Author
Jason Callander
Bio: Jason Callander is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Parthenium hysterophorus & Parthenium. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 6 publications receiving 36 citations.
Topics: Parthenium hysterophorus, Parthenium, Smicronyx, Weevil, Noxious weed
Papers
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TL;DR: The area infested with parthenium in central Queensland has declined since the mid-1990s, and due to the absence of many of the effective agents in southern and south-eastern Queensland, agents from central Queensland are being redistributed there.
Abstract: Parthenium is a Weed of National Significance in Australia. Biological control of parthenium in Australia commenced in 1977 and since then nine insect species and two rust fungi have been introduce...
21 citations
TL;DR: Overall, there was a tendency for increased soil major nutrients and microbial traits with Parthenium weed invasion, and the magnitude and/or direction of the weed invasion is affected by complex interactions among environmental factors that might change across invaded habitats and survey periods, making broad generalizations un-informative for management.
Abstract: Parthenium hysterophorus L. (Asteraceae) is an annual weed of worldwide significance in grasslands and riparian corridors. In view of the invasibility and known allelochemical properties exhibited by its presence in a given habitat, the weed is hypothesized to change soil properties significantly.
16 citations
TL;DR: A risk-based inventory of invasive plants in Queensland, Australia, using both current species distribution/abundance and the severity of their impacts is developed in this article, where the authors identify established and/or emerging invaders in the State, only one-third of which pose significant risks across regions to be considered management priorities.
Abstract: Invasive alien plant species threaten agriculture and biodiversity globally and require ongoing management to minimise impacts. However, the large number of invasive species means that a risk-based approach to prioritisation is needed, taking into account the spatial scale of management decisions and myriad of available information. Here, we developed a risk-based inventory of invasive plants in Queensland, Australia, using both current species distribution/abundance and the severity of their impacts. Our assessment followed a comprehensive data collection process including a scoping of local government pest management plans, herbarium records, the published literature and structured elicitation of expert knowledge during a series of regional stakeholder workshops. From ~300 plant species that were identified as established and/or emerging invaders in the State, only one-third were considered by practitioners to pose significant risks across regions to be considered management priorities. We aggregated regional species lists into a statewide priority list and analysed the data set (107 species) for historical, geographical, floristic and ecological patterns. Regions on the mainland eastern seaboard of the State share similar invasive plant communities, suggesting that these regions may form a single management unit, unlike the western/inland and the extreme far north (Torres Strait Islands) regions, which share fewer invasive plant species. Positive correlations were detected between invasiveness and time since introduction for some but not all plant life forms. Stakeholders identified research and management priorities for the invasive plant list, including biological control options, public awareness/education, effective herbicide use, ecology/taxonomy and risk analysis. In the course of the exercise, a statewide invasive plant priority list of high-, medium- and low-impact scores for policy, research and management was compiled. Finally, our approach to invasive plant species prioritisation highlighted that planning and policy documents are not necessarily reflected at the grass-root level in terms of species identity and management priorities.
9 citations
01 Jan 2016
TL;DR: A program to redistribute biological control agents against parthenium to the south and south east of the state has been initiated, with evidence of field establishment of the winter rust and the Smicronyx weevil in some of the release sites.
Abstract: Parthenium (Parthenium hysterophorus L.), a noxious weed of grazing areas in Queensland (Qld), is a Weed of National Significance in Australia. Eleven biological control agents (nine insect species and two rust pathogens) have been released against parthenium in Australia. The majority of these agents have become established and have proven effective against the weed in central Qld.
Parthenium is spreading further into southern Qld, where many of the widespread and effective biological control agents in central Qld are not present. Hence, a program to redistribute these agents from central Qld to the south and south east of the state has been initiated. The seed-feeding weevil (Smicronyx lutulentus Dietz), the stem-boring weevil (Listronotus setosipennis (Hustache)), and the root-boring moth (Carmenta nr. ithacae Beutenmuller), the winter rust (Puccinia abrupta var. partheniicola Dietel & Holway), and the summer rust (Puccinia xanthii var. parthenii-hysterophorae Seier, Evans & Romero) have been identified as priority agents for redistribution.
So far, field collected winter rust, the Listronotus weevil, the Smicronyx weevil, the Carmenta moth and the leaf-feeding beetle (Zygogramma bicolorata Pallister) have been field released at ten sites in south and south east Qld. Field releases of the winter rust from glasshouse cultures were also made at several sites. So far there is evidence of field establishment of the winter rust and the Smicronyx weevil in some of the release sites.
Cultures of the summer rust and Listronotus weevil have recently been established at the Ecosciences Precinct for future mass rearing and field releases. Redistribution of field collected and glasshouse cultured biological control agents and monitoring their establishment status in the field will continue over the next three years.
