Which factor contributes most to the invasion resistance of native plant communities under the co-invasion of two invasive plant species?

Globally, biological invasions are considered as one of the major contributing factors for the loss of indigenous biological diversity. Hyperspectral remote sensing plays an important role in the detection and mapping of invasive plant species. The main objective of this study was to discriminate invasive plant species from adjacent native species using a ground-based hyperspectral sensor in two protected areas, Lehri Reserve Forest and Jindi Reserve Forest in Punjab, Pakistan. Field spectral measurements were collected using an ASD FieldSpec handheld2TM spectroradiometer (325–1075 nm) and the discrimination between native and invasive plant species was evaluated statistically using hyperspectral indices as well as leaf wavelength spectra. Finally, spectral separability was calculated using Jeffries Matusita distance index, based on selected wavebands. The results reveal that there were statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) between the different spectral indices of most of the plant species in the forests. However, the red-edge parameters showed the highest potential (p < 0.001) to discriminate different plant species. With leaf spectral signatures, the mean reflectance between all plant species was significantly different (p < 0.05) at 562 (75%) wavelength bands. Among pairwise comparisons, invasive Leucaena leucocephala showed the best discriminating ability, with Dodonaea viscosa having 505 significant wavebands showing variations between them. Jeffries Matusita distance analysis revealed that band combinations of the red-edge region (725, 726 nm) showed the best spectral separability (85%) for all species. Our findings suggest that it is possible to identify and discriminate invasive species through field spectroscopy for their future monitoring and management. However, the upscaling of hyperspectral measurements to airborne and satellite sensors can provide a reliable estimation of invasion through mapping inside the protected areas and can help to conserve biodiversity and environmental ecosystems in the future.

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Invasive Plants Differentially Impact Forest Invertebrates, Providing Taxon-Specific Benefits by Enhancing Structural Complexity

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.3389/fevo.2021.682140 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Andrew P. Landsman ◽

John Paul Schmit ◽

Elizabeth R. Matthews

Keyword(s):

Community Composition ◽

Plant Species ◽

Invasive Plants ◽

Invasive Plant ◽

Structural Complexity ◽

Plant Management ◽

Grass Cover ◽

Invasive Plant Species ◽

Native Plant ◽

Japanese Stiltgrass

Exotic plant species often negatively affect native herbivores due to the lack of palatability of the invading plant. Although often unsuitable as food, certain invasive species may provide non-nutritional ecological benefits through increased habitat structural complexity. To understand the potential for common invasive forest plant species of the eastern United States to benefit invertebrate communities, we examined the functional and taxonomic community composition of forest insects and spiders in long-term monitoring plots that contained invasive plant species. The extent of invasive plant species ground cover significantly altered spider community composition as categorized by hunting guild. Areas with higher invasive herbaceous and grass cover contained a higher abundance of space web-weaving and hunting spiders, respectively. Spider species richness and total invertebrate abundance also increased with greater invasive grass cover. Still, these trends were driven by just two invasive plant species, garlic mustard and Japanese stiltgrass, both of which have previously been shown to provide structural benefits to native invertebrate taxa. While these two species may improve the structural component of understory forest habitat, many invertebrate groups were not significantly correlated with other prevalent invasive plants and one species, mock strawberry, negatively affected the abundance of certain insect taxa. Particularly in forests with reduced native plant structure, invasive plant management must be conducted with consideration for holistic habitat quality, including both plant palatability and structure.

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Effects of the invasive plant Xanthium strumarium on diversity of native plant species: A competitive analysis approach in North and Northeast China

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0228476 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (11) ◽

pp. e0228476

Author(s):

Mazher Farid Iqbal ◽

Ming-Chao Liu ◽

Aafia Iram ◽

Yu-Long Feng

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Plant Species ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Northeast China ◽

Invasive Plant ◽

Diversity Index ◽

Diversity Indices ◽

Xanthium Strumarium ◽

Native Plant ◽

Native Plant Species

Xanthium strumarium is native to North America and now has become one of the invasive alien species (IAS) in China. In order to detect the effects of the invader on biodiversity and evaluate its suitable habitats and ecological distribution, we investigated the abundance, relative abundance, diversity indices, and the number of the invasive and native plants in paired invaded and non-invaded quadrats in four locations in North and Northeast China. We also analyzed the effects of monthly mean maximum and minimum temperatures, relative humidity (%), and precipitations (mm). Strong positive significant (P < 0.01) correlation and maximum interspecific competition (41%) were found in Huailai between invaded and non-invaded quadrats. Shannon’s Diversity Index showed that non-invaded plots had significantly (P < 0.05) more diversified species than invaded ones. The significant (P < 0.05) Margalef’s Richness Index was found in Huailai and Zhangjiakou in non-invaded recorded heterogeneous nature of plant communities. Similarly, significant (P < 0.05) species richness found in Huailai and Zhangjiakou in non-invaded quadrats compared to invaded ones. Maximum evenness of Setaria feberi (0.47, 0.37), Seteria viridis (0.43) found in Fushun and Zhangjiakou recorded more stable in a community compared to other localities. Evenness showed positive relationship of Shannon Entropy within different plant species. The higher dissimilarity in plant communities found in Huailai (87.06%) followed by Yangyuan (44.43%), Zhangjiakou (40.13%) and Fushun (29.02%). The significant (P < 0.01) value of global statistics R (0.943/94.3%) showed high species diversity recorded in Huailai followed by Zhangjiakou recorded by non-metric multidimensional scaling and analysis of similarity between invaded and non-invaded plots. At the end it was concluded that the diversity indices reduced significantly (P < 0.05) in invaded quadrats indicated that native plant species become less diverse due to X. strumarium invasion. The degrees of X. strumarium invasion affected on species richness resulted to reduce diversity indices significantly in invaded quadrats.

