How strongly do interactions with closely-related native species influence plant invasions? Darwin's naturalization hypothesis assessed on Mediterranean islands

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 1116-1125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip W. Lambdon ◽  
Philip E. Hulme
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Mediterranean Islands ◽  
Darwin's Naturalization Hypothesis ◽  
Darwin’S Naturalization Hypothesis

Scale dependence in the phylogenetic relatedness of alien and native taxa

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 601-610
Author(s):  
Chris M McGrannachan ◽  
Gillis J Horner ◽  
Melodie A McGeoch
Keyword(s):  
Alien Species ◽  
Spatial Scale ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Pairwise Distance ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Phylogenetic Clustering ◽  
Phylogenetic Relatedness ◽  
Darwin's Naturalization Hypothesis ◽  
Darwin’S Naturalization Hypothesis

Abstract Aims Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis proposes that successfully established alien species are less closely related to native species due to differences in their ecological niches. Studies have provided support both for and against this hypothesis. One reason for this is the tendency for phylogenetic clustering between aliens and natives at broad spatial scales with overdispersion at fine scales. However, little is known about how the phylogenetic relatedness of alien species alters the phylogenetic structure of the communities they invade, and at which spatial scales effects may manifest. Here, we examine if invaded understorey plant communities, i.e. containing both native and alien taxa, are phylogenetically clustered or overdispersed, how relatedness changes with spatial scale and how aliens affect phylogenetic patterns in understorey communities. Methods Field surveys were conducted in dry forest understorey communities in south-east Australia at five spatial scales (1, 20, 500, 1500 and 4500 m2). Standardized effect sizes of two metrics were used to quantify phylogenetic relatedness between communities and their alien and native subcommunities, and to examine how phylogenetic patterns change with spatial scale: (i) mean pairwise distance and (ii) mean nearest taxon distance (MNTD). Important Findings Aliens were closely related to each other, and this relatedness tended to increase with scale. Native species and the full community exhibited either no clear pattern of relatedness with increasing spatial scale or were no different from random. At intermediate spatial scales (20–500 m2), the whole community tended towards random whereas the natives were strongly overdispersed and the alien subcommunity strongly clustered. This suggests that invasion by closely related aliens shifts community phylogenetic structure from overdispersed towards random. Aliens and natives were distantly related across spatial scales, supporting Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis, but only when phylogenetic distance was quantified as MNTD. Phylogenetic dissimilarity between aliens and natives increased with spatial scale, counter to expected patterns. Our findings suggest that the strong phylogenetic clustering of aliens is driven by human-mediated introductions involving closely related taxa that can establish and spread successfully. Unexpected scale-dependent patterns of phylogenetic relatedness may result from stochastic processes such as fire and dispersal events and suggest that competition and habitat filtering do not exclusively dominate phylogenetic relationships at fine and coarse spatial scales, respectively. Distinguishing between metrics that focus on different evolutionary depths is important, as different metrics can exhibit different scale-dependent patterns.

scholarly journals Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis does not explain the spread of nonnative weed species naturalized in México

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5444
Author(s):  
Judith Sánchez-Blanco ◽  
Ernesto V. Vega-Peña ◽  
Francisco J. Espinosa-García
Keyword(s):  
Residence Time ◽  
Lag Phase ◽  
Herbarium Specimens ◽  
Weed Species ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
Biological Attributes ◽  
Darwin's Naturalization Hypothesis ◽  
Stochastic Events ◽  
Close Relatives ◽  
Darwin’S Naturalization Hypothesis

BackgroundDespite numerous tests of Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis (DNH) evidence for its support or rejection is still contradictory. We tested a DNH derived prediction stating that nonnative species (NNS) without native congeneric relatives (NCR) will spread to a greater number of localities than species with close relatives in the new range. This test controlled the effect of residence time (Rt) on the spread of NNS and used naturalized species beyond their lag phase to avoid the effect of stochastic events in the establishment and the lag phases that could obscure the NCR effects on NNS.MethodsWe compared the number of localities (spread) occupied by NNS with and without NCR using 13,977 herbarium records for 305 NNS of weeds. We regressed the number of localities occupied by NNSversus Rtto determine the effect of time on the spread of NNS. Then, we selected the species withRtgreater than the expected span of the lag phase, whose residuals were above and below the regression confidence limits; these NNS were classified as widespread (those occupying more localities than expected byRt) and limited-spread (those occupying fewer localities than expected). These sets were again subclassified into two groups: NNS with and without NCR at the genus level. The number of NNS with and without NCR was compared usingχ2tests and Spearman correlations between the residuals and the number of relatives. Then, we grouped the NNS using 34 biological attributes and five usages to identify the groups’ possible associations with spread and to test DNH. To identify species groups, we performed a nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis and evaluated the influences of the number of relatives, localities, herbarium specimens,Rt, and residuals of regression. The Spearman correlation and the Mann–WhitneyUtest were used to determine if the DNH prediction was met. Additionally, we used the clustering objects on subsets of attributes (COSA) method to identify possible syndromes (sets of biological attributes and usages) associated to four groups of NNS useful to test DNH (those with and without NCR and those in more and fewer localities than expected byRt).ResultsResidence time explained 33% of the variation in localities occupied by nonnative trees and shrubs and 46% of the variation for herbs and subshrubs. The residuals of the regression for NNS were not associated with the number or presence of NCR. In each of the NMDS groups, the number of localities occupied by NNS with and without NCR did not significantly differ. The COSA analysis detected that only NNS with NCR in more and fewer localities than expected share biological attributes and usages, but they differ in their relative importance.DiscussionOur results suggest that DNH does not explain the spread of naturalized species in a highly heterogeneous country. Thus, the presence of NCR is not a useful characteristic in risk analyses for naturalized NNS.

