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Rima D. Lucardi
Insects, Diseases, & Invasive Plants, Southern Research Station, Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Athens, USA

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Research article
Published: 21 August 2021 in Landscape Ecology
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Invasive plants cause significant impacts in forested areas throughout the world. However, little is known about the relative importance of environmental drivers on the establishment and spread of invasive plants across forests at broader spatial scales. We evaluated which factors are more closely associated with successful plant invasions across southern United States (US) forests and predicted regional susceptibility to invasion by 16 known major invasive plant taxa. We compiled environmental variables and presence-absence data for invasive plants across 52,690 southern US forestland plots surveyed by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the USDA Forest Service. We used an ensemble species distribution modeling approach to model the potential distribution of the invasive plants and evaluated effects of the environmental predictors on species occurrences. Invasive species presence was favored by proximity to land use such as pastures, croplands, and developed areas, as well as by high light availability and soil capacity to retain nutrients and water. Soil organic matter was negatively correlated with invasive species presence. However, the effect of climatic variables and other soil properties, such as pH and soil depth, was species-specific. Climate, land use, and soil organic matter were important but varied in their influence on invasive species distributions. Our results also indicate that most of our focal invasive plants are likely to occupy large forested areas throughout the study region. Thus, estimates of invasion risk should be incorporated into conservation strategies to prevent further establishment of invasive plants in forested areas.

ACS Style

Adrián Lázaro-Lobo; Carlos Ramirez-Reyes; Rima D. Lucardi; Gary N. Ervin. Multivariate analysis of invasive plant species distributions in southern US forests. Landscape Ecology 2021, 1 -17.

AMA Style

Adrián Lázaro-Lobo, Carlos Ramirez-Reyes, Rima D. Lucardi, Gary N. Ervin. Multivariate analysis of invasive plant species distributions in southern US forests. Landscape Ecology. 2021; ():1-17.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Adrián Lázaro-Lobo; Carlos Ramirez-Reyes; Rima D. Lucardi; Gary N. Ervin. 2021. "Multivariate analysis of invasive plant species distributions in southern US forests." Landscape Ecology , no. : 1-17.

Review
Published: 18 February 2021
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Throughout history a great many plant species have been purposefully transported to new areas around the globe. Horticulture, the promise of new sources of plant material for industry, forage, food, and stabilization of soil are only a few of the motives for the early transcontinental exchange of plants. Many introductions have been beneficial or benign, however, some plants introduced into new areas are now considered invasive and detrimentally impact the environment. Chinese tallowtree [Triadica sebifera (L.) Small] (Euphorbiaceae) is an excellent example of the best intentions leading to unanticipated negative effects many decades later. Native to eastern Asia and now naturalized and widespread in many tropical, subtropical, and temperate areas in the world, Chinese tallowtree has proven to be one of the worst woody invasive plants. It is known for shading out native vegetation, capable of dominating areas following disturbance or even invading previously diverse undisturbed habitats. It is prevalent in the southern United States, especially along the Gulf Coast. Investigations into classical biological control of Chinese tallowtree have yielded at least two promising candidates but have raised objections among beekeepers and beekeeping organizations who prize the quality honey produced from an abundant spring nectar flow. In this review we discuss Chinese tallowtree’s invasive characteristics, detrimental effects, potential use as a biomass crop, and demonstrated or potential direct and indirect effects on native and non-native pollinators. We review the current state of identification and screening of biological control agents. Four research questions are presented which are designed to fill gaps in our knowledge of Chinese tallowtree and pollinators. We conclude that classical biological control efforts to reduce Chinese tallowtree populations are justified and, if successful, will likely improve habitat for native plants and native and exotic pollinators in restored areas.

ACS Style

James Vogt; Rabiu Olatinwo; Michael Ulyshen; Rima Lucardi; Jessica McKenney. A brief review of Triadica sebifera (Chinese tallowtree) in the southern United States, emphasizing pollinator impacts and classical biological control. 2021, 1, e64602 .

AMA Style

James Vogt, Rabiu Olatinwo, Michael Ulyshen, Rima Lucardi, Jessica McKenney. A brief review of Triadica sebifera (Chinese tallowtree) in the southern United States, emphasizing pollinator impacts and classical biological control. . 2021; 1 ():e64602.

Chicago/Turabian Style

James Vogt; Rabiu Olatinwo; Michael Ulyshen; Rima Lucardi; Jessica McKenney. 2021. "A brief review of Triadica sebifera (Chinese tallowtree) in the southern United States, emphasizing pollinator impacts and classical biological control." 1, no. : e64602.

