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Classification of Roadside Weeds along Two Highways in Different Climatic Zones According to Ecomorphological Traits

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Daisuke Hayasaka ,
Munemitsu Akasaka ,
Daisaku Miyauchi  and
Taizo Uchida
Daisuke Hayasaka*
Affiliation:
Research Center for Environmental Risk, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Onogawa 16-2, Tsukuba 305-8506, Japan
Munemitsu Akasaka
Affiliation:
Research Center for Environmental Risk, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Onogawa 16-2, Tsukuba 305-8506, Japan
Daisaku Miyauchi
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, Hodogaya-ku, Tokiwadai 79-7, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
Taizo Uchida
Affiliation:
Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu Sangyo University, Higashi-ku, Matsukadai 2-3-1, Fukuoka 813-8503, Japan
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Growth of vegetation in curbside cracks causes deterioration of asphalt and curbs, reducing road longevity and safety capabilities. Road managers spend a considerable amount of time and money on roadside vegetation management every year. The vegetation in curbside cracks in these study regions is managed approximately once a year by mowing and road sweeping using street-sweeper trucks. Nevertheless, ideal management practices of roadside vegetation have not yet been established partly due to insufficient knowledge of the ecological strategies of plants invading roadsides, especially curbside cracks. Although establishment of plants in the cracks might be restricted due to severe anthropogenic road disturbances, the cracks could be habitats for species with specific ecological traits. The objective of this study was to clarify the floristic and functional characteristics of roadside weeds, particularly species invading curbside cracks, to provide information for effective road management. The species composition of plants invading the cracks was surveyed along Route 3 (southern Japan) and Route 4 (eastern Japan) in different climatic zones, based on 108 floristic inventories. We compared species occurrence and composition to characterize the dominant ecomorphological traits of the species. In total, 163 species occurred in curbside cracks along both routes. Species composition of vegetation in curbside cracks was more variable between the routes than between land-use types. Of the 54 species, more than 5% occurred in all plots, and only three had differences in occurrence among land-use types. Ecomorphological trait composition patterns of the species were similar across land-use types. From these results, we found that regardless of differences in species composition among regions, climatic conditions, and surrounding land-use type, there were some dominant ecomorphological traits of roadside vegetation with plants in curbside cracks, such as ephemeral monophytes that are barochorous or anemochorous. By contrast, rhizomatous perennials, which cause greater deterioration of asphalt than ephemeral monophytes, were rare along the cracks. Although vegetation composition and structure generally depend on land-use types and disturbance regimes, linear landscape elements such as curbsides might be habitats for plants adapted to road disturbances. Roadside vegetation management, such as mowing and road sweeping once a year, seems sufficient to restrict establishment of rhizomatous perennials around Japan.

El crecimiento de la vegetación en grietas de acotamientos y cunetas causa el deterioro del asfalto, disminuyendo la vida útil del camino y sus capacidades de seguridad. Cada año, los encargados de caminos gastan una cantidad considerable de tiempo y dinero en el manejo de la vegetación en las orillas de los caminos. La vegetación que crece en las grietas de los acotamientos en las regiones estudiadas es eliminada aproximadamente una vez al año a través de corte y con barrido usando camiones barredores de carreteras. Sin embargo, aún no se han establecido prácticas ideales de manejo, parcialmente debido a insuficientes conocimientos de estrategias ecológicas en plantas que invaden los caminos, especialmente en las grietas de los acotamientos. Aunque el establecimiento de plantas en las grietas podría ser limitado debido a disturbios antropogénicos severos en los caminos, las grietas tal vez sean hábitat para especies con características ecológicas específicas. El objetivo de este estudio fue aclarar las características florísticas y funcionales de la maleza que crece en los acotamientos, particularmente las especies que invaden sus grietas, para informar de un manejo más efectivo en las carreteras. Se examinó la composición de las especies de plantas que invadían las grietas de los acotamientos a lo largo de las rutas 3 (Sur de Japón) y 4 (Este de Japón) en diferentes zonas climáticas, basados en 108 conteos. Para caracterizar los rasgos eco-morfológicos dominantes de las especies, comparamos su ocurrencia y composición. En total, 163 especies ocurrieron en las grietas en ambas rutas. La composición de las especies de vegetación en las grietas, fue más variable entre rutas que entre tipos de uso del suelo. De 54 especies de arriba, el 5% ocurrió en todas las parcelas y solamente tres tuvieron diferencias en ocurrencia entre tipos de uso del suelo. Los patrones de composición de las características eco-morfológicas de las especies fueron similares a través de tipos de uso del suelo. De estos resultados, encontramos que a pesar de las diferencias en la composición de especies entre regiones, de condiciones climáticas y de tipo de uso del suelo en el entorno, hubo algunas características eco-morfológicas dominantes de vegetación al borde de las carreteras con plantas en las grietas de los acotamientos, tales como monofitas efimerales siendo balocorias o anemocorias. En contraste, plantas perennes rizomatosas, las cuales causan un mayor deterioro en el asfalto que las monofitas efímeras, fueron raras en las grietas. Aún cuando la composición y estructura de la vegetación generalmente dependen de los tipos de uso del suelo y los regímenes de perturbación, los elementos lineales del entorno como son los acotamientos, pueden ser hábitat para plantas adaptadas a las perturbaciones en los caminos. El manejo de la vegetación al borde de los caminos mediante el corte y barrido mecánico una vez al año, parece ser suficiente para restringir el establecimiento de plantas perennes rizomatosas en Japón.

Keywords

Arable land weedscurbsideland-use typelife historynonindigenous speciesroad ecologyroad managementroad verge
Type
Weed Management—Other Crops/Areas
Information
Weed Technology , Volume 25 , Issue 3 , September 2011 , pp. 411 - 421
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

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