How a network approach has advanced the field of plant invasion ecology.

2020 ◽  
pp. 324-339
Author(s):  
Carine Emer ◽  
◽  
Sérgio Timóteo ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Plant Invasion ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Invasion Biology ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Network Approach ◽  
Native Plant Species ◽  
Functional Roles ◽  
Network Approaches ◽  
Plant Herbivore

Every organism on Earth, whether in natural or anthropogenic environments, is connected to a complex web of life, the famous 'entangled bank' coined by Darwin in 1859. Non-native species can integrate into local 'banks' by establishing novel associations with the resident species. In that context, network ecology has been an important tool to study the interactions of non-native species and the effects on recipient communities due to its ability to simultaneously investigate the assembly and disassembly of species interactions as well as their functional roles. Its visually appealing tools and relatively simple metrics gained momentum among scientists and are increasingly applied in different areas of ecology, from the more theoretical grounds to applied research on restoration and conservation. A network approach helps us to understand how plant invasions may or may not form novel species associations, how they change the structure of invaded communities, the outcomes for ecosystem functionality and, ultimately, the implications for the conservation of ecological interactions. Networks have been widely used on pollination studies, especially from temperate zones, unveiling their nested patterns and the mechanisms by which non-native plants integrate into local communities. Yet, very few papers have used network approaches to assess plant invasion effects in other systems such as plant-herbivore, plant-pathogen or seed-dispersal processes. Here we describe how joining network ecology with plant invasion biology started and how it has developed over the last few decades. We show the extent of its contribution, despite contradictory results and biases, to a better understanding of the role of non-native plant species in shaping community structure. Finally, we explore how it can be further improved to answer emerging questions.

scholarly journals Hiking trails as conduits for the spread of non-native species in mountain areas

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1121-1134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Liedtke ◽  
Agustina Barros ◽  
Franz Essl ◽  
Jonas J. Lembrechts ◽  
Ronja E. M. Wedegärtner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Control Plant ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Central Chile ◽  
Hiking Trails ◽  
Local Plant ◽  
Southern Central ◽  
Recreational Use

AbstractRoadsides are major pathways of plant invasions in mountain regions. However, the increasing importance of tourism may also turn hiking trails into conduits of non-native plant spread to remote mountain landscapes. Here, we evaluated the importance of such trails for plant invasion in five protected mountain areas of southern central Chile. We therefore sampled native and non-native species along 17 trails and in the adjacent undisturbed vegetation. We analyzed whether the number and cover of non-native species in local plant assemblages is related to distance to trail and a number of additional variables that characterize the abiotic and biotic environment as well as the usage of the trail. We found that non-native species at higher elevations are a subset of the lowland source pool and that their number and cover decreases with increasing elevation and with distance to trails, although this latter variable only explained 4–8% of the variation in the data. In addition, non-native richness and cover were positively correlated with signs of livestock presence but negatively with the presence of intact forest vegetation. These results suggest that, at least in the region studied, hiking trails have indeed fostered non-native species spread to higher elevations, although less efficiently than roadsides. As a corollary, appropriate planning and management of trails could become increasingly important to control plant invasions into mountains in a world which is warming and where visitation and recreational use of mountainous areas is expected to increase.

Plant invasions: the role of biotic interactions

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Introduced Species ◽  
Plant Invasion ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Native Plants ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Invasion Dynamics ◽  
Experimental Approaches ◽  
Antagonistic Interactions

Abstract This book contains 23 chapters divided into seven parts. Part I reviews the key hypotheses in invasion ecology that invoke biotic interactions to explain aspects of plant invasion dynamics; and reviews models, theories and hypotheses on how invasion performance and impact of introduced species in recipient ecosystems can be conjectured according to biotic interactions between native and non-native species. Part II deals with positive and negative interactions in the soil. Part III discusses mutualistic interactions that promote plant invasions. Part IV describes antagonistic interactions that hinder plant invasions, while part V presents the consequences of plant invasions for biotic interactions among native species. In part VI, novel techniques and experimental approaches in the study of plant invasions are shown. In the last part, biotic interactions and the management of ecosystems invaded by non-native plants are discussed.

