem Ecol 17:343–352

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jose S, Tripathi N (2008) Role of natural and anthropogenic disturbance in exotic invasions: predicting Imperata cylindrica invasion of southeastern forests using ecological niche modeling. 93rd ESA annual meeting, August 2–8, Milwaukee, WI

  • Jose S, Cox J, Miller DL, Shilling DG, Merritt S (2002a) Alien plant invasions: the story of cogongrass in southeastern Florida. J Forest 100:41–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Jose S, Ramsey CL, Miller DL, Cox J, Portier KM, Shilling DG, Merritt S (2002b) Above and belowground cogongrass responses to disking and herbicides over a 2-year time period. Second Annual Report of the Cogongrass Project, West Florida REC, Milton, FL 25 p

    Google Scholar 

  • Joshi J, Vrieling K (2005) The enemy release and EICA hypothesis revisited: incorporating the fundamental difference between specialist and generalist herbivores. Ecol Lett 8:704–714

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keane RM, Crawley MJ (2002) Exotic plant invasions and the enemy release hypothesis. Trends Ecol Evol 17:164–170

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King SE, Grace JB (2000) The effects of gap size and disturbance type on invasion of wet pine savanna by cogongrass, Imperata cylindrica (Poaceae). Am J Bot 87:1279–1286

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koger CH, Bryson CT (2004) Effect of cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) extracts on germination and seedling growth of selected grass and broadleaf species. Weed Technol 18:236–242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levine J, D’antonio CM (1999) Elton revised: a review of evidence linking diversity and invisibility. Oikos 87:15–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lippincott CL (2000) Effects of Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv. (Cogongrass) invasion on fire regime in Florida sandhill (USA). Nat Area J 20:140–149

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowe S, Browne M, Boudjela, S, De Poorter M (2004) 100 of the world’s worst invasive alien species a selection from the global invasive species database. Published by the Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) a specialist group of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), 12 p

  • MacArthur RH (1970) Species packing and competitive equilibruium for many species. Theor Popul Biol 1:1–11

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald GE (2004) Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica)—Biology, ecology and management. Crit Rev Plant Sci 23:367–380

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald GE (2007) Cogongrass: the plant’s biology, distribution, and impacts in the Southeastern US. In: Loewenstein NJ, Miller JH (eds) Proceedings of the regional cogongrass conference: a cogongrass management guide. Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Auburn University, Mobile, AL, pp 10–23

  • Mack RN, Simberloff D, Lonsdale WM, Evans H, Clout M, Bazzaz FA (2000) Biotic invasions: causes, epidemiology, global consequences, and control. Ecol Appl 10:689–710

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller JH, Schelhas JW (2008) Adaptive collaborative restoration: a key concept for invasive plant management. In: Kohli RK, Jose S, Singh HP, Batish DR (eds) Invasive plants and forest ecosystems. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, pp 251–265

    Google Scholar 

  • Patterson DT (1980) Shading effects on growth and partitioning of plant biomass in cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) from shaded and exposed habitats. Weed Sci 28:735–740

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramsey CL, Jose S, Miller DL, Cox J, Portier KM, Shilling DG, Merritt SM (2003) Cogongrass [Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv.] response to herbicide and disking on a cutover site in a mid-rotation pine plantation in Southern USA. Forest Ecol Manag 179:195–209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simberloff D, Von Holle B (1999) Positive interactions of nonindigenous species: invasional meltdown? Biol Invasions 1:21–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Loan AN, Meeker JR, Minno MC (2002) Cogongrass. In: Van Driesche R et al (eds) Biological control of invasive plants in the eastern United States. USDA Forest Service Publication FHTET-2002-04, Ogden 413 p

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilcove D, Rothstein D, Dubow J, Phillips A, Losos E (1998) Quantifying threats to imperiled species in the United States. Bioscience 48:607–616

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Willard TR, Hall DW, Shilling DG, Lewis JA, Currey WL (1990) Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) distribution on Florida highway rights-of-way. Weed Technol 4:658–660

    Google Scholar 

  • Williamson M (1996) Biological invasions. Chapman & Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions on an earlier version of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forestry, Southern Illinois University, 1205 Lincoln Drive, MC 4411, Carbondale, IL, 62901, USA

    Eric J. Holzmueller

  2. Center for Agroforestry, School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, 203 ABNR Bldg, Columbia, MO, 65201, USA

    Shibu Jose

Authors
  1. Eric J. Holzmueller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shibu Jose
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eric J. Holzmueller.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Holzmueller, E.J., Jose, S. Invasion success of cogongrass, an alien C4 perennial grass, in the southeastern United States: exploration of the ecological basis. Biol Invasions 13, 435–442 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-010-9837-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-010-9837-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation