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A STUDI OF l'!XJOLOOIOAL INTERACTION
BETWEEN INTRODOOED AND INDIGElUJS PLANT SP.IWIES IN THE KANAWATU DISTRICT, NORTH ISLAND, Nmf ZEALAND.
J. A. OARNAHAN.
A Thesis presented at Massey Agricultural College for the Degree of Dootor of Philosophy
in the University of N� Z alarid
1957.
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INTRODUCTION 1
I. INTRODUCED AND INDIGENOUS SPECIES 4\ -I
!�l g:;:�o:sOR
DIST:OOTION3 PUBLICATIONS ON THE NEH ZEALAND FLOBA
4 HilmiDIZATION
*'
41 6...j7 II. THE
lll
2 STUDY AREA CHOICE PHYSIOORAPHY OF AREA�
3 CLIMATE
4 SOILS
8 ! 13 9 -, 17 -l
UI. THE ORIGINAL VJOO.ET.ATION 21
IV.
V.
VI.
Ill
2 3 FOREST MOUNTAnf SWAMP VEGETATION SORU13 2l 223 34 MINOR OCID4UNl'.riES 24
5 XNVIRONMENT OF THE ORIGINAL VEGETATION 21,.
HISTORICAL
( 1) POLYNESIANS
{ 2) EUROPEANS
THE PRESENT VEGETATION
( 1) PREVIOUS WOBK
(i) Vegetation (ii) Environment
(2) VEGETATION PATTERN AS A FUN::TION CF MAN'S ACTIVITIES
( i) The Pattern of Vegetation (ii) Interpretation
FIELD EXAMINATION OF THE PRESENT VEG:E!ATION
(1) ( 2 ) (3)
BASIS
EXTENSIVE EXAMINATION
Jrm'fHOD FOR STUDYING UNPLOUGHABLli: PASTURE (i) The Unit Area Method
. (1i ) Transeot Sampling of Units and of Vegetation of Same
!
i ii) Kaps Used in Systematio Examination iv) Transeoting ProoedureV) Re-run of SCIDS Transacts (vi) Point Analysis and Fz-.quenoy
Measurements in Chosen Unit Areas (vii) Treatment of Sampling Data
25 25 26 29 29 29 29
30 30 32 36
"
.38 39 39
40 43 57 4.7 65 58
(11)
(Oii)
l!&!.
VII. RESULTS CP THE FIEirP WMINATION 79
(1) PLOUGHABLE
PASTURE
79(i) Weeds of
Freque
nt� Cultivat
edGramd 80
(ii)
Anal7ses
of Past
ureon Uaploughed
Land 82
(i
ii
)Indigenous
Speciesof Junous
inPloughable Pasture
88(2) UNPLOUGHABLE
PASTURE
89(i) Introchloed Species
as an Environ-
montal
Factor
90(ii)
Indigenous
Species 92Phanerophytes
92J'ems 96
Large Monoo
o
tyl
edons 98SWard-forming Species 99
(3)
NON-PASTURE
101r)
RelpDaDt Forests 102ii)
Successional Vegetation
103iii) Cliffs and
Stream
Banks 106iv) Active or
Unhealed Erosion Features
107v) Watercourses and S
t
rean Beds 107VIII. D:rsotmSION CF RESULTS 112
(l) PLOUGHABLE PASTURE 112
t ii)
CulIntensive Pasture Manag�nt ti
vati on112
112iii)
Species
of Junous 111t.(2)
UNPLOUGHABLE PASTURE 116�l)
Relationship of Weeds to Altitude 116it) IDdigenous Ferns
.andPbanerophytes
11
7Relationship to
Gruing 117 Relationship tothe
OriginalV
eg
et
ation 11�11i) Large
Indigenous Monoootyledons 121 iv)Indigenous SWard-fonning
Specie 123Relationship to Grazing 123
Relationship to Pasture
Management
124Relationship to the
Ol"iginalVegetation 12.5
(v) Aigressiveness of Indi
g
eno
us Weeds 127�'�
NON-PASTURE 128CONJLUSION
�
i) General Relationships 131 131 H.)Need
for Further Work: 1.3.3IX. SUIOIARI 136
X. LIST OF SP.miES 14.7
XI. LITERATURE CITED 163
APPENDICE3 (see p. iv) 171
AP.I?ENDICES
I. ENVIROliiENTAL ANALYSIS OF LEIGTH-GROUP
DISTRIBt1.riON OF TRANS.ECTS
(lv).
