| Ligustrum sinense Lour. (Chinese privet) is a highly invasive shrub that occurs throughout the southeastern United States and severely limits the abundance and diversity of native plant species. Since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, L. sinense has become a well established and increasingly common invader of the bottomland hardwood forest at Tulane University owned Hebert Research Center in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. The rationale for this study was to determine how L. sinense establishes itself and subsequently invades a forest habitat by understanding how light resources affect the germination and early growth of L. sinense, and how the shrub affects the germination and survival of native tree species. Methods included greenhouse germination and growth experiments, field surveys, and experimental field plots. The results of this study were intended to aid in L. sinense management and to promote the successful growth of native flora in south Louisiana bottomland hardwood forests. |
