Biological Invasion of Vines, Their Impacts and Management

Abstract

Invasive species, from their natives enter into new areas where they establish, proliferate, spread and affect the natural communities. They alter the local biodiversity, cause changes in hydrology and ecosystem functions. In this chapter, we review the global distribution of invasive vines, their impacts, widely-used control measures and future prospects. According to Global Invasive Species Database (2013) and other sources, a total of 55 vines are considered as world's worst invasive species. Approximately 29 % of the vines have drifted from Asia to North America, South America, Europe, Oceania and Africa. However, only 6 % of invasive vines have invaded from North America to Asia and Oceania. Approximately, 21 %, 19 % and 17 % of the invasive vines have spread to Europe, Asia and South America respectively. A concise account on world's top ten invasive climbers is provided in this chapter. A detailed review on the ecology of two prominent invasive vines in India viz. Mikania micrantha and Lantana camara are also included. Different control measures viz. physical, chemical, biological and cultural methods are in practice to contain the vigorous growth of several invasive vines. However, an integrated approach has been proven to be most successful. Though invasive vines are noxious and notorious to the environment, they also have some ecological and economic benefits as ornamentals, edibles, medicinal plants etc. Considering their impacts on environment on one side and the economic values on the other side, wiser management of these species is emphasized.