气候变化背景下基于MaxEnt模型的刺梨潜在适生区分布预测

为阐明气候变化背景下刺梨(Rosa roxburghii)在中国的潜在适生区分布,该研究基于刺梨的自然分布数据及当代(1960~1990)、未来(21世纪50年代及70年代)气候因子数据,采用最大熵(MaxEnt)模型模拟了当前和未来气候情景下刺梨在中国的潜在适生区,并确定影响其地理分布的主要气候因子。结果表明:(1)温度因子是影响刺梨分布的关键气候因子,尤其是最冷月份最低温度(BIO06)对模型的百分比贡献率和排列重要性分别为66.7%和53.4%。(2)在当代气候条件下,刺梨的总适生区面积为3.50×10⁶km²,占中国陆地面积的36.44%。其中,高度适生区面积为2.05×10⁵km²,占总适生区面积的5.87%,主要分布在贵州西部、四川中部及川渝陕边境。(3)未来气候变化情景下,刺梨的总适生区和低度适生区面积将增加,而中、高度适生区面积将减小。在21世纪70年代RCP4.5气体条件下,中、高度适生区面积均出现最小值,分别为7.07×10⁵km²和2.80×10⁴km²,仅占当代中、高度适生区面积的53.30%和13.65%。研究发现,刺梨的适生区随着气候变化略增加并有向高纬度地区迁移的趋势,但在四川中部及川渝陕边境的高度适生区显著减少,将来主要分布于贵州省。     

2003—2020年青藏高原冻融侵蚀时空变化特征

全球气候变暖导致青藏高原永久冻土逐渐退化,并增加了季节性冻土的面积,但对冻融侵蚀时空变化还缺乏系统的认识。通过权重法对年冻融日循环天数、日冻融相变水量、植被覆盖度、年均降雨量、坡度和坡向6个冻融侵蚀因子进行赋权,分析青藏高原2003—2020年不同强度的冻融侵蚀时空变化和主导驱动因素。结果表明：(1)2003—2020年青藏高原平均冻融侵蚀面积为(161.37±0.42)×10⁴km²,占青藏高原面积的64.55%,中度及以上侵蚀占冻融侵蚀面积的63.0%,强烈、极强烈和剧烈侵蚀主要分布在雅鲁藏布江流域、昆仑山-祁连山、帕米尔高原地区;(2)2003—2020年青藏高原冻融侵蚀表现为加剧趋势,加剧的区域达到29.79×10⁴km²,占青藏高原面积的11.6%;2003—2010年中度及以上平均侵蚀面积为(95.71±3.33)×10⁴ km²,2013—2020年为(107.60±3.20)×10⁴ km²,其面...     

青藏高原高寒荒漠区藏羚适宜生境识别及其保护状况评估

藏羚作为青藏高原高寒荒漠区濒危有蹄类动物的典型代表,其生境保护对于维持其种群存续具有重要意义.本文考虑食物、地形、水系等藏羚关键生境因子及道路、居民点等人为干扰因子,基于生境适宜性模型,对青藏高原高寒荒漠区藏羚的潜在及有效生境适宜性进行了模拟分析.同时,基于保护比例及单位面积对适宜生境的捕获效率,评估了研究区内阿尔金山、可可西里和羌塘国家级自然保护区及其各功能分区的保护情况.结果表明： 青藏高原高寒荒漠区潜在和有效适宜生境面积分别为2.84×10⁵和2.08×10⁵ km²,人为干扰造成的生境退化达16.1%.其中,阿尔金山、可可西里和羌塘保护区所覆盖的潜在适宜生境面积分别为2.01×10⁴、3.13×10⁴和1.26×10⁵ km²;考虑道路、居民点等人为干扰因素,其有效适宜生境面积分别为1.75×10⁴、2.81×10⁴和9.95×10⁴ km²,上述干扰因素导致的生境减损率分别为12.9%、10.2%和21.1%,表明羌塘道路、居民点等人为干扰相对较严重.尽管目前该区域3大保护区保护了藏羚2/3以上的适宜生境,体现了良好的保护效率,但仍存在一定游离于保护体系之外的保护空缺.在保护区功能区划水平上,除核心区外,缓冲区和实验区的保护比例和保护效率也不容忽视.为强化对藏羚等濒危有蹄类的保护,有必要在保护区和功能分区水平上对现有保护体系进行优化调整,减少保护空缺、优化功能分区,提高保护体系对生境保护的有效性,并预先保护物种适应气候变化的潜在庇护所.     