scholarly journals Different effects of invader–native phylogenetic relatedness on invasion success and impact: a meta-analysis of Darwin's naturalization hypothesis

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1838) ◽  
pp. 20160663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Ma ◽  
Shao-peng Li ◽  
Zhichao Pu ◽  
Jiaqi Tan ◽  
Manqiang Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alien Species ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Native Communities ◽  
Invasion Stage ◽  
Investigation Methods ◽  
Darwin's Naturalization Hypothesis ◽  
Darwin’S Naturalization Hypothesis

Darwin's naturalization hypothesis (DNH), which predicts that alien species more distantly related to native communities are more likely to naturalize, has received much recent attention. The mixed findings from empirical studies that have tested DNH, however, seem to defy generalizations. Using meta-analysis to synthesize results of existing studies, we show that the predictive power of DNH depends on both the invasion stage and the spatial scale of the studies. Alien species more closely related to natives tended to be less successful at the local scale, supporting DNH; invasion success, however, was unaffected by alien–native relatedness at the regional scale. On the other hand, alien species with stronger impacts on native communities tended to be more closely related to natives at the local scale, but less closely related to natives at the regional scale. These patterns are generally consistent across different ecosystems, taxa and investigation methods. Our results revealed the different effects of invader–native relatedness on invader success and impact, suggesting the operation of different mechanisms across invasion stages and spatial scales.

scholarly journals Non-Native Herbivores Promote Plant Invasions Away From Mountain Roads in the Andes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Aschero ◽  
Agustina Barros ◽  
Lorena Bonjour ◽  
Ana Mazzolari ◽  
Martín Pérez Sosa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Natural Vegetation ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
The Road ◽  
The Andes ◽  
The Impact

Abstract While the role of environmental filters, usually described by elevation as proxy, and anthropogenic disturbance as drivers of non-native plant diversity and abundance in mountains have been extensively studied, the impact of herbivores are less explored. Livestock grazing can facilitate the introduction of non-native species by seed dispersal and reduce biotic resistance due to consumption and trampling of native plants, even in the highest protected areas in the Andes. We here explored the effects of elevation, livestock and distance to the road on non-native and native plant distributions. Our results confirm the largely negative relationship of non-native plant richness and cover with elevation, with a peak in richness and cover at low to intermediate elevations. Similarly, we show a strong decline in non-native richness with increasing distance to the road, especially at low elevations, accompanied by a strong negative effect of roads on native species richness. Most importantly, however, we show that the presence of non-native herbivores greatly increases the cover of non-native species away from the roadside, identifying herbivore disturbance as a potential catalyst of non-native plant invasion into natural vegetation of high-Andean protected areas. Our results confirm the often-shown role of disturbance as driver of plant invasions in mountains, yet highlight the interactive effects of disturbance by roads and herbivory: roads funnel non-native species towards higher elevations, while non-native herbivores can promote non-native plant success away from the roadside and into the natural vegetation. Hence, regulating soil and non-native herbivory disturbance is important for minimizing plant invasions at high elevation in the Arid Andes.

scholarly journals Drivers of the relative richness of naturalized and invasive plant species on Earth

AoB Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Franz Essl ◽  
Wayne Dawson ◽  
Holger Kreft ◽  
Jan Pergl ◽  
Petr Pyšek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Global Analysis ◽  
Variation Partitioning ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Alien Plant Species ◽  
Alien Plant

Abstract Biological invasions are a defining feature of the Anthropocene, but the factors that determine the spatially uneven distribution of alien plant species are still poorly understood. Here, we present the first global analysis of the effects of biogeographic factors, the physical environment and socio-economy on the richness of naturalized and invasive alien plants. We used generalized linear mixed-effects models and variation partitioning to disentangle the relative importance of individual factors, and, more broadly, of biogeography, physical environment and socio-economy. As measures of the magnitude of permanent anthropogenic additions to the regional species pool and of species with negative environmental impacts, we calculated the relative richness of naturalized (= RRN) and invasive (= RRI) alien plant species numbers adjusted for the number of native species in 838 terrestrial regions. Socio-economic factors (per-capita gross domestic product (GDP), population density, proportion of agricultural land) were more important in explaining RRI (~50 % of the explained variation) than RRN (~40 %). Warm-temperate and (sub)tropical regions have higher RRN than tropical or cooler regions. We found that socio-economic pressures are more relevant for invasive than for naturalized species richness. The expectation that the southern hemisphere is more invaded than the northern hemisphere was confirmed only for RRN on islands, but not for mainland regions nor for RRI. On average, islands have ~6-fold RRN, and >3-fold RRI compared to mainland regions. Eighty-two islands (=26 % of all islands) harbour more naturalized alien than native plants. Our findings challenge the widely held expectation that socio-economic pressures are more relevant for plant naturalization than for invasive plants. To meet international biodiversity targets and halt the detrimental consequences of plant invasions, it is essential to disrupt the connection between socio-economic development and plant invasions by improving pathway management, early detection and rapid response.

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