Invasiveness, ecological impacts and control of acacias in southwestern Europe – a review

Abstract

The most prolific acacias in southern Europe (Acacia dealbata, A. melanoxylon and A. longifolia) are rapidly spreading in its westernmost area: Portugal and NW Spain, where congeners with invasion potential are already established. We performed a bibliographic search of acacia invasions in southern Europe and used spatial data on acacia distribution and abiotic parameters in Iberia to check the influence of abiotic factors on acacia invasion. According to our results, in Iberia A. dealbata and A. melanoxylon seem limited by high soil pH (pHCaCl2>5.5), frequent frosts (>21 to 40 d yr−1) and low annual precipitation (<500 to 1000 mm); data were inconclusive for A. longifolia, while A. saligna prefers neutral soils in the driest and warmest areas. The percentage of area occupied by A. dealbata and A. melanoxylon increases significantly with the percentage of burnt surface. In the literature, acacias' invasiveness is usually attributed to their high resprouting and seeding capacity and to native exclusion through their allelopathic potential; symbiotic promiscuity with rhizobia; high environmental plasticity; and adaptation to burnt, cleared and resource-poor land. However, it is unknown how acacias became so invasive in western Iberia, where native Fabaceae shrubs with similar ecological traits (and invaders outside their natural range) are abundant. Invasive acacias can modify fire and water regimes, aboveground biodiversity, and topsoil characteristics (microbial communities, pH, organic matter and macronutrients levels); nevertheless, sound comparisons with mature stands of Iberian legumes for these and other soil properties (N fluxes, micronutrients) are lacking. As several acacias outcompete Iberian Fabaceae shrubs partly thanks to enemy release, the introduction of biocontrol agents (as for A. longifolia in Portugal) can be useful for invasion control.