SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES IN BANDUNG

• Main Author: Rahmawati
• Format: Theses
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/67441
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Bandung city as an urban ecosystem could be an important entry point for invasive plant species due to human activities such as agriculture and land use conversion. The existence of invasive species is one of the parameters to determine ecosystem health in urban areas. Therefore, this study was conducted to record invasive plants, to figure out distribution, and to analyze the correlation between land use and species richness of invasive plant species. Purposive sampling was used to place the line transects in 22 sites for vegetation survey. coordinates of sampling area, species name, and individual number were recorded, then vegetation data was analyzed to calculate important value index (IVI). Invasive plant species were selected based on information from Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD), Center for Agriculture Biosciences International (CABI) and Guidebook to Invasive Species in Indonesia, Forest in Southeast Asia-Indonesia Program (FORIS-INDONESIA). The data ordination of invasive plant was described using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Spatial distribution of dominant invasive plant was depicted using interpolation methods. Based on field survey, there are six land use types in Bandung, i,e, settlement, roadside, park, garden, rice fields and urban forest. 187 plant species were recorded in Bandung area. These plants are classified into invasive alien species (39%), invasive native plants (25%), non-invasive alien species (18%), non-invasive native species (15%), and unidentified (3%). Eleusine indica (IVI = 10.50%), Trimezia martinicensis (IVI = 7.22%) and Cyperus rotundus (INP = 6.74%) are common invasive plants in Bandung. Sorensen’s similarity index shows that rice fields and gardens have the highest similarity (50.5%) due to whole vegetation data, followed by settlements and roadside (44.4%), parks and road borders (26.2%) and urban forests and roadside (17.5%). The PCA results show that Swietenia macrophylla is an invasive plant commonly found in urban forests, parks and roadsides with high humidity. In settlement areas, T. martinicensis is commonly found as an ornamental plant. Bidens pilosa is commonly found on the edges of rice fields, gardens, settlements, roadsides, and parks. The ability to produce massive fruits as propagules, light weight seed that easily dispersed by wind, and high survival rate of individual in every stage lead to wide invasion of B. pilosa in Bandung. Land use conversion to open areas drives invasive plants to colonize and invade Bandung area easily. The high number of invasive plant species in Bandung must be managed carefully to urban ecosystem health.