Abiotic barriers limit tree invasion but do not hamper native shrub recruitment in invaded stands

The interplay between the invasion of alien plant species and re-colonization of native plant species is important for conservation. Sandy coastal plains (called restinga in Brazil) were used as a model system to explore the abiotic barriers that potentially limit the initial establishment of alien and native woody plants in invaded and non-invaded areas. The study tested the influence of light availability, soil type and litter layer on recruitment of a wind-dispersed alien tree (Casuarina equisetifolia) and two bird-dispersed native shrubs under a Casuarina stand and in the preserved restinga. The effect of soil type and the physical and allelopathic effects of Casuarina litter on seedling emergence of the three species were also evaluated under greenhouse conditions. Low dispersal associated with low seedling emergence and zero survival of young plants (mainly due to microhabitat conditions) apparently prevents the spread of Casuarina in the preserved restinga. The main cause of low recruitment of native species in the Casuarina stand was the physical barrier of the litter. However, if seeds overcome this physical barrier, the presence of litter improves seedling emergence and survival of young plants, mainly because the litter increases soil moisture. Sowing seeds below litter and planting young plants of native shrubs on litter can improve the re-colonization of native plants in invaded areas. In conclusion, Casuarina invasion on sandy coastal plains is strongly limited by abiotic barriers, but anthropogenic disturbances are altering the key processes that naturally make the restinga resistant to invasion.     

Limits to tree species invasion in pampean grassland and forest plant communities

Factors limiting tree invasion in the Inland Pampas of Argentina were studied by monitoring the establishment of four alien tree species in remnant grassland and cultivated forest stands. We tested whether disturbances facilitated tree seedling recruitment and survival once seeds of invaders were made available by hand sowing. Seed addition to grassland failed to produce seedlings of two study species, Ligustrum lucidum and Ulmus pumila, but did result in abundant recruitment of Gleditsia triacanthos and Prosopis caldenia. While emergence was sparse in intact grassland, seedling densities were significantly increased by canopy and soil disturbances. Longer-term surveys showed that only Gleditsia became successfully established in disturbed grassland. These results support the hypothesis that interference from herbaceous vegetation may play a significant role in slowing down tree invasion, whereas disturbances create microsites that can be exploited by invasive woody plants. Seed sowing in a Ligustrum forest promoted the emergence of all four study species in understorey and treefall gap conditions. Litter removal had species-specific effects on emergence and early seedling growth, but had little impact on survivorship. Seedlings emerging under the closed forest canopy died within a few months. In the treefall gap, recruits of Gleditsia and Prosopis survived the first year, but did not survive in the longer term after natural gap closure. The forest community thus appeared less susceptible to colonization by alien trees than the grassland. We conclude that tree invasion in this system is strongly limited by the availability of recruitment microsites and biotic interactions, as well as by dispersal from existing propagule sources.     

Altitudinal distribution of native and alien plant species in roadside communities from central Argentina

Roadsides may homogenize the distribution of native species and act as corridors for the spread of alien taxa. We examined the variation in native and alien plant species richness and composition at two spatial scales defined by altitude and habitat type (edges and fill slopes), as well as the relationship between native and exotic species richness in roadside plant communities in mountains from central Argentina. Following a gradient from 1100 to 2200 m a.s.l. along a mountain road, plant species cover was recorded within sample plots of 30 m × 10 m systematically located at 100‐m altitude intervals on both roadside habitats. Although native species richness decreased with altitude and composition changed accordingly, the number of alien species peaked at both extremes of the elevation gradient and did not reflect an altitudinal replacement of chorological groups. The number of both native and alien species was higher in roadside edges, but a negative association between the richness of native and alien species occurred only on fill slopes, suggesting that roadside habitats differ in their susceptibility to plant species colonization and in the mechanisms driving native and alien species richness. Our results highlight the importance of altitude and roadside habitat as factors controlling plant species richness and composition along roadside communities in central Argentina. Although altitude acts as a filter for native plants, it apparently did not constrain the establishment of alien species along the studied roadsides, indicating that the influence of this road as a plant species corridor may increase with time, promoting the opportunities for aliens to expand their current distribution.     

