scholarly journals Alien (invasive) vascular plants in Slovakia – a story of successful plant immigrants

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 23-31
Author(s):  
Jana Májeková ◽  
Ivan Jarolímek ◽  
Marica Zaliberová ◽  
Jana Medvecká

Abstract This article summarises the history of research into alien plants and plant communities in Slovakia (Central Europe). Earlier periods are reviewed briefly with reference to literature sources dealing with those periods more comprehensively. A milestone in the research was the publication of the Inventory of the alien flora of Slovakia in 2012 with a complete list of alien vascular plants. The last ten years are discussed more extensively in the article in four sections devoted to i) newly found alien plants, ii) distribution and habitat relations, iii) plant invasions, iv) citizen science based on the comprehensive excerption of literature sources. A list of 51 newly published alien taxa within the last ten years is also included with information on the year of their first occurrence in the wild in Slovakia.

Author(s):  
Ali Omer ◽  
Maha Kordofani ◽  
Haytham H. Gibreel ◽  
Petr Pyšek ◽  
Mark van Kleunen

AbstractStudies on plant invasions depend on local and regional checklists of the alien flora. However, global overview studies have shown that some regions, including many African countries, remain understudied in this regard. To contribute to filling this gap, here we present the first checklist of alien plants of Sudan and South Sudan (the Sudans). We analysed the taxonomic and geographical composition of the species on this list. Our result show that of the 113 alien species in Sudans (99 in Sudan and 59 in South Sudan), 92 (81.4%) are naturalized and 21 (18.6%) are just casual aliens. The number of naturalized species represent 2.2% of the total flora of the Sudans (4096). The alien species belong to 44 families and 85 genera, and many of them are native to Southern America and Northern America (85.8%). Annual and perennial herbs are the prevailing life forms in the alien flora of the Sudans (68.1%), and, among the casual species, perennial herbs are underrepresented whereas woody tree species are over-represented. Alien plants of the Sudans are mostly used for medicinal and environmental purposes globally. The naturalized plants predominantly occur in man-made disturbed habitats, such as agricultural and ruderal habitats. This first overview of the alien flora of the Sudans should stimulate further research and recording of the alien flora to better understand the drivers and consequences of alien plants in the Sudans.


Author(s):  
A.L. Ebel ◽  
◽  
S.A. Sheremetova ◽  
I.A. Khrustaleva ◽  
T.O. Strelnikova ◽  
...  

As a result of the field studies, analysis of publications and herbarium materials, it has been established that by now the alien flora of the Republic of Khakassia includes about 140 species of vascular plants. Of this number, more than 30 species are invasive plants included in the “Black Book of Flora of Siberia” (2016). In recent years, there has been both a fairly rapid replenishment of the flora with alien plants and a noticeable dispersal of a number of invasive species across the territory of Khakassia. For the purpose of monitoring alien plant species, we use the capabilities of the international scientific network iNaturalist.org.


Author(s):  
John D. Parker ◽  
◽  
John L. Devaney ◽  
Nathan P. Lemoine ◽  
◽  
...  

Biotic resistance to plant invasions takes many forms: consumption by native herbivores, competition with native plants and infection by native pathogens. But how often does biotic resistance prevent the damaging monocultures that typify the most problematic plant invaders, and how often is biotic resistance overwhelmed by the direct and indirect impacts of human activities? This chapter attempts to answer these questions, drawing on the long history of research into biotic resistance. We first briefly describe the major forms of biotic resistance to exotic plant invasions as an antecedent to other, more detailed chapters on competition, herbivory and pathogens. We then describe a new neutral model where variance in disturbance promotes invasions over the short term, but over longer timescales only propagule pressure drives invasions. These findings are a cautionary tale; pending increases in global trade and travel, particularly to the tropics, may provide the prerequisite disturbance and propagule pressure needed to ultimately stoke further invasions. Finally, we highlight case studies where invasions have been mitigated by restoration of biotic resistance from native herbivores and competitors. These studies provide strong empirical support that conservation of native biodiversity can be a nature-based solution to some invasions, although it remains to be seen if climate change will alter these effects over longer timescales.


2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oksana O. Kucher

Abstract The results of an investigation of alien species that change the character, condition, form or nature of ecosystems over large areas (transformer species) in the flora of the Starobilsk grass-meadow steppe are presented. The check-list of alien plants includes over 386 species of vascular plants, of which 28 are invasive and 6 are transformer species. In this study, the data on the first records of alien species, their distribution history, ecology, occurrence in different plant communities and degree of naturalization were compiled. The distribution maps of transformer species are provided.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Sennikov ◽  
Georgy Lazkov

