Impact of non-native plant removal on lizards in riparian habitats in the Southwestern United States

Published source details Bateman H.L., Chung-MacCoubrey A. & Snell H.L. (2008) Impact of non-native plant removal on lizards in riparian habitats in the Southwestern United States. Restoration Ecology, 16, 180-190.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Create or restore forests Action Link

Create or restore forests

A replicated, controlled, before-and-after study in 2000–2006 in three sites of riparian forest in central New Mexico, USA (Bateman et al. 2008, likely same experimental set-up as Bateman et al. 2009) found that restoring forest through removing non-native vegetation and either burning the removed vegetation or planting native shrubs resulted in no change in the abundance of six lizard species. The effect of burning the removed vegetation and planting native shrubs cannot be separated from the effect of vegetation removal. Over a period of 1–3 years since removal, abundance of the six most common lizards (5 other species detected but not included in analysis due to small sample sizes) remained similar for restored and unmanaged sites (data reported as statistical model outputs). In 2003–2005, four riparian sites each within three regions were selected for non-native vegetation removal (3 sites/region) or no vegetation removal (1 site/treatment). Removal consisted of mechanical removal with chainsaws and herbicide (Garlon) application to stump sprouts. One removal site/region also had all removed vegetation burned, and another also had native shrubs planted. In June–September 2001–2006, abundance of lizards was surveyed at all sites with drift-fencing, pitfall and funnel traps (3 trapping arrays/site, checked 3 times/week).

(Summarised by: Maggie Watson, Will Morgan)