Effect of a native tree on seedling establishment of two exotic invasive species in a semiarid ecosystem

Theory predicts that in more stressful environments, positive plant-plant interactions should be more important than negative ones. For instance, in arid and semiarid regions, amelioration of soil drought produced by the shade of established plants could facilitate establishment of other species, in spite of light reduction. However, this theory has not been tested widely in the context of plant invasion. In this paper we evaluated the hypothesis that in a semiarid ecosystem of central Chile, the native tree, Lithrea caustica, should facilitate through positive shading effects, the seedling establishment of two widely planted and invasive forestry species, Pinus radiata and Eucalyptus globulus. We assessed the seedling establishment examining two processes: seedling recruitment (including germination) and subsequent seedling survival. We sowed seeds (to assess recruitment) and planted 8 months old seedlings (to assess seedling survival) of each exotic species under Lithrea patches, open sites and under an artificial shade mimicking Lithrea shading. The study was repeated in a north-facing and a south-facing slope in the study area located in a xeric zone within the distribution range of plantations of these species in central Chile. Our results show that in a north-facing slope Lithrea had positive effects on recruitment of both species, which was produced by shading. These effects were counteracted by negative effects on seedling survival but through a different mechanism, which suggests that Lithrea would have no significant effect on the whole seedling establishment process of Pinus radiata nor Eucalyptus globulus in this habitat. In turn, in a south-facing slope Lithrea had no significant effect on recruitment but had a negative effect on seedling survival, which was not produced by shading. This suggests that in this habitat Lithrea has a negative effect on the seedling establishment of these exotic species. Our results suggest that the effect of the native Lithrea caustica on the seedling establishment of these exotic species is dependent upon the life-cycle phase (recruitment or seedling survival) and habitat even within the same semiarid ecosystem. In contrast to the expected positive effects Lithrea is unlikely to facilitate seedling establishment of these exotic species in this area, and in fact in some habitats this effect could be negative. However, our results also suggest that a common mechanism proposed to resist invasion in forest ecosystems such as shading, probably is not sufficient to inhibit invasion in a semiarid region.     

Phenology is a major determinant of tree species range

Global warming is expected to have a major impact on plant distributions, an issue of key importance in biological conservation. However, very few models are able to predict species distribution accurately, although we know species respond individually to climate change. Here we show, using a process-based model ( PHENOFIT ), that tree species distributions can be predicted precisely if the biological processes of survival and reproductive success only are incorporated as a function of phenology. These predictions showed great predictive power when tested against present distributions of two North American species – quaking aspen and sugar maple – indicating that on a broad scale, the fundamental niche of trees coincides with their realized niche. Phenology is shown here to be a major determinant of plant species range and should therefore be used to assess the consequences of global warming on plant distributions, and the spread of alien plant species.     

Indirect interactions among tropical tree species through shared rodent seed predators: a novel mechanism of tree species coexistence

The coexistence of numerous tree species in tropical forests is commonly explained by negative dependence of recruitment on the conspecific seed and tree density due to specialist natural enemies that attack seeds and seedlings (‘Janzen–Connell’ effects). Less known is whether guilds of shared seed predators can induce a negative dependence of recruitment on the density of different species of the same plant functional group. We studied 54 plots in tropical forest on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, with contrasting mature tree densities of three coexisting large seeded tree species with shared seed predators. Levels of seed predation were far better explained by incorporating seed densities of all three focal species than by conspecific seed density alone. Both positive and negative density dependencies were observed for different species combinations. Thus, indirect interactions via shared seed predators can either promote or reduce the coexistence of different plant functional groups in tropical forest.     