深圳市森林植被碳储量特征及其空间分布

基于2005年深圳市森林资源二类调查资料数据,采用材积源生物量法,计测深圳市森林植被碳储量和碳密度,分析了深圳市森林植被碳储量空间分布格局.结果表明,2005年深圳市森林植被总碳储量为225.04×10⁴Mg,平均碳密度为25.63MgC·hm^-2.深圳市各区的森林植被碳储量空间分布上有显著差异.表现为龙岗区(123.13×10⁴Mg)>宝安区(46.70×10⁴Mg)>盐田区(20.49×10⁴Mg)>罗湖区(14.75×10⁴Mg)>南山区(12.79×10⁴Mg)>福田区(5.63×10⁴Mg)>保护区(1.57×10⁴Mg).各区碳密度分布为盐田区(46.18MgC·hm^-2)>福田区(37.63 MgC·hm^-2)>罗湖区(36.78MgC·hm^-2)>龙岗区(26.60MgC·hm^-2)>保护区>(24.19 MgC·hm^-2)>宝安区(19.53MgC·hm^-2),与碳储量大小分布无明显相关.深圳市乔木林碳储量为146.11×10⁴Mg,以中幼龄林为主,占73.2%,平均碳密度为30.76MgC·hm^-2.根据森林植被碳储量与碳密度的空间差异性对深圳市森林进行了区划,并分区提出了提高深圳市森林碳吸存能力的有效措施.     

气候变化对物种脆弱性影响的多组分评估——以中国山杏为例

气候变化威胁着全球生物多样性,评估物种脆弱性是研究气候变化对生物多样性影响的关键所在。目前多数研究主要通过物种适宜区面积变化来判断物种脆弱性,这单一维度会忽略其它因素的影响。采用多组分评估框架,将物种适宜区面积变化、生境破碎程度变化、受保护面积变化和人类干扰程度变化四个组分纳入物种总体脆弱性指数中,以中国具有较高经济和生态价值的山杏(Armeniaca sibirica)作为研究对象,评估未来(2061—2080年)三种共享社会经济路径(ssp)ssp126、ssp245、ssp585下山杏物种脆弱性。研究结果表明：未来山杏生境适宜区有向我国东北和西北方向扩张的趋势,扩张区面积明显大于消失区,这种差异化程度依赖于社会发展路径情景;未来适宜区内的保护区面积将由当前6.50×10⁴km²增加到1.10×10⁵km²(三种气候变化情景下的平均值),未来适宜生境破碎化程度将保持稳定,生境适宜区内的人类干扰强度将下降;各组分的比较中,受保护面积变化对山杏总体脆弱性的贡献将超过山杏适宜生境面积变化和其它组分的贡...     

四川西北部亚高山云杉天然林生态系统碳密度、净生产量和碳贮量的初步研究

该文利用野外实际调查数据对四川西北部亚高山云杉(Picea asperata)天然林碳密度、净生产量、碳贮量及其分布进行了分析,结果表明,在调查区域,云杉天然林分平均生物量为230.37×10³ kg·hm^-2,其中乔木层为212.77×10³ kg·hm^-2,占林分生物量的92.30%。云杉天然林生态系统各组分的平均碳密度为树干57.85%,树皮47.12%,树枝51.22%,树叶48.27%和树根52.39%,灌木层平均碳密度49.91%,草本层平均碳密度46.34%,地被层平均碳密度43.21%,枯落物层平均碳密度39.44%,土壤碳密度平均值为1.41%,随土层深度增加各层次土壤碳密度逐渐减少。云杉林平均生态系统总碳贮量为273.79×10³ kg·hm^-2,其中乔木层109.30×10³ kg·hm^-2,占云杉林生态系统总碳贮量的39.92%,灌木层5.69×10³ kg·hm^-2,占2.08%,草本层1.26×10³ kg·hm^-2,占0.46%,地被物层0.60×10³ kg·hm^-2,占0.22%,枯落物层0.83×10³ kg·hm^-2,占0.30%,林内土壤(0~100 cm)碳贮量为156.11×10³ kg·hm^-2,占57.01%。云杉林的碳库分布序列为土壤(0~100 cm)>乔木层>灌木层>草本层>枯落物层>地被物层。云杉天然林分平均净生产总量为6 838.5 kg·hm^-2·a^-1,碳素年总净固量平均为3 584.98 kg·hm^-2·a^-1,其中乔木层净生产量为4 676 kg·hm^-2·a^-1,占林分总量的68.38%,碳素年平均固定量2 552.99 kg·hm^-2·a^-1,占林分总量的71.21%。     

