Cotoneaster horizontalis on calcareous
grasslands in Belgium : from ornament to
management
Gwenn Frisson,
Julien Piqueray, Mathieu Halford, Grégory Mahy & Sonia Vanderhoeven
A N D L A N D S C A P E U N IT C o n ta ct : g w e n n .f ri ss o n @ u lg .a c. b e DGARNE -DNF
Species Invaded Control
n = 15 n = 28 Allium sphaerocephalon 0.00 0.36 ** Bromus erectus 0.60 0.89 * Festuca lemanii 0.33 0.89 *** Impacts Method
Comparing native species occurrence, species richness and evenness between invaded and uninvaded plots
Invasion status on calcareous grasslands
Method
Field survey : count of C. horizontalis individuals.
Why ? Calcareous grasslands :
C. horizontalis:
•among the most species-rich habitats in Western Europe
•have strongly decreased since the end of the 19thcentury
•included in the black list of invasive species in Belgium
•alters the composition and structure of
different calcareous grassland communities in other countries 15 S p e ci e s ri ch n e ss 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 E v e n n e ss Control plots Invaded plots Evennessis significantly lower on invaded plots.
U N IV E R S IT Y O F L IE G E – G E M B LO U X A G R O -B IO T E C H – B IO D IV E R S IT Y A N D
Take home message
•The naturalization process of C.horizontalis in Belgian calcareous grasslands is effective.
•Calcareous grasslands communities are affected by the presence of C. horizontalis.
•The best management method on short term is to cut and paint with herbicide.
•C. horizontalis is still present in 53% of the sale catalogs of horticulturists in Southern Belgium : propagules are
continuously provided. Globularia bisnagarica 0.13 0.39 ° Lactuca perrenis 0.00 0.43 ** Sanguisorba minor 0.60 0.86 ° Sedum album 0.07 0.36 ° Seseli libanotis 0.13 0.39 °
Cut and burn Repeated cut
Barking and application
Pulverization Cut stump application*
Management tests
Method
Tests of mechanical and chemical techniques in the field and measurements of efficiency, cost and feasibility.
Lastuca perennis Globularia bisnagarica
Native species occurrence is significantly affected by the presence of C. horizontalis for 4 species and marginally affected for 4 other species.
Assessment on calcareous grasslands: 7 invaded sites out of the 9 investigated. (small individuals; large individuals; density/ha)
0 5 10 S p e ci e s ri ch n e ss Control plots Invaded plots
Species richnessis significantly lower on invaded plots.
efficiency :100% yield : 4,3 individuals/hour.man cost : 36,9 €/10individuals 0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0 12.0 S te m n u m b e r before management (2009) after management (2010)
Cut stump applicationis the most efficient method after one year.
* herbicide compound of 450g/L of glyphosate acid form diluted 32-36 times
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