Journal article
Published: 21 January 2021 in Annals of the Entomological Society of America
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To control non-native species, resource managers may import and introduce biocontrol agents. Like accidentally introduced insects, biocontrol agents must overcome several abiotic and biotic obstacles to establish successfully. They can also have varying efficacy and negative or positive impacts on native species and ecosystems. Given the similarities between accidentally introduced insects and biocontrol agents, researchers studying these organisms can more effectively communicate and actively link data to improve overall understanding and management of non-native species within the framework(s) of invasion theory. To assess interdisciplinarity between invasion ecologists and biocontrol practitioners that study insects in forests, we identified 102 invasion ecology and 90 biocontrol articles published from 2006 to 2018. These articles helped us determine which broad disciplines (invasion ecology, biocontrol, other control, other ecological, and nonecological) and publication formats (e.g., journals and books) the authors cited most. We found 1) invasion ecologists primarily cite other invasion ecology research; 2) biocontrol researchers cite biocontrol and invasion ecology research; 3) both disciplines primarily cited peer-reviewed journal articles; and 4) there was 65–70% overlap in the top 20 journals cited in primary invasion ecology and biocontrol literature. Though we found some cross-communication, it is currently mostly unidirectional, whereby invasion ecology informs biocontrol. We identify and discuss three areas—1) ecological principles governing success or failure of introduced species, 2) the invasion process, and 3) negative impacts on native species—for which the disciplines possess substantial overlap to demonstrate that biocontrol agents can provide invasion ecologists with an unconventional model to study the mechanisms of species invasion.

ACS Style

Ashley N Schulz; Rima D Lucardi; Travis D Marsico. Strengthening the Ties That Bind: An Evaluation of Cross-disciplinary Communication Between Invasion Ecologists and Biological Control Researchers in Entomology. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 2021, 114, 163 -174.

AMA Style

Ashley N Schulz, Rima D Lucardi, Travis D Marsico. Strengthening the Ties That Bind: An Evaluation of Cross-disciplinary Communication Between Invasion Ecologists and Biological Control Researchers in Entomology. Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 2021; 114 (2):163-174.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ashley N Schulz; Rima D Lucardi; Travis D Marsico. 2021. "Strengthening the Ties That Bind: An Evaluation of Cross-disciplinary Communication Between Invasion Ecologists and Biological Control Researchers in Entomology." Annals of the Entomological Society of America 114, no. 2: 163-174.

Journal article
Published: 14 September 2020 in Scientific Reports
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The initial processes for successful biological invasions are transport, introduction, and establishment. These can be directly influenced or completely avoided through activities that reduce the number and frequency of entering nonnative propagules. Economic and environmental benefits through preventative monitoring programs at early stages of invasion far outweigh the long-term costs associated with mitigating ecological and economic impacts once nonnative species establish and spread. In this study, we identified 30 taxa of hitchhiking plant propagules on the air-intake grilles of refrigerated shipping containers arriving into a United States seaport from a port on the Pacific coast of South America. The four monocotyledonous taxa with the highest number of seeds collected were analyzed; we estimated propagule pressure, germination, and survivorship of these taxa, and we used the estimates to determine likelihood of establishment. At the levels of propagule pressure estimated here, non-zero germination and survival rates resulted in high establishment probabilities even when escape rates from shipping containers were modelled to be exceedingly low. Our results suggest high invasion risk for nonnative taxa including Saccharum spontaneum L., a listed Federal Noxious Weed. Currently, not all shipping containers arriving at USA ports are thoroughly inspected due to limited personnel and funding for biological invasion prevention. Our results indicate that there is a significant risk from only a few propagules escaping into the environment from this source, and we propose possible solutions for reducing this risk.

ACS Style

Rima D. Lucardi; Emily S. Bellis; Chelsea E. Cunard; Jarron K. Gravesande; Steven C. Hughes; Lauren E. Whitehurst; Samantha J. Worthy; Kevin S. Burgess; Travis D. Marsico. Seeds attached to refrigerated shipping containers represent a substantial risk of nonnative plant species introduction and establishment. Scientific Reports 2020, 10, 1 -10.

AMA Style

Rima D. Lucardi, Emily S. Bellis, Chelsea E. Cunard, Jarron K. Gravesande, Steven C. Hughes, Lauren E. Whitehurst, Samantha J. Worthy, Kevin S. Burgess, Travis D. Marsico. Seeds attached to refrigerated shipping containers represent a substantial risk of nonnative plant species introduction and establishment. Scientific Reports. 2020; 10 (1):1-10.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rima D. Lucardi; Emily S. Bellis; Chelsea E. Cunard; Jarron K. Gravesande; Steven C. Hughes; Lauren E. Whitehurst; Samantha J. Worthy; Kevin S. Burgess; Travis D. Marsico. 2020. "Seeds attached to refrigerated shipping containers represent a substantial risk of nonnative plant species introduction and establishment." Scientific Reports 10, no. 1: 1-10.