Alien plant species favoured over congeneric natives under experimental climate warming in temperate Belgian climate

Climate warming and biological invasions by alien species are two key factors threatening the world’s biodiversity. To date, their impact has largely been studied independently, and knowledge on whether climate warming will promote invasions relies strongly on bioclimatic models. We therefore set up a study to experimentally compare responses to warming in native and alien plant species. Ten congeneric species pairs were exposed to ambient and elevated temperature (+3°C) in sunlit, climate-controlled chambers, under optimal water and nutrient supply to avoid interaction with other factors. All species pairs combined, total plant biomass reacted differently to warming in alien versus native species, which could be traced to significantly different root responses. On average, native species became less productive in the warmer climate, whereas their alien counterparts showed no response. The three alien species with the strongest warming response (Lathyrus latifolius, Cerastium tomentosum and Artemisia verlotiorum) are currently non-invasive but all originate from regions with a warmer climate. Still, other alien species that also originate from warmer regions became less or remained equally productive. Structural or ecophysiological acclimation to warming was largely absent, both in native and alien species, apart from light-saturated photosynthetic rate, where warming tended to restrain the native but not the alien species. A difference in the capacity to acclimate photosynthetic rates to the new climate may therefore have caused the contrasting biomass response. Future experiments are needed to ascertain whether climate warming can effectively tip the balance between native and alien competitors.     

Local vs regional factors as determinants of the invasibility of indigenous forest fragments by alien plant species

Both local and regional filters can determine the invasion of alien species into native plant communities. However, their relative importance is essentially unknown. We used plot data from fragments of indigenous forests in southeastern New Zealand to infer which factors are important in explaining invasibility, measured as alien species richness. Twenty-eight predictor variables comprising both local factors (stand structure and soil) and regional ones (climate and land cover) were assessed. Reduction or increase in deviance in linear models was assessed, both individually and with a forward and backward stepwise variable selection procedure using the Akaike information criterion (AIC).
We found that higher alien species richness was mainly associated with forest fragments of small area in warm and dry climates and where there were only small areas of surrounding indigenous forest. Local soil and stand structure variables had considerably smaller effects on alien species richness than the regional land cover and climate variables. Alien species richness showed no relationship with native species richness. We conclude that in the forest fragments investigated here, of the variables included in the analyses, regional land cover and climate variables are potentially important drivers for alien species richness at plot level. This has implications for projections of alien species spread in the future under different climate change and land use scenarios.     

Stronger effect of gastropods than rodents on seedling establishment,irrespective of exotic or native plant species origin

Experimental evidence about how generalist consumers affect exotic plant invasions is equivocal, but most tests have been limited to few plant species, single herbivore guilds, and single locations. Using a seed‐addition experiment, we studied effects of gastropods and rodents on recruitment success of 37 exotic and 37 native plant species affiliated to three different functional groups (i.e. grasses, legumes and non‐legume herbs). We replicated our seed addition x herbivore exclusion experiment at multiple grassland sites, located within a few km of each other in two regions, coastal central California (USA) and southern Saxony–Anhalt (Germany). The two study regions differed in climate, land‐use, invasion history and species pools which allowed us to disentangle general from context‐specific effects. In both regions, herbivory by gastropods had a stronger impact on the proportion of recruited seedlings and the proportion of recruited species than rodent herbivory, but this effect was much more pronounced in California than in Germany. Especially, seedling recruitment of non‐legume herbs and legumes suffered from gastropod herbivory. Contrastingly, the effect of rodents was negative at the German sites and positive at the Californian sites, likely driven by context‐specific differences in the rodent assemblages. Across both study regions, exotics had higher seedling recruitment than natives, indicating that higher recruitment success constitutes an inherent feature of exotic species. After two years, more exotic than native species established at grassland sites in California while the opposite was true for the German grassland sites. Consistently across regions, native and exotic species did, however, not differ in their response to herbivory, suggesting that generalist consumers suppress recruitment and colonization of plant species irrespective of their origin. Our results demonstrate the importance of a multi‐species, multi‐site approach to separate general responses of exotic and native plants to generalist herbivory from local, regional or species‐specific peculiarities.     