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Invasive plant species are locally adapted just as frequently and at least as strongly as native plant species

Journal of Ecology ◽

10.1111/1365-2745.12578 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 104 (4) ◽

pp. 957-968 ◽

Cited By ~ 83

Author(s):

Ayub M.O. Oduor ◽

Roosa Leimu ◽

Mark van Kleunen

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Invasive Plant ◽

Invasive Plant Species ◽

Native Plant ◽

Native Plant Species

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The Relationship of Apis mellifera with Exotic and Native Plants in Boulder County, Colorado

American Journal of Undergraduate Research ◽

10.33697/ajur.2003.017 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Kira Krend ◽

Christina Murphy

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Plant Species ◽

Invasive Plant ◽

Native Plants ◽

Invasive Plant Species ◽

Native Plant ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Native Plant Species ◽

Exotic Invasive ◽

Worldwide Phenomenon

Since honeybees (Apis mellifera) were introduced to North America in the 1600’s, their influence has been profound and widespread. As pollinators, honeybees are extremely valuable economically and are vital to crop pollination. However, their presence has affected native ecosystems, including the plains ecosystem in Colorado. Using recruitment and other unique foraging characteristics, honeybees may be out-competing native pollinators for nectar and pollen resources. Our study was designed to determine if A. mellifera has a preference for exotic or native plants. We observed patches of exotic plants and patches of native plants and recorded the type of bee (exotic or native) that visited each flowering head. We also examined data from Kearns and Oliveras (unpublished), which illustrates that invasive plant species are also popular with native bees, and may draw vital pollinators away from native plants. Our results indicate that honeybees prefer to visit exotic invasive plant species to native plants. Consequently, honeybees may contribute to the spread of exotic plant species and the decline of native plant species, reducing biodiversity. Thus, native plants are doubly jeopardized. The invasion of exotic flora and fauna into native ecosystems on the plains of Colorado is part of a worldwide phenomenon of species invasion, and researchers must continue to investigate interspecies relationships to minimize the potential negative effects of invasive species.

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Invasive Plants Rapidly Reshape Soil Properties in a Grassland Ecosystem

mSystems ◽

10.1128/msystems.00178-16 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Sean M. Gibbons ◽

Ylva Lekberg ◽

Daniel L. Mummey ◽

Naseer Sangwan ◽

Philip W. Ramsey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Invasive Plant ◽

Plant Invasions ◽

Invasive Plant Species ◽

Native Plant ◽

Soil Environment ◽

Grassland Soil ◽

Crucial Step ◽

Native Communities ◽

Plant Invaders

ABSTRACT In this study, we show how invasive plant species drive rapid shifts in the soil environment from surrounding native communities. Each of the three plant invaders had different but consistent effects on soils. Thus, there does not appear to be a one-size-fits-all strategy for how plant invaders alter grassland soil environments. This work represents a crucial step toward understanding how invaders might be able to prevent or impair native reestablishment by changing soil biotic and abiotic properties. Plant invasions often reduce native plant diversity and increase net primary productivity. Invaded soils appear to differ from surrounding soils in ways that impede restoration of diverse native plant communities. We hypothesize that invader-mediated shifts in edaphic properties reproducibly alter soil microbial community structure and function. Here, we take a holistic approach, characterizing plant, prokaryotic, and fungal communities and soil physicochemical properties in field sites, invasion gradients, and experimental plots for three invasive plant species that cooccur in the Rocky Mountain West. Each invader had a unique impact on soil physicochemical properties. We found that invasions drove shifts in the abundances of specific microbial taxa, while overall belowground community structure and functional potential were fairly constant. Forb invaders were generally enriched in copiotrophic bacteria with higher 16S rRNA gene copy numbers and showed greater microbial carbohydrate and nitrogen metabolic potential. Older invasions had stronger effects on abiotic soil properties, indicative of multiyear successions. Overall, we show that plant invasions are idiosyncratic in their impact on soils and are directly responsible for driving reproducible shifts in the soil environment over multiyear time scales. IMPORTANCE In this study, we show how invasive plant species drive rapid shifts in the soil environment from surrounding native communities. Each of the three plant invaders had different but consistent effects on soils. Thus, there does not appear to be a one-size-fits-all strategy for how plant invaders alter grassland soil environments. This work represents a crucial step toward understanding how invaders might be able to prevent or impair native reestablishment by changing soil biotic and abiotic properties.

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