Research article
Published: 01 April 2020 in PLOS ONE
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Humans have created an accelerating, increasingly connected, globalized economy, resulting in a more globalized, shared flora. The prevention of new, establishing species is less costly, both economically and ecologically, and is more manageable than eradicating nonnative invasive species once they are widespread and negatively impactful. We ask if international trade hubs and points-of-entry with high-volume trade, constant disturbance, and propagule rain have a higher number of nonnative species compared to surrounding areas and if they may serve as initial establishment sites and refugia of nonnative, invasive populations. Therefore, we partnered with various federal, state, and private interests to evaluate the floristic composition at the Garden City Terminal of the Port of Savannah, Georgia, USA. We conducted the following study to demonstrate the collaborative relationship-building between researchers and industry and to develop a framework for biodiversity conservation. In our study, we collected all reproductive vascular plants in the secured areas of the Garden City Terminal during four major seasonal time points over two years. The percent of nonnative species and number of nonnative plant species per hectare at this industrial location exceeded all other comparison floras. The mean coefficient of conservatism was lowest among the comparison floras, indicating a highly disturbed habitat with nonnative, weedy native, and other native species tolerant of disturbance. Our study represents one of the first inventories of an Industrialized Flora and indicates that such areas are hot-spots of nonnative plant diversity and possible sources of emergent plant invasions. We posit that industrial sites and international points-of-entry should be considered laboratories for research on species transport and introduction, adaptability, and taxonomic delineation to better understand the mechanisms and consequences of biotic homogenization due to the volume and frequency of anthropogenic activities.

ACS Style

Rima D. Lucardi; Chelsea E. Cunard; Steven C. Hughes; Kevin S. Burgess; Jennifer N. Reed; Lauren E. Whitehurst; Samantha J. Worthy; Travis D. Marsico. An initial industrial flora: A framework for botanical research in cooperation with industry for biodiversity conservation. PLOS ONE 2020, 15, e0230729 .

AMA Style

Rima D. Lucardi, Chelsea E. Cunard, Steven C. Hughes, Kevin S. Burgess, Jennifer N. Reed, Lauren E. Whitehurst, Samantha J. Worthy, Travis D. Marsico. An initial industrial flora: A framework for botanical research in cooperation with industry for biodiversity conservation. PLOS ONE. 2020; 15 (4):e0230729.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rima D. Lucardi; Chelsea E. Cunard; Steven C. Hughes; Kevin S. Burgess; Jennifer N. Reed; Lauren E. Whitehurst; Samantha J. Worthy; Travis D. Marsico. 2020. "An initial industrial flora: A framework for botanical research in cooperation with industry for biodiversity conservation." PLOS ONE 15, no. 4: e0230729.

Journal article
Published: 31 March 2020 in Plants
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The spatial expansions of invasive organisms in the novel range are generally expected to follow an isolation-by-distance relationship (IBD) if the invasion is biologically driven; however, many invasions are facilitated anthropogenically. This research focused on the extant expansion patterns of cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica). Cogongrass is a widespread invasive species throughout the southern United States (US). Patterns of infestation vary among US states. Cogongrass is pyrogenic, and its invasion threatens softwood (Pinus spp.) plantations, a substantial economic market for this US region. Over 600 individuals were sampled from seven invaded US states, using amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) to assess genetic diversity and population structure. We suspected that differences in historical management efforts among US states influenced differences in genetic diversity and structure. We detected two genetic lineages at the highest level of analysis. One genetic lineage was locally restricted, whereas the other was found throughout the study region. Admixed individuals were found in all US states and consistently co-occurred with the dominant lineage, suggesting that secondary contact and hybridization may have facilitated expansion. The widespread prevalence of only one of the two detected genetic lineages suggests a primary genetic lineage responsible for on-going population expansion in the US.

ACS Style

Rima D. Lucardi; Lisa E. Wallace; Gary N. Ervin. Patterns of Genetic Diversity in Highly Invasive Species: Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) Expansion in the Invaded Range of the Southern United States (US). Plants 2020, 9, 423 .

AMA Style

Rima D. Lucardi, Lisa E. Wallace, Gary N. Ervin. Patterns of Genetic Diversity in Highly Invasive Species: Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) Expansion in the Invaded Range of the Southern United States (US). Plants. 2020; 9 (4):423.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rima D. Lucardi; Lisa E. Wallace; Gary N. Ervin. 2020. "Patterns of Genetic Diversity in Highly Invasive Species: Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) Expansion in the Invaded Range of the Southern United States (US)." Plants 9, no. 4: 423.

