Principal source: FLEPPC, 2001. Lygodium Management Plan for Florida
Compiler: National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) & IUCN/SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG)
Review: John C. Volin Professor and Director of Environmental Sciences Department of Biological Sciences Florida Atlantic University Florida USA
Publication date: 2006-11-29
Recommended citation: Global Invasive Species Database (2024) Species profile: Lygodium microphyllum. Downloaded from http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/species.php?sc=880 on 07-10-2024.
Once L. microphyllum has established, FLEPPC (2001) reports that, \"It climbs and blankets other vegetation, ultimately causing mortality to mature canopy and subcanopy trees (Roberts 1996, 1997). Sometimes, L. microphyllum covers other vegetation so completely, it is not possible to see other plants beneath it (Pemberton and Ferriter 1998). Near the ground surface, a thick mat of old and new fronds also forms, ultimately smothering and stifling native plants including herbs and tree seedlings that would ordinarily maintain the forest canopy if allowed to mature.\" Ferriter et al. (2004) similarly report that, \"L. microphyllum forms dense mats of rachis plant material. These thick, spongy mats are slow to decompose, exclude native understory plants, and can act as a site for additional fern colonization. It is difficult for other plant species to grow through the dense mat made by this fern, thereby reducing plant diversity. Large expanses of fern material also may alter drainage and water movement.\"
The University of Florida (2001) reports that, \"L. microphyllum poses management problems for both wildfires and prescribed burns because growth into canopy creates an avenue for fire to spread where swamp waters have usually provided a natural barrier. It has caused loss of some canopy trees with such \"crown\" fires, as well as loss of native bromeliads residing on tree trunks.
Biological: FLEPPC (2001) states that, \"Biological control is a very suitable approach for L. microphyllum, because it is an introduced species that is taxonomically isolated from all but one U.S. native plant and a few Latin American species. Biological control is an appropriate tool for the control of L. microphyllum because it grows among other plants in complex natural vegetation that would be damaged by most control methods.\"
The biology of L. microphyllum is not well studied and therefore little is known of natural predators, but research into this area of the ferns natural history is increasing steadily (Pemberton et al. 2003). FLEPPC (2001) reports some species of interest that have been identified such as Puccinia lygodii (Hariot) Arth. The authors state that, \"This rust is a pest of Lygodium spp. in greenhouses (Jones 1987). Puccinia lygodii is native to tropical South America (Sydow 1925) and has been collected from L. japonicum in Louisiana (McCain et al. 1990). It is of interest because rusts often have very narrow host ranges\".
Goolsby et al. (2004) have assessed the impact of a potential biological control agent, Floracarus perrepae (Knihinicki and Boczek), on L. microphyllum in its native range of Australia. The authors found that, \"The mite caused a significant reduction in biomass of above ground stems and leaves and below ground roots and rhizomes. Based on its potential to cause significant damage to L. microphyllum under field conditions in the native range and its extremely narrow host range, F. perrepae is an excellent candidate for biological control of this invasive L. microphyllum.\"
Jones et al. (2002) have identified a fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides from L. microphyllum grown indoors and specimens found naturally outdoors. The authors found that, \"Within 3 weeks of inoculation cause the foliage to develop abundant discoloured spots that lead to edge browning and wilting of the pinnules. The effect can be very severe in L. microphyllum with plants suffering as much as 50% dieback.\"