National checklists of alien plants and detailed databases of non-native plant occurrences are required to study and control regional and global plant invasions. No country in Central Asia has a national checklist of alien plants. A recent inventory counted 183 alien plant species in Kyrgyzstan, including archaeophytes and neophytes, established and casual. This preliminary checklist, which was developed for the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species in 2018, served as a starting point for the present study. A complete inventory of Xanthium in Kyrgyzstan has revealed that three alien species are resident in the country. Their correct nomenclature is X. orientale (syn. X. albinum, X. californicum, X. sibiricum auct.; invasive neophyle of the period of extensive grain import to the USSR after the Second World War), X. spinosum (invasive neophyte of the period of the Second World War, which arrived as a contaminant on the relocated livestock) and X. strumarium (syn. X. chinense, X. sibiricum; archaeophyte of the Neolithic period, introduced with wheat cultivation, which had lost its invasive status and appeared on the verge of extinction when its pool was no longer renewed by contaminated grain). A history of introduction to Central Asia is uncovered for all the species of Xanthium. A further spread is documented for Bunias orientalis, with a new record extending its distribution to the Eastern Tian-Shan; a complex history of its introduction to Europe and Central Asia is inferred from the archaeological data and its recent dispersal, and the pathways of its introduction to Kyrgyzstan are established. Erigeron annuus s.str. is reported as new to Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, and E. lilacinus as new to Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Nepal and Tajikistan (it was previously recorded as E. annuus s.l. from the three latter countries, in which the presence of E. annuus s.str. is not confirmed). These closely related species differ in their pathways of introduction and invasion status: E. annuus s.str. is an invasive established alien which was imported as a contaminant of forage, whereas E. lilacinus is mostly a casual (locally persisting) alien introduced with contaminated seed of ornamental plants or nursery material, and also intentionally introduced and locally established in the Botanical Garden in Bishkek. Bidens tinctoria (syn. Coreopsis tinctoria) is newly recorded as a casual alien from a single locality in Kyrgyzstan; this species name is validly published here in conformity with the phylogeny of Coreopsideae. Point maps of species distributions in Kyrgyzstan are provided on the basis of a complete inventory of the literature data, herbarium specimens and documented observations, and our recent fieldwork. The maps are documented with a dataset of herbarium specimens and observations. Period and pathways of introduction, vectors of dispersal, current and historical invasion status, evidence of impact and distributional trend are established or inferred for each species. Each species is discussed in the context of plant invasions in Central Asia as a whole. These species accounts are part of the national database of alien plants which aims at producing a comprehensive overview and analysis of plant invasions in Kyrgyzstan.


Author(s):  
Annette Patzelt ◽  
Petr Pyšek ◽  
Jan Pergl ◽  
Mark van Kleunen

AbstractWe present the first inventory and status assessment of the alien flora of Oman, mainly based on field data collected from 1998 to 2021. The study provides (i) a comprehensive account of alien vascular plant species occurring in the wild in Oman, with information on their taxonomic composition. For each species information is given on (ii) invasion status (casual, naturalized or invasive), biogeography, habitat and life-form characteristics, and pathways of introduction. Further, we (iii) explain the differences in the alien species composition in different parts of the country, and (iv) analyse the drivers of plant invasions in Oman. Out of the 111 alien species reported (7.7% of the total Oman vascular flora), 34 species are casuals and 77 naturalized; of the latter seven are considered invasive. The moderate number of alien plant species is likely a result of the country’s arid climate, with extremely high summer temperatures and low annual precipitation in most of its area, and the relatively long isolation of the country. The families richest in alien plant species are Fabaceae (17 species), Asteraceae (14 species) and Poaceae (12 species). More alien plants were found in northern Oman (82 species) than in southern Oman (60 species), and very few species are recorded from the central desert (7 species). The main habitats colonized were man-made habitats, either ruderal or agricultural. Most species alien to Oman are native to South America (49 species) or North America (43 species). This inventory provides a knowledge base for developing a national management strategy for alien vascular plants in Oman.


Author(s):  
John D. Parker ◽  
John L. Devaney ◽  
Nathan P. Lemoine

Abstract Biotic resistance to plant invasions takes many forms: consumption by native herbivores, competition with native plants and infection by native pathogens. But how often does biotic resistance prevent the damaging monocultures that typify the most problematic plant invaders, and how often is biotic resistance overwhelmed by the direct and indirect impacts of human activities? This chapter attempts to answer these questions, drawing on the long history of research into biotic resistance. We first briefly describe the major forms of biotic resistance to exotic plant invasions as an antecedent to other, more detailed chapters on competition, herbivory and pathogens. We then describe a new neutral model where variance in disturbance promotes invasions over the short term, but over longer timescales only propagule pressure drives invasions. These findings are a cautionary tale; pending increases in global trade and travel, particularly to the tropics, may provide the prerequisite disturbance and propagule pressure needed to ultimately stoke further invasions. Finally, we highlight case studies where invasions have been mitigated by restoration of biotic resistance from native herbivores and competitors. These studies provide strong empirical support that conservation of native biodiversity can be a nature-based solution to some invasions, although it remains to be seen if climate change will alter these effects over longer timescales.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 93-137
Author(s):  
Alicja Zemanek ◽  
Piotr Köhler

