Albizia falcata

Forest floor light availability was relatively low among all invaded stands and those values did not differ from that of the native stand on the 300-yr-old flow.

In contrast, litterfall N:P was 2 times greater in each of the invaded stands relative to their native-dominated counterparts.

In contrast, live Metrosideros stems were absent from the invaded stand of 213-yr-old flow, which instead consisted of high frequencies of small diameter Psidium stems and numerous large Falcataria individuals (Fig. 6D).

On the 48-yr-old flow, the native stand was characterized by many small Metrosideros individuals (Fig. 6A), while the invaded stand was notable for the absence of live Metrosideros individuals and high densities of small (0–5 cm) Psidium stems and larger (.30 cm) Falcataria individuals (Fig. 6B). In addition to facilitating Psidium on the two youngest flows, Falcataria invasion also was associated with declines in populations of Metrosideros on all three flows.

The reduction in Metrosideros populations associated with invasion of Falcataria likely is due to reduced light availability, although other factors such as increased competition for water may contribute.