Tree seedling performance and below-ground properties in stands of invasive and native tree species

The establishment and subsequent impacts of invasive plant species often involve interactions or feedbacks with the below-ground subsystem. We compared the performance of planted tree seedlings and soil communities in three ectomycorrhizal tree species at Craigieburn, Canterbury, New Zealand – two invasive species (Pseudotsuga menziesii, Douglas-fir; Pinus contorta, lodgepole pine) and one native (Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides, mountain beech) – in monodominant stands. We studied mechanisms likely to affect growth and survival, i.e. nutrient competition, facilitation of carbon and nutrient transfer through mycorrhizal networks, and modification of light and soil conditions by canopy trees. Seedlings were planted in plastic tubes filled with local soil, and placed in monospecific stands. Effects of root competition from trees and mycorrhizal connections on seedling performance were tested by root trenching and use of tubes with or without a fine mesh (20 μm), allowing mycorrhizal hyphae (but not roots) to pass through. Survival and growth were highest in stands of Nothofagus and lowest under Pseudotsuga. Surprisingly, root trenching and mesh treatments had no effect on seedling performance, indicating canopy tree species affected seedling performance through reduced light availability and altered soil conditions rather than below-ground suppression from root competition or mycorrhizal facilitation. Seedlings in Pseudotsuga stands had lower mycorrhizal colonisation, likely as a result of the lower light levels. Soil organic matter levels, microbial biomass, and abundance and diversity of microbe-consuming nematodes were all highest under Nothofagus, and nematode community assemblages differed strongly between native and non-native stand types. The negative effects of non-native trees on nematodes relative to Nothofagus are likely due to the lower availability of soil organic matter and microbial biomass in these stands, and therefore lower availability of resources for nematodes. This study shows that established stands of non-native invasive tree species may adversely affect tree seedlings and soil communities through modifications of the microenvironment both above and below ground. As such, invasion and domination of new landscapes by these species is likely to result in fundamental shifts in community- and ecosystem-level properties relative to those under native forest cover.     

A global analysis of the determinants of alien geographical range size in birds

Aim Determining the causes of range size variation in the distributions of alien species is important for understanding the spread of invasive species. Factors influencing alien range size have been explored for some species at a regional level, but to date there has been no global analysis of an entire class. Here, we present such an analysis for birds, testing for the effects of introduction event, location and species‐level variables on alien range sizes. Location Global. Methods We used a novel dataset on the global distributions of alien bird species to test for relationships between alien range size and colonization pressure, residence time, extent of the global climatic niche, native range size, body mass and specialization, using a statistical approach based on phylogenetic generalized least squares models. We performed this analysis globally, and for separate biogeographical realms. Results Approximately half of the variation in alien bird range size is explained by colonization pressure in univariate analysis. We identified consistent effects of higher colonization pressure at global and realm levels, as well as support for effects of native range size and residence time. We found less support for effects of body mass, specialization or extent of the global climatic niche on alien range size. Main conclusions Alien bird range sizes are generally small relative to their native range sizes, and many are continuing to expand. Nevertheless, current variation is predictable, most strongly by the event‐level factor of colonization pressure. Whether a species is widespread is a better predictor of alien range size than whether a species could be widespread (estimated by global climatic niche extent), while we also find effects of residence time on alien range size. These relationships may help to identify those alien species that are more likely to spread and hence have greater environmental and economic impacts where they have been introduced.     