Original paper
Published: 27 January 2020 in Biological Invasions
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Over 90% of global commercial trade occurs between seaports, which are initial points-of-entry for nonnative, potentially invasive propagules. As such, there is a need to develop means to both rapidly intercept and identify propagules as they arrive. Here, we focus on plant propagules that are assumed to be non-native, in seed form. Because standard morphological techniques alone are laborious and require taxonomic expertise, we sought to address if identification through barcoding of the plastid DNA (rbcL + matK genes) of plant seeds could improve current processes in the early detection and rapid response to prevent entry/establishment of nonnative plant species. This research conducted a preliminary foray to evaluate the utility of widely accepted plant plastid DNA barcodes to identify plant propagules (seeds, hereafter) collected from the air-intake grilles of refrigerated shipping containers of a single agricultural commodity arriving at the Port of Savannah, Georgia, USA. We ask four questions: (1) Can DNA barcoding be used to detect seeds collected from shipping containers at the port? (2) What is the genetic composition of propagules entering the port? (3) How do morphological identifications compare to those based on genetic analysis? (4) Are nonnative invasive plant species present on shipping containers entering the Port of Savannah? This research collected 11,044 seeds from 628 refrigerated shipping containers between 2015 and 2017. Seeds were then morphologically sorted into Seed Types. Barcoding of the matK and rbcL gene regions of the plastid genomes directly isolated from seeds resulted in poor amplification. This is likely due to a host of potential confounding factors. Therefore, we germinated seeds and utilized leaf-tissues for sequencing of these two gene regions. From BLASTn analyses, results returned top hits for a variety of species, with up to 22 possible nonnative plant species and one definite Federal Noxious Weed. This work investigates the interception application of DNA barcoding to improve agro- and bio-security issues posed by nonnative and invasive species. Though this study required the germination of the seeds to obtain leaf-tissue suitable for our DNA barcoding method, we effectively demonstrated seed viability. Our seed identification process was lengthy and understandably not feasible for real-time application. Therefore, we seek to improve our methods for future applications by testing other approaches that may better complement morphological identification. Next reasonable steps include improved extraction protocols, metabarcoding to generate DNA barcode sequences directly from groups of seeds harvested from shipping containers and implementing other next-generation sequencing techniques.

ACS Style

L. E. Whitehurst; C. E. Cunard; J. N. Reed; S. J. Worthy; T. D. Marsico; R. D. Lucardi; K. S. Burgess. Preliminary application of DNA barcoding toward the detection of viable plant propagules at an initial, international point-of-entry in Georgia, USA. Biological Invasions 2020, 22, 1585 -1606.

AMA Style

L. E. Whitehurst, C. E. Cunard, J. N. Reed, S. J. Worthy, T. D. Marsico, R. D. Lucardi, K. S. Burgess. Preliminary application of DNA barcoding toward the detection of viable plant propagules at an initial, international point-of-entry in Georgia, USA. Biological Invasions. 2020; 22 (5):1585-1606.

Chicago/Turabian Style

L. E. Whitehurst; C. E. Cunard; J. N. Reed; S. J. Worthy; T. D. Marsico; R. D. Lucardi; K. S. Burgess. 2020. "Preliminary application of DNA barcoding toward the detection of viable plant propagules at an initial, international point-of-entry in Georgia, USA." Biological Invasions 22, no. 5: 1585-1606.

Review
Published: 06 January 2020 in Toxins
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2,4-Di-tert-butylphenol or 2,4-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-phenol (2,4-DTBP) is a common toxic secondary metabolite produced by various groups of organisms. The biosources and bioactivities of 2,4-DTBP have been well investigated, but the phenol has not been systematically reviewed. This article provides a comprehensive review of 2,4-DTBP and its analogs with emphasis on natural sources and bioactivities. 2,4-DTBP has been found in at least 169 species of bacteria (16 species, 10 families), fungi (11 species, eight families), diatom (one species, one family), liverwort (one species, one family), pteridiphyta (two species, two families), gymnosperms (four species, one family), dicots (107 species, 58 families), monocots (22 species, eight families), and animals (five species, five families). 2,4-DTBP is often a major component of violate or essential oils and it exhibits potent toxicity against almost all testing organisms, including the producers; however, it is not clear why organisms produce autotoxic 2,4-DTBP and its analogs. The accumulating evidence indicates that the endocidal regulation seems to be the primary function of the phenols in the producing organisms.

ACS Style

Fuqiang Zhao; Ping Wang; Rima D. Lucardi; Zushang Su; Shiyou Li. Natural Sources and Bioactivities of 2,4-Di-Tert-Butylphenol and Its Analogs. Toxins 2020, 12, 35 .

AMA Style

Fuqiang Zhao, Ping Wang, Rima D. Lucardi, Zushang Su, Shiyou Li. Natural Sources and Bioactivities of 2,4-Di-Tert-Butylphenol and Its Analogs. Toxins. 2020; 12 (1):35.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fuqiang Zhao; Ping Wang; Rima D. Lucardi; Zushang Su; Shiyou Li. 2020. "Natural Sources and Bioactivities of 2,4-Di-Tert-Butylphenol and Its Analogs." Toxins 12, no. 1: 35.