Mountain biking is popular in
many natural areas, but re
mains controversial, at least in part, due to divergent views about its environ
mental i
mpacts. In contrast to research assessing the risk of activities such as horse riding and hiking spreading weed seed, si
milar data for
mountain bikes does not appear to be available in the acade
mic literature. To start to address this gap, we present the results of a preli
minary experi
ment co
mparing seed attach
ment to a horse and a
mountain bike in dry conditions along 20 1
m by 50
m transects through areas where weeds are seeding. In total, seed fro
m more than 12 species were found on the horse and
more than 10 species on the bike. Per transect, a greater diversity of seed attached to the horse (6 vs 4
morphtaxa) than the bike, but they had si
milar nu
mbers of seed (Average=22). When seed co
mposition per transect was co
mpared using ordinations, there were clear differences with
more seed fro
m non-native grasses such as
m>Chloris virgatem> and
m>Chloris gayana,m> the native grass
m>Dicantheum scericeumm>, and the non-native herb
m>Vicia sativam> on the bike, while on the horse there tended to be
more seed fro
m the grass
m>Poa queenslandicam> (native) and the
m>Axonopus fissifoliusm> (non-native). This pilot study de
monstrates how
mountain bikes can carry seed fro
m a diversity of weeds in Australia. More extensive testing will better quantify the types and a
mount of seed that could be dispersed, as well as test the effect of factors such as weather conditions, ti
ming and location of rides on seed dispersal by bikes. In the interi
m, reco
mmendations for bikes to be regularly cleaned, including between rides in areas of high conservation value are likely to help reduce the risk of
mountain biking spreading weed seed.
Management implications
m" id="list_li0005">- ●
Mountain bikes, like horses, cars and clothing, can collect weed seed, but the number and type of seed differ.
- ●
Implementing cleaning protocols for mountain bikes (e.g., wash down/brush down prior to use and after use) will help reduce the risk of weed dispersal.
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This preliminary study emphasizes the importance of research assessing different recreational activities as weed seed vectors.