Invasive alien plants in tropical forests of the South-eastern Ghats, India: ecology and management.

Biological invasion is reported to be the second leading cause of species extinction after habitat loss, and is one of the major causes of biodiversity depletion (Jose et al., 2009). Invasion science has attracted attention from ecologists because of its significant ecological impacts and economic costs worldwide (Liu et al., 2005). Human activities have important influences on the dispersal of exotic plants (Mack and D'Antonio, 1998; Sax, 2002; Liu et al., 2005). Invasive species affect both biological and cultural systems. Study of the ecological and economic effects of invasive species has paralleled their progressively pervasive influence worldwide, yet their cultural impacts remain largely unexamined and therefore unrecognized. Invasive alien species pose a serious threat to the biodiversity of native species (Singh et al., 2006), particularly in the tropics, and the Indian subcontinent is no exception to this. Biological invasions have emerged as a major ecological and environmental policy issue, displacing native species in both terrestrial and marine habits at unprecedented rates (Mack et al., 2000; UNEP, 2001; Simberloff et al., 2005). The objective of the research described in this chapter was to determine the diversity and ecology of invasive alien plants in the forests of the southern Eastern Ghats and to suggest control measures for invasive spread in order to save the native biodiversity. Study Area