The university in Vilna (in Polish: Wilno, now: Vilnius, Lithuania), founded in 1579, by Stefan Batory (Stephen Báthory), King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, was a centre of Polish botany in 1780–1832 and 1919–1939. In the latter period the university functioned under the Polish name Uniwersytet Stefana Batorego (in English: Stefan Batory University). It comprised six departments connected with botany (General Botany, Pharmacognosy and Cultivation of Medicinal Plants, Plant Taxonomy, Botanical Garden, Garden of Medicinal Plants, and Natural History Museum). There worked such distinguished scientists, as: Jakub Mowszowicz (1901–1983), phytogeographer and phytosociologist; Jan Muszyński (1884–1957), botanist and pharmacist; Bronisław Szakien (1890–1938), cytologist and mycologist; Piotr Wiśniewski (1881––1971), physiologist; and Józef Trzebiński (1867–1941), mycologist and phytopathologist. Ca. 300 publications (including ca. 100 scientific ones) were printed in the period investigated, dealing mainly with morphology and anatomy, cytology, plant physiology, floristics (floristic geography of plants), systematics (taxonomy) of vascular plants, mycology and phytopathology, ecology of plant communities (phytosociology), as well as ethnobotany, and history of botany. Stefan Batory University was also an important centre of teaching and popularization of botany in that region of Europe. The aim of the article is to describe the history of botany at the Stefan Batory University in 1919–1939. Botanika na Uniwersytecie Stefana Batorego w Wilnie (Vilna, Vilnius) (1919–1939) Abstrakt Uniwersytet w Wilnie (w języku angielskim: Vilna, obecnie: Vilnius w Republice Litewskiej), założony w 1579 r. przez Stefana Batorego, króla Polski i wielkiego księcia Litwy, był ośrodkiem polskiej botaniki w latach 1780–1832 oraz 1919–1939. W tym ostatnim okresie funkcjonował pod nazwą Uniwersytet Stefana Batorego (w języku angielskim: Stefan Batory University). W latach 1919–1939 zorganizowano następujące zakłady związane z botaniką: Botaniki Ogólnej, Farmakognozji i Hodowli Roślin Lekarskich, Systematyki Roślin, Ogród Botaniczny, Ogród Roślin Lekarskich oraz Muzeum Przyrodnicze. W ośrodku wileńskim pracowali wybitni uczeni, m.in. Jakub Mowszowicz (1901–1983), fitogeograf i fitosocjolog; Jan Muszyński (1884–1957), botanik i farmaceuta; Bronisław Szakien (1890–1938), cytolog i mykolog; Piotr Wiśniewski (1881–1971), fizjolog oraz Józef Trzebiński (1867–1941), mykolog i fitopatolog. Badacze roślin ogłosili drukiem ok. 300 publikacji (w tym ok. 100 naukowych) dotyczących głównie morfologii i anatomii, cytologii, fizjologii roślin, florystyki (florystycznej geografii roślin), systematyki (taksonomii) roślin naczyniowych, mykologii i fitopatologii, ekologii zbiorowisk roślinnych (fitosocjologii), a także etnobotaniki i historii botaniki. Uniwersytet Stefana Batorego był również ważnym ośrodkiem nauczania i popularyzacji botaniki w tym regionie Europy. Celem artykułu jest opracowanie historii botaniki na Uniwersytecie Stefana Batorego w latach 1919–1939.


Turczaninowia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-144
Author(s):  
Alyona S. Tretyakova ◽  
Olga G. Baranova ◽  
Stepan A. Senator ◽  
Nikolay N. Panasenko ◽  
Aleksey V. Sutkin ◽  
...  

An overview of Russian literature sources of urban flora studies. The authors analyze the history of urban floral research in Russia and provide definitions of terms – urban flora, native, indigenous, apophytic, alien, synanthropic species. The overview provides a description of methods and approaches used in different studies of urban flora. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the biological diversity of native and alien plants and the features of their spatial distribution in urban habitats. The authors raise problems of protection of biodiversity in cities and show the role of urban protected natural areas. The conclusion of the work outlines the prospects for further study of urban flora. The authors highlight an importance and necessity of creation of a unified database of vascular plants in the urbanized territories of Russia. Further usage of the database will allow to conduct a comparative analysis of the species composition of urban flora and to identify the degree of their homogenization and originality.


Author(s):  
Matej Dudáš ◽  
Artur Górecki ◽  
Gergely Király ◽  
Artur Pliszko ◽  
András Schmotzer

The presented seventh part of the series includes ten new chorological records of vascular plants, two from Hungary, one from Poland and seven from Slovakia. In Hungary, locally introduced species Catalpa ovata spreading by seeds and the first occurrence of Carex depressa subsp. transsilvanica out of n the Zemplén Mts. was recorded. In Poland, the fifth record of Salvinia natans in the area of Kraków was found. In Slovakia, localities of four native species, Pilosella densiflora, P. leptophyton, Taraxacum bavaricum and Trifolium sarosiense were found as well as three alien species Phytolacca esculenta, Sorbus intermedia and the first record of garden escape of Euphorbia myrsinites. Distribution map of Taraxacum bavaricum in Slovakia is also presented.


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