2 citations
01 Jan 2019
TL;DR: Results to date suggest that both biological control agents are highly host specific at the subspecies level of the target weed.
Abstract: Biological control is the most economically viable management option for prickly acacia (Vachellia nilotica subsp. indica), a serious weed of grazing areas in western Queensland, Australia. Biological control efforts so far have focused on agents from Pakistan, Kenya, South Africa and India, with limited success to date. Hence, the search for new agents, focusing on gall-inducers, was redirected to Ethiopia and Senegal, based on plant genotype and climate matching. Surveys were conducted on V. nilotica subspecies with moniliform fruits including the invasive subspecies indica. Prospective biological control agents have been identified based on damage potential, field host range and climate match. A gall thrips (Acaciothrips ebneri [Karny]) inducing shoot-tip rosette galls, a gall mite (Aceria sp. 3) deforming leaflets, rachides and shoot-tips in Ethiopia and Senegal and a tephritid fly (Notomma mutilum [Bezzi]) inducing stem-galls in Senegal have been prioritized for further studies. The gall thrips from Ethiopia has been imported into quarantine in Brisbane, Australia and host specificity tests are in progress. The eriophyid gall mite from Ethiopia has been imported into quarantine in Pretoria, South Africa and host specificity tests are also in progress there. Results to date suggest that both agents are highly host specific at the subspecies level of the target weed. Future research will focus on the host specificity testing of the tephritid gall fly from Senegal which has been imported in quarantine in Brisbane, Australia.
2 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors report the current and future potential distribution of Parthenium hysterophorus in India under climate change scenarios and describe its niche dynamics, revealing that 65% of the total area in India is suitable for its potential invasion with three invasion hotspots identified: Western Himalaya, North-East and parts of Peninsular India.
Abstract: In an era of climate change, predictive distribution modelling and niche dynamics of invasive species can help in understanding current and future invasion potential. Parthenium hysterophorus (Congress grass), native to tropical America, is one of the world’s worst weeds with huge ecological and economic impacts, including in India. Here we report the current and future potential distribution of P. hysterophorus in India under climate change scenarios and describe its niche dynamics. The results revealed that under current climate, 65% of the total area in India is suitable for its potential invasion with three invasion hotspots identified: Western Himalaya, North-East and parts of Peninsular India. The study predicts an overall decrease in habitat suitability for this invasive species under climate change with about half of the suitable habitat reduced under RCP 8.5-2070; but some of the currently invaded regions will remain equally (North-East) or become highly vulnerable (Western Himalaya) to its invasion under future climate. Interestingly, niche dynamics results revealed that P. hysterophorus has shifted its climatic niche in the invaded range in India, more due to niche unfilling. Based on univariate analysis, niche dynamic processes in the analogous (expansion) and non-analogous (abandonment and pioneering) environments were also evident. The results from present study can help in developing climate change-integrated and region-specific invasion management strategies in India. More importantly, results of niche dynamics between native and invaded ranges of P. hysterophorus offer novel insights to understand the nature of niche shifts in invasive species and to predict the invasion potential under climate change.
53 citations
01 Jan 2016
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that the current way of performing risk analysis has several shortcomings, such as lack of data on ecological impacts, transparency and repeatability of assessments as well as the incorporation of uncertainty should all be explicitly considered.
Abstract: Risk assessment tools for listing invasive alien species need to incorporate all available evidence and expertise. Beyond the wealth of protocols developed to date, we argue that the current way of performing risk analysis has several shortcomings. In particular, lack of data on ecological impacts, transparency and repeatability of assessments as well as the incorporation of uncertainty should all be explicitly considered. We recommend improved quality control of risk assessments through formalized peer review with clear feedback between assessors and reviewers. Alternatively, a consensus building process can be applied to better capture opinions of different experts, thereby maximizing the evidential basis. Elaborating on manageability of invasive species is further needed to fully answer all risk analysis requirements. Tackling the issue of invasive species urges better handling of the acquired information on risk and the exploration of improved methods for decision making on biodiversity management. This is crucial for efficient conservation resource allocation and uptake by stakeholders and the public.
40 citations
TL;DR: The area infested with parthenium in central Queensland has declined since the mid-1990s, and due to the absence of many of the effective agents in southern and south-eastern Queensland, agents from central Queensland are being redistributed there.
Abstract: Parthenium is a Weed of National Significance in Australia. Biological control of parthenium in Australia commenced in 1977 and since then nine insect species and two rust fungi have been introduce...
21 citations
TL;DR: Results suggest that phenotypic variations within population of P. hysterophorus regulate its ecological impact on associated vegetation, and conservation managers would benefit from studying its invasion patterns and identifying the morphotype with higher ecological impact to prioritize management efforts.
21 citations