A. Original Tranaects 171
B. Bte-run Tranaeots 173
II. ENVIRONM&NTAL ANALYSIS OF F��y OP SPECIES AND OATmORm5
A. Original Transects 175
B. R�-run Transects 186
III. F�UENOY OF MINOR SPmml AND CATEGORIES
A. Ol'iginal Transocts 188
B. Re-run Transeots 193
IV. MEAN .ABtJNDA.lVE CF SPECIES AND CATEGORIES, BI LENGTH-GROUPS
A. Orig:inal Transeots 194
B. Re-run Transeots 199
V. BAN .A.BtJNDAIICE OF CERTAIN SPEOIES AND CATEGORIES,
FOR DmEREN.l' ORIID.'TATIONS AND SOD.. TYPES, BY
LENGTH-GROUPS 200
VI. MEAN PEROENTAGE COVER, MEAN FERCENTAGE TOP COVER,
AND MEAN PE�EN'l'AGE FREQUEN::Y OF SPIDIES AND
CATEGORIES 204
VII. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OP MEAN PEOOENTAGE COVER
(upper line) AND MBAN PE.OOENTAGE FREQ'IJB.IDY
(lower line) OF CERTAIN SPmiES
A. Soil Type and. Orientation 211
B. Altitude, Slope, Sheep Grazing, and Cattle
Grazing · 213
VIII. PERCaiTAGE COVER AND PERO'mTAGE TQ? COVER FOR
'l'HREE ARSAS OF SWAMPY GROUND 215
(v)
TABLES
I. RAINFALL STATIWS IN THE MANAWATU DISTRICT 16
n. OLASSIFIOATION Oi' TRANSJI)TS <F UNIT AREAS 67
m. RELATION OF LENGTH OF TRANSSJT TO NUJmrm OF SPECIES 69 IV. ENV'IRO.NMSN'l'AL ANALYSIS OF NUlriBER OF TRANSECTS
n� EACH IMPORTANT SOIL TYPE 7}
v. �UEIDY OF OOOURRE.NCE OF SPECIES IN HORTI•
CULTURAL WEED COI.JJ!DTIONS 81
VI. PREQUEIDY AND �E ea WEED SPECIES BN
CULTIVATED GROUND a,
VII PIRCEN'l'AGE COVER, PEOOF:lTAGE TOP OOVER, AND
PERCENTAGE FREQUENJY OF SPECIES IN UNE'LOUGHED
PASTURE UNITS 86
VIII. "PEBBENTAGE COVER" IN THREE PASTURES IN
D&;Dt:BRR (:MERRY) 87
IX. IXJmaNT SPECIES OF UNIT AREAS OF D4PBNEnlABLS
' ' VEGETATIW, BY son. TYPES 105
X. DOMINANr SP:OO IES OF' VEGETATED CLIFFS AND }J"TRE.AK
BANKS 108
XI. IMPORTAN.l' SPIDIES OF WATERCOURSES AND STREAM B1mS 110
l!a·
1 2 3
4
5 6 7
J!APS AND ILLUSTRATIONS
PlqSICAL MAP OF STUDY AREA (FROM NZMS 19A)
SOIL MAP (m' STUDY ARRA (N.z. SOIL BUREAU)
PRESENT VEGETATION OF STUDY A.IW. (JWDBN)
NZMS 1, 8mmr N. :U..9 (PAI.KERSTON NORTH)
NZMS 3, SHEET N. 149/5 (\fHAKARONGO)
PLOUGHABLE PASTURE. DENSE SWARD CF LOLilD4
PERENNE AND TRIFOLIUJ4 RRPENS
INFESTATION OF PLOUGHABLE PASTURE BY
INDIGENOUS SPIDIES OF JtJNJUS
8 :r&rTQSPERMUM SCOP.ARIUJ( SPREADING IN UNPLOUGHABLE PASTURE
BRACHYGLQ�IS REP,ANDA AND ARUNDO KAKAHO
REPLACING PASTURE ON STEEP SLOPE
10 BRAOHYGLOTTIS REPANDA AND PTERIDIUM ESou- 11
l2 13
LEN'l'U)( INVADING BANK PASTORE
LA1'E STAGE IN REPLAOENENT OF UNPLOUGHABLE
PASTURE BY DlPK.§S:>NIA SQUARROSA
CUSHION FORM OF METROSIJ)EROO DD'PUSA PSEUDO!INl'ERA COLORATA FORMING THICIOOS
AT ABO�OO F'l'.
:PAE3IA SOABERULA UNDER RELATIVELY LIGHT
GRAZING
15 BLEOHNUM n,UVIATILE ADOPTING LON-GROWING
16
17 18
19 20
POI& IN PASTURE
:REP.LADEMEN.l' OF UNPLOUGHABLE PASTURE BY FERNS
PQkYS1'ICBTJK VESTITUM AT ABOUT 2000 FT.
OPEN SWARD CONTAINING LARG-E PROPORI'ION
O.F' INDIGENOUS HERRS
HELIOHRYSUM FILIOAUIE IN FAIRLY RANK.
PASTURE
HYDROOOi'YLE SP.P. m UNPLOUGHA.BLE PASTURE
21 NON-PASTURE VEGE:l'ATION. LEPTOSPEJ.tit1M SCOPARIUM Iml?LACING ULEX ET.JROPAimS
(vi)
lY!.
10
18
139 139
l43
The writ6r is a member of the teaching staff of Maasey Agric•
ultural College, Palm6rston North, enrolled as a •staff omdidate•
tor Ph. D., under the aupft"Vision of Dr J .s. Yeatea. !he major part of the field work was carried out in 1954., during a year's leave from teaching duties.
Thanks are due to Dr. J.s. Yeates for reading and oritioizing the script; also to Dr. L.H. Millener for his criticism of part of the script; to Messrs. A.F. Greenall and D. Hudlton tor making available their unpublished Soil Conservation Survey; and to
Prof. A .L. Rae for making available A.J. Gibson1s UJlPllbliahecl Survey
of Hill She epfaming.