中国主要灌丛植被碳储量

在广泛收集资料的基础上,利用植被平均碳密度方法,估算了我国6种主要灌丛植被的碳储量,并分析了其区域分布特征。主要结果如下:1) 6种灌丛植被总面积为15 462.64 ×10⁴ hm²,总碳储量为1.68±0.12 Pg C (1 Pg=10¹⁵g),灌丛植被平均碳密度为10.88±0.77 Mg C·hm^-2(1 Mg=10⁶ g),不同植被类型差异较大,在5.92~17 Mg C·hm^-2之间波动。2)从区域分布来看,西南3省(云南、贵州、四川)既是我国灌丛主要的分布地区之一,分布面积占6种灌丛总面积的23.5%,又是我国灌丛碳储量的主要储库,碳储量占整个6种灌丛碳储量的1/3(32.6%),适宜的水热条件决定了该地区的植被平均碳密度要高于全国平均水平。3) 与我国森林和草地的植被碳储量相比,这些灌丛碳储量相当于我国森林和草地碳储量的27%~40%和36%~55%。     

灌水量与密度互作对冬小麦籽粒产量和水分利用效率的影响

为明确协同提高冬小麦产量和水分利用效率的适宜灌水量和种植密度,选用大穗型品种‘泰农18’(T18)和中穗型品种‘山农22’(S22)为试验材料,设置4个灌溉水平(不灌水、每次灌水45、60、75 mm)和4个种植密度,其中泰农18选用135×10⁴、270×10⁴、405×10⁴、540×10⁴ 株·hm^-2,山农22选用90×10⁴、180×10⁴、270×10⁴、360×10⁴株·hm^-2,研究了籽粒产量、麦田耗水特性和水分利用效率对灌水量和密度互作效应的响应。结果表明: 籽粒产量、总耗水量、土壤贮水消耗量和水分利用效率均受到灌溉水平、种植密度及两者互作效应的显著影响。每次灌水量为45 mm,泰农18种植密度为405×10⁴株·hm^-2、山农22种植密度为270×10⁴株·hm^-2时,两品种籽粒产量均达到最高,拔节后棵间蒸发量占阶段农田总耗水量的比例最小,1 m以下土壤水消耗比例、水分利用效率高。种植密度与灌溉量合理组合,有利于降低水分无效损耗,提高水分利用效率。     

宽幅播种下基本苗密度对小麦旗叶光合特性及叶片和根系衰老的影响

为明确宽幅精播条件下小麦高产高效的适宜基本苗密度,于2018—2019年和2019—2020年在山东兖州大田试验条件下设置4种基本苗密度处理:90×10⁴株·hm^-2(D₁)、180×10⁴株·hm^-2(D₂)、270×10⁴株·hm^-2(山东高产田常用基本苗密度,D₃)、360×10⁴株·hm^-2(D₄),研究基本苗密度对小麦光合特性、衰老特性以及籽粒产量和水分利用效率的影响。结果表明: 与D₁、D₄处理相比,D₂处理显著改善了灌浆期间小麦旗叶光合特性,提高了旗叶和根系超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性、可溶性蛋白质含量,降低了旗叶和根系丙二醛(MDA)含量,延缓了旗叶和根系衰老;与D₁、D₃、D₄处理相比,D₂处理显著提高了0~40 cm土层小麦根长、根表面积和根体积。2018—2019年和2019—2020年,与D₁、D₃、D₄处理相比,D₂处理的籽粒产量分别提高11.8%、2.5%、6.4%和22.7%、5.7%、17.1%,水分利用效率分别提高9.2%、8.8%、14.2%和21.1%、6.2%、21.5%。综上,基本苗密度为180×10⁴ 株·hm^-2的D₂处理通过提高小麦灌浆期旗叶光合特性,改善小麦根系形态,延缓了植株衰老,籽粒产量和水分利用效率最高,是山东宽幅播种高产麦田的最优处理。     

湖北省外来入侵生物及其与社会经济活动的关系

采用实地调查和查阅文献的方法,系统地研究了湖北省外来入侵生物的发生概况,分析了其传入途径及其与人类活动的关系。结果表明,当前湖北省共有外来入侵物种163种。其中,植物病原微生物14种,水生杂草3种,陆生杂草101种,水生无脊椎动物2种,陆生无脊椎动物17种,两栖爬行类3种,鱼类18种,哺乳类5种。在外来入侵杂草中,菊科最多（32种）,占总数的30.8%;禾本科次之（11种）;豆科排第3位（10种）。外来生物入侵湖北省的主要途径有2类：（1）有目的引进,占入侵物种总数的53.4%;（2）无意带入,占入侵物种总数的46.6%。1990-2009年,湖北省的外来入侵物种数随该省的GDP、入境旅游人数、进出口总额和交通密度的增加而明显上升。因此,在大力发展经济的同时,有必要进一步加强引种监管,严格执行检疫措施,以防止新的外来生物入侵。同时,需开展外来入侵生物的防控技术研究,以遏制已入侵物种的传播蔓延,控制其危害。     