Soil modification by different tree species influences the extent of seedling ectomycorrhizal infection

Established vegetation can facilitate the ectomycorrhizal infection of seedlings, but it is not known whether this interaction is limited by the phylogenetic relatedness of trees and seedlings. We use a series of bioassay experiments to test whether soil modification by different ectomycorrhizal tree species causes different levels of seedling infection, whether the extent of seedling infection is a function of the relatedness of tree and seedling, and whether the effect of trees on seedlings is mediated by biotic or abiotic soil factors. We found that soils from under different tree species do vary in their mycorrhizal infectiveness. However, this variation is not related to the genetic relatedness of trees and seedlings but instead, appears to be an attribute of the overstory species, irrespective of seedling species, mediated through a suite of humus- and base-cation-related abiotic effects on soils. Modification of abiotic soil properties by overstory trees should be considered as an important factor in the effect of different overstory trees on the extent of seedling mycorrhizal infection.     

重庆市不同年龄综合公园绿化乔木树种多样性和组成的比较研究

该研究通过对重庆市不同时期(解放前、直辖前、直辖后)建造的15个综合公园的绿化乔木树种进行调查,分析了公园年龄对绿化乔木多样性和组成的影响以及公园之间的同质化情况。结果表明:(1)共调查到乔木59种,隶属于28科48属。其中,乡土树种占81.36%,外来树种占18.64%。(2)不同年龄公园乔木物种丰富度之间虽无显著差异,但解放后和直辖后公园乔木多度明显高于解放前;不同年龄公园外来树种的比例无显著差异;黄葛树、雅榕、复羽叶栾树在公园中的应用呈减少趋势,而日本晚樱、荷花玉兰、木犀、黄兰在绿化中的应用却呈增加趋势。(3)不同年龄公园之间同质化程度较低,解放前公园植物群落间Jaccard相似性指数明显高于其他两个阶段,且公园之间的Jaccard相似性指数与公园年龄差距无显著相关关系。综上结果发现,我国历史因素、园林文化和近代城市绿化相关规定可能是外来物种使用的限制因子,并可能导致了小尺度植物群落同质化程度偏低的现象。     

A plant‐traits approach to assessing the success of alien weed species in irrigated Mediterranean orchards

In addition to their impact on natural habitats, invasive alien plants can have a significant negative effect on agricultural systems and cause economic losses. Flood‐irrigated orchards in the Mediterranean Basin are vulnerable to the invasion of alien weeds, primarily because of the traditional management practices used in the orchards, which are characterized by high soil moisture during the dry summer period, nutrient availability and high levels of disturbance. This study sought to determine whether their biological traits can explain the success of alien weed species. To answer this question, 408 floristic relevés were conducted in 136 flood‐irrigated orchards on the Plains of Lleida (Catalonia, NE of Spain). Richness and cover of native and alien weeds were compared. Furthermore, a set of biological traits were compared between successful and non‐successful weeds for the whole data and separately between native and alien weeds using logistic regression and classification trees. In flood‐irrigated orchards, alien species covered most of their area, even though the richness of alien species was lower than that of the native species. The most important species were C4 species with seeds dispersed by water, and on the other hand, rosulate and caespitose‐reptant hemicryptophytes with long flowering period. Most of these traits fitted with those of the invasive alien weeds, which were mostly C4 species with seeds dispersed by water. Perennial life form characterized successful native weeds. In this study, we discuss how the traditional management of flood irrigation in fruit‐tree orchards favours invasive alien weeds that have specific traits, acting as a reservoir for the spread of alien weeds into other crops and surrounding riparian habitats. We also propose changing management practices in order to avoid the selection of alien weeds and to promote native species.     

Litter mixture effects on tropical tree seedling growth--a greenhouse experiment

Decomposing litter provides critical nutrients for plants, particularly in nutrient-poor ecosystems such as tropical forests. We hypothesised that decomposing litter improves the performance of a variety of tropical tree seedlings, and that this litter effect varies depending on the species of litter present in litter mixtures. We addressed these hypotheses with a large pot experiment manipulating a range of different litter mixtures of contrasting quality and using seedlings of four tree species from the Amazonian forest of French Guiana. In contrast to our initial hypothesis, decomposing litter had either neutral or negative impacts on seedling growth, despite strongly different growth rates, biomass allocation patterns and leaf and root traits among tree species. Tree species varied in their responses to litter additions, which were further modified by species identity of the added litter. Our data show litter species-specific effects on growth, biomass allocation and leaf and root traits of tropical tree seedlings. These results suggest that a net nutrient release from decomposing litter does not necessarily improve tree seedling growth, even under nutrient-limiting conditions. In conclusion, litter layer composition may affect seedling establishment and recruitment success beyond litter-derived plant nutrient availability, which may contribute to tree species composition and dynamics in the studied tropical forest.     

