This pie chart shows the relative likelihood of observing particular other species commonly observed near Mikania micrantha

Range and Population:

Caribbean

Native: .

Native: Chiapas, Goias, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Michoacan, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosi, Tabasco.

Biome:

agricultural areas, coastland, disturbed areas, natural forest, planted forests, riparian zones, scrub/shrublands, urban areas, wetlands

Ecology Notes:

Once established, Mikania micrantha spreads at an alarming rate, readily climbing and twining on any vertical support, including crops, bushes, trees, walls and fences. Its shoots have been reported to grow up to 27 mm a day. Vegetative reproduction is also efficient and vigorous. Although intolerant of heavy shade it readily colonises gaps. Mikania micrantha damages or kills other plants by cutting out the light and smothering them. In this respect it is especially damaging in young plantations and nurseries. It also competes for water and nutrients, but perhaps even more importantly, it is believed that the plant releases substances that inhibit the growth of other plants. Mikania micrantha is one of the three worst weeds of tea in India and Indonesia and of rubber in Sri Lanka and Malaysia. In Samoa, incursions of M. micrantha have caused the abandonment of coconut plantations, and the weed has been reported to kill large breadfruit trees. It also causes serious problems in oil palm, banana, cacao and forestry crops, and in pastures. While it does not grow well in rice paddies, it can encroach from the edges to smother the crop. (Northern Territory Department of Business, Industry and Resource Development)

In sections below, we make some habitat inferences based on the known habitat preferences of those species most commonly associated with Mikania micrantha.

Zone:

cloud forest, montane, subtropics, temperate, tropics.

Vegetation:

boreal forest, coniferous forests, croplands, cultivated areas, deciduous woods and forests, desert, disturbed sites, fields, forest edges, forests, gardens, grasslands, hammocks, hardwood forests, mature forests, meadows, open forests, pasture, pine forests, plantations, rain forest, shrubby vegetation, thickets, tropical forest, tundra grassland.

Terrain:

plantations, roadsides, streamsides, urban areas, valleys.

Soil and Rock:

clay, limestone, loam, sandy areas, sandy soil, thin soil.

Water in Area:

bays, brackish water, ditches, dry areas, estuaries, lagoon, lakes, marshes, pelagic, ponds, rivers, saltwater, shores, stream banks, streams, swamps.

Slopes in Area:

ravines.