Shortlisted for the Georgina Mace Prize 2024
Fredrick Ssali discusses his team’s study on the impact the invasive flowering plant Lantana camara has on common native species in western Uganda.
About the Research
Overview
The shortlisted paper “Associations between Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae) and common native species in an African savanna” is an output of a team of four Ugandan researchers. We explored associations between L. camara and common native species. Lantana camara is a flowering plant, an angiosperm, that belongs to the Verbenaceae family. It is species of management concern, an introduced invasive species. We wanted to find out: (1) whether floristic composition varies between L. camara invaded and uninvaded areas and (2) which large herbivores forage in areas with L. camara. Such knowledge is important for improved management of biological invasions.
Surprises and challenges
The finding that some large herbivores, mainly the Uganda kob, tended to avoid invaded areas was particularly surprising. If large herbivores keep avoiding these areas, L. camara invasion will likely worsen due to reduced opportunities for recolonisation by herbivore-adapted species. Challenge: The field team had to spend long hours walking through thick vegetation and often came very close to megaherbivores, mainly elephants and buffaloes.
Next steps and broader implications
We would like to explore the ecological associations of other invasive species including Euphorbia candelabrum, Opuntia vulgaris, and Parthenium hysterophorus that are found within or near our inventory plots. We also intend to experimentally determine the effective restoration interventions that can control a broad suite of invaders that may come in after the eradication or decline of L. camara.
Our research is part of a long-term vegetation monitoring programme which aims to investigate the different techniques, methods, and approaches for eradicating invasive plant species from the park. We advocate the allocation of sustained efforts to suppress the invader and subsequently enrich and bolster native recovery.
About the Author
Getting involved in ecology
Soon after completing my MSc degree in Biology, I got a rare opportunity of starting out as a volunteer researcher at the Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation (ITFC) in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. I then took up the position of Research Officer at the same Institute and later enrolled for a PhD in Ecology at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences in Norway.
Current position
I currently serve as Lecturer in the Faculty of Science at Uganda Martyrs University.
Advice for fellow ecologists
To keep going no matter how many times things don’t go their way and to be willing to work with other researchers.
Learn more about Fredrick Ssali’s study in a previous blogpost!
Read the full article ‘Associations between Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae) and common native species in an African savanna’ in Ecological Solutions and Evidence.
Find the other early career researchers and their articles that have been shortlisted for the Georgina Mace Prize 2024 here!