Conspecific plant-soil feedbacks of temperate tree species in the southern Appalachians, USA

Many tree species have seedling recruitment patterns suggesting that they are affected by non-competitive distance-dependent sources of mortality. We conducted an experiment, with landscape-level replication, to identify cases of negative distance-dependent effects and whether variation in these effects corresponded with tree recruitment patterns in the southern Appalachian Mountains region. Specifically, soil was collected from 14 sites and used as inocula in a 62 day growth chamber experiment determining whether tree seedling growth was less when interacting with soil from conspecific (like) than heterospecific (other) tree species. Tests were performed on six tree species. Three of the tree species had been previously described as having greater recruitment around conspecifics (i.e. facilitator species group) compared to the other half (i.e. inhibitor species group). We were then able to determine whether variation in negative distance-dependent effects corresponded with recruitment patterns in the field. Across the six species, none were negatively affected by soil inocula from conspecific relative to heterospecific sources. Most species (four of six) were unaffected by soil source. Two species (Prunus serotina and Tsuga canadensis) had enhanced growth in pots inoculated with soil from conspecific trees vs. heterospecifics. Species varied in their susceptibility to soil pathogens, but trends across all species revealed that species classified as inhibitors were not more negatively affected by conspecific than heterospecific soil inocula or more susceptible to pathogenic effects than facilitators. Although plant-soil biota interactions may be important for individual species and sites, it may be difficult to scale these interactions over space or levels of ecological organization. Generalizing the importance of plant-soil feedbacks or other factors across regional scales may be especially problematic for hyperdiverse temperate forests where interactions may be spatially variable.     

Context dependent effects of ectomycorrhizal species richness on tree seedling productivity

While there has been much recent interest about the relationships between plant diversity and plant productivity, much remains unknown about how the diversity of mycorrhizal fungi affects plant productivity. We investigated the effects of ectomycorrhizal fungal community composition and diversity on the productivity and growth characteristics of seedlings of two tree species ( Pinus sylvetris and Betula pendula ) as well as their interactions with each other. This involved setting up a mycorrhizal fungal diversity gradient from one to eight species using a design previously demonstrated to be able to separate diversity effects from compositional effects. We found that the eight mycorrhizal fungal species differed in their effects on seedling productivity and that the nature of effects was determined by the fertility of the substrate. Fungal species richness effects were also important in affecting seedling productivity over and above what could be explained by "sampling effect" but only in some situations. For B. pendula in a low fertility substrate there were clear positive causative effects between fungal species richness and productivity with the eight species treatment having over double the productivity of any of the eight monoculture treatments; no diversity effects were, however, detected in a high fertility substrate. For P. sylvestris in a high fertility substrate there were significant negative effects of fungal diversity on productivity while in a low fertility substrate no effects were apparent. The possible mechanistic bases for these results are discussed. The growth of P. sylvestris relative to that of B. pendula when grown in combination was unaffected by mycorrhizal treatments. Our results provide clear evidence that effects of mycorrhizal fungal diversity on productivity are context dependent and may be positive, negative or neutral depending on the situation considered.     

