Article #13
How does the invasive species
Rhododendron ponticum affect
small mammal populations On Keele
University campus?
How does the invasive
species Rhododendron
ponticum affect small
mammal populations
on Keele University
campus?
Abstract
Invasive rhododendron species are often removed from UK forests
due to the degradation they cause to these areas. However, its
benefits are often overlooked, such as its impact on native small
mammal species. This study was carried out to demonstrate some
of these positive impacts. Footprint tracking tunnels were placed
under Rhododendron ponticum shrubs and native Yew species
Taxus baccata shrubs to monitor and compare the species richness
and small mammal activity between the two species.
Author: Caroline Roper
Keywords:
Rhododendron
ponticum, Invasive
Species, Concilation
Biology, Conservation
The study found that small mammal activity was higher within R.
ponticum shrubs, however, species richness remained the same
throughout. Further research would be required to understand how
this may affect the structure of small mammal populations, aerial
predators and forest degradation at Keele.
Keywords: Rhododendron ponticum, Invasive Species, Conciliation
Biology, Conservation.
Context and Aims
Invasive species are defined as non-native species which
can establish and reproduce in an area, leading to potential
environmental or economic damage (Carlton, 2003) as well as
posing a threat to human health (Mooney, 2005). The introduction
of invasive species lead to increased competition for resources
such as food and space between the invasive and native species’
in the area (Brown et al., 2002) and are thought to be one of the
largest threats to biodiversity and one of the leading causes of
species loss since at least 1500 AD (Bellard et al., 2016).
One of the more common invasive species in the United Kingdom
is Rhododendron ponticum, which is a species native to areas such
as Turkey and parts of Spain (Cross, 1975). This fast-growing shrub
has been highly successful in the United Kingdom acting as a pest
to woodland areas (Cross, 1975). Its success is often attributed
to its evergreen leaves preventing sunlight from reaching plants
underneath the shrub’s canopy, preventing the growth of saplings
or other plant species in the area (Lei et al., 2002) and leading to
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