Changes in vascular species composition and abundance were examined in coastal vegetation at Hobart, Tasmania, Australia over a period of 13 yr, during which suburbanization extended to cover a large proportion of its hinterland. There were significant increases in the richness and cover of exotic vascular plant species, most of which derived from the Mediterranean basin or southern Africa. While most of the introduced species were confined to vegetation with a high exotic component, and close to domestic gardens, some, including the South African coastal shrub, Chrysanthemoides monilifera, expanded in otherwise native vegetation relatively remote from gardens. The impact of proximity to gardens on the relative abundance of exotics and natives in coastal vegetation in 1997 best correlated with the pattern of distance from gardens in 1966, suggesting that there is, at least, a 30-yr lag period in transformation from largely native to substantially exotic vegetation. This lag period provides an opportunity to reduce exotic invasion problems before they become severe.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Environmental Sciences
Research Group:	Environmental Science and Management
Research Field:	Conservation and Biodiversity
Objective Division:	Environment
Objective Group:	Remnant Vegetation and Protected Conservation Areas
Objective Field:	Remnant Vegetation and Protected Conservation Areas in Forest and Woodlands Environments
UTAS Author:	O'shea, EM (Ms Edith O'shea)
UTAS Author:	Kirkpatrick, JB (Professor James Kirkpatrick)
ID Code:	18946
Year Published:	2000
Web of Science® Times Cited:	15
Deposited By:	Geography and Environmental Studies
Deposited On:	2000-08-01
Last Modified:	2011-09-20
Downloads:	0