Little evidence of invasion by alien conifers in Europe

Aim Conifers are invasive species in many parts of the world, especially in the Southern Hemisphere. There are many introduced conifers in Europe, but their status as alien species is poorly documented. We conducted a comprehensive literature review to ascertain the extent to which alien conifers can be considered invasive. Location Europe. Methods We reviewed the historical record of alien conifer invasion in Europe (i.e. species with a native range outside the continental boundaries of Europe) by screening the DAISIE database and the ISI Web of Science. Results According to DAISIE, there are 54 alien conifer species in Europe. Pseudotsuga menziesii is the species recorded as naturalized in the most countries (12) and the UK is the country with the most naturalized species (18). Thirty‐seven of these conifers have been studied, to some extent, in a total of 131 papers (212 records). Nevertheless, only a few papers have investigated aspects related to biological invasions. In fact, the species are not referred to as alien by the authors in more than half of the papers (66%). Twenty‐five per cent of the papers have investigated plant traits, 46% are about biotic and abiotic factors influencing tree performance and 29% deal with ecological and economic impacts. Most papers are related to entomology, dealing with natural enemies affecting the alien conifers. Main conclusions Scientists have not yet perceived alien conifers in Europe as problematic species. Moreover, the low introduction effort, long lag‐time since plantation and phylogenetic closeness between alien and native conifers are possible reasons for their low expansion in Europe to date. From a management point of view, careful observations of sites with alien conifers is necessary to watch for new invasions. From a scientific perspective, thorough analyses of the extent that introduction, rates of naturalization and biogeographical differences influence invasive spread between the two hemispheres will prove timely.     

Restoring habitat for native and endemic plants through the introduction of a fungal pathogen to control the alien invasive tree <Emphasis Type="Italic">Miconia calvescens</Emphasis> in the island of Tahiti

Success of biological control programs is commonly assessed by studying the direct negative impacts of released agents on the target invasive species. Very few quantitative studies have focused on the indirect positive effects on native biodiversity. In this study, we monitored the response of the plant community (both native and alien species) in permanent plots located in four different sites in montane rainforests of the tropical island of Tahiti (South Pacific) severely invaded over decades by the alien invasive tree Miconia calvescens DC (Melastomataceae), after the release of a defoliating fungal pathogen Colletotrichum gloeosporioides f. sp. miconiae Killgore & L. Sugiyama. Results of five years of monitoring showed that total native and endemic species richness and plant cover increased in all sites and plots. Partial defoliation of miconia canopy trees (between 6% and 36%) led to significant recruitment of light-demanding pioneer species, but also to the appearance of some semi-shade and shade tolerant rare endemic species. Native ferns and angiosperms remained dominant (ca. 80%) in the forest understorey during the monitoring period. Colonization by a small number of alien plant species occurred in one permanent plot located at the lower elevation. We conclude that biological control may be considered a tool for partial habitat restoration and recovery of native and endemic species, but long-term monitoring is needed to confirm the stability and resilience of the “novel plant assemblage”.     

Fruit type,life form and origin determine the success of woody plant invaders in an urban landscape

The spread of alien plant species is a critical ecological event worldwide, but the forces that control this spread are not well documented. Alien plant species are well known to disrupt ecological services of native ecosystems, change the composition of native habitats, and often lead to the extirpation of native flora and fauna. Here, we report on life history patterns of plant species with rapidly spreading and declining ranges in North America’s major urban region. We tested for differences in life history traits between the 466 native and alien woody flora of the New York metropolitan area. We also examined the relationship between life history traits and change in distribution in the New York metropolitan area between 1900 and 2000. Native and alien species of the New York metropolitan area differ with respect to pollination vector and breeding system. However, pollination vector and breeding system are not associated with success, defined here as increasing range spread in the urban environment; instead, fruit type (dispersal), life form and origin are important determinants of success. Alien species that are deciduous trees, shrubs or vines with fleshy fruit are the most successful in increasing their distribution in this urban landscape. Newly introduced species with these characteristics are expected to have a better chance at establishing in similar urban landscapes and should be targets for intensive management. The ability to predict which alien species will become invasive is also a valuable tool for the prevention of invasions by newly introduced plant species.