The invasive shrub Piper aduncum in Papua New Guinea: a review

Hartemink A. E., . The invasive shrub Piper aduncum in Papua New Guinea: a review. pp. 202-213. ISSN 0128-1283

Piper aduncum is a shrub native to Central America. It is found in most Central and South American countries and also in the Caribbean and southern Florida (USA). In Asia and the Pacific P. aduncum occurs in Indonesia Malaysia Philippines Papua New Guinea Solomon Islands Vanuatu Fiji Micronesia American Samoa Niue the Marianas Tonga Samoa the Cook Islands Palau and Hawaii (USA). Piper aduncum arrived in Papua New Guinea before the mid-1930s. From the 1970s it started to dominate the secondary fallow vegetation in many parts of the humid lowlands. It invaded grassland areas and also appeared in the highlands up to 2100 m asl. The seeds are dispersed by birds bats and wind as well as by logging equipment and in some localities by migrating people. The combination of its vigorous generative characteristics (small and abundant seeds) high growth rate and the accidental or intentional spreading has resulted in its presence in most provinces of Papua New Guinea. In the 1990s awareness of the spread of P. aduncum grew and there was a corresponding increase in research interest from a range of disciplines e.g. pharmacology agronomy quarantine forestry and taxonomy. The invasion of P. aduncum has affected the farming system and livelihood of many rural people. Future research should focus on mapping its extent and studying its agronomic socio-economic and ecological effects particularly its effect on biodiversity.

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Abstract

Piper aduncum is a shrub native to Central America. It is found in most Central and South American countries and also in the Caribbean and southern Florida (USA). In Asia and the Pacific P. aduncum occurs in Indonesia Malaysia Philippines Papua New Guinea Solomon Islands Vanuatu Fiji Micronesia American Samoa Niue the Marianas Tonga Samoa the Cook Islands Palau and Hawaii (USA). Piper aduncum arrived in Papua New Guinea before the mid-1930s. From the 1970s it started to dominate the secondary fallow vegetation in many parts of the humid lowlands. It invaded grassland areas and also appeared in the highlands up to 2100 m asl. The seeds are dispersed by birds bats and wind as well as by logging equipment and in some localities by migrating people. The combination of its vigorous generative characteristics (small and abundant seeds) high growth rate and the accidental or intentional spreading has resulted in its presence in most provinces of Papua New Guinea. In the 1990s awareness of the spread of P. aduncum grew and there was a corresponding increase in research interest from a range of disciplines e.g. pharmacology agronomy quarantine forestry and taxonomy. The invasion of P. aduncum has affected the farming system and livelihood of many rural people. Future research should focus on mapping its extent and studying its agronomic socio-economic and ecological effects particularly its effect on biodiversity.

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Item Type:	Article
AGROVOC Term:	Shrubs
AGROVOC Term:	Piper
AGROVOC Term:	Grasslands
AGROVOC Term:	Highlands
AGROVOC Term:	Tropical forests
AGROVOC Term:	Biodiversity
AGROVOC Term:	Pacific region
AGROVOC Term:	Vegetation
AGROVOC Term:	Soil seed banks
AGROVOC Term:	Dry matter content
Depositing User:	Ms. Suzila Mohamad Kasim
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 06:27
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/21504

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