Naturalization of alien plants in China

Naturalization (the establishment of a self-sustaining population for at least a decade) is a fundamental precondition for plant invasion and so compiling a complete inventory of naturalized alien species is necessary for predicting and hence preventing such invasion. However, nationwide information on naturalized plants in China is still lacking. We compiled a nationwide list of the naturalized plant species of China, based on various literature reports. The list comprised a total of 861 naturalized plant species belonging to 110 families and 465 genera. The three most dominant families were Compositae, Poaceae, and Leguminosae, accounting for 16, 13 and 12% of naturalized plants, respectively. Among genera, Euphorbia and Solanum had the most naturalized species, followed by Ipomoea, Amaranthus, Oenothera, and Trifolium. Over half of all aliens were of American origin (52%), followed by those with European (14%) and Asian (13%) origins. Annuals and perennial herbs were prevalent among naturalized species; comparison to other studies suggests however that the invasive potential is higher among plants with longer life cycles than those of annuals. The taxonomic pattern of plant naturalization in China is similar to patterns worldwide. However, the low proportion of naturalized plants within the Chinese flora overall suggests that the potential for plant invasions in China may be high. Therefore, greater attention should be focused on naturalization of alien plants in China, especially concerning species of dominant families or genera, and those with a perennial life cycle.     

Impact of invasions by alien plants on soil seed bank communities: Emerging patterns

Much of our current understanding of the impact of invasive species on plant communities is based on patterns occurring in the above-ground vegetation, while only few studies have examined changes in soil seed banks associated with plant invasions, despite their important role as determinants of vegetation dynamics. Here, we reviewed the literature on the impact of plant invasions on the seed bank and we provide a quantitative synthesis using a meta-analysis approach. Specifically, (1) we quantified the impact of 18 invasive alien plants on (i) species richness and (ii) density of the seed banks of invaded communities, based on 58 pair-wise invaded-uninvaded comparisons (cases); we identified (2) the invasive taxa that are responsible for the largest changes in the seed bank; and (3) the habitats where substantial changes occur. Our study showed three major findings: (1) species richness (68% of cases) and density (58% of cases) were significantly lower in native seed banks invaded by alien plants; (2) species richness and density of native and alien species were remarkably lower in seed banks invaded by large, perennial herbs compared to uninvaded sites; and (3) invaded seed banks were often associated with a larger richness and/or abundance of alien species. This study indicates a need for additional seed bank data in invasion ecology to characterize species-specific and habitat-specific impacts of plant invasions, and to determine whether changes in the seed banks of native and alien species are a symptom of environmental degradation prior to a plant invasion or whether they are its direct result. The findings of this study help improve our capacity to predict the long-term implications of plant invasions, including limitations in the recruitment of native species from the seed bank and the potential for secondary invasions by seeds of other alien species.     

2008-2016年间广州市外来入侵植物的变化分析

为了解2008-2016年广州市外来入侵植物的变化,采用文献查阅和实地考察相结合的方式,近期对广州市外来入侵植物进行了调查。结果表明,2016年广州市外来入侵植物共有38科112属144种,比2008年分别增加了40.7%、89.8%和97.3%。新增加的71种植物主要有豆科（Fabaceae） 14种、菊科（Asteraceae） 13种、旋花科（Convolvulaceae） 6种、禾本科（Poaceae） 6种和茜草科（Rubiaceae） 5种。外来入侵植物主要来源于美洲（共104种）,多为陆生草本植物。广州约一半以上的外来植物是通过人为有意引进,进而形成入侵的。恶意和严重入侵的植物种类约占入侵物种总数的40%,表明广州的城市森林生态系统已经面临着严重威胁。因此,需加强对广州市外来植物入侵动态的监测,提高对外来陆生草本植物引入危害风险的评估,并开展对外来入侵植物资源开发和利用的研究,以构建稳定的生态安全格局,保障绿色生态城市建设。     

上海城市森林草本植物多样性的城乡分布格局

林下草本植物是城市森林生物多样性重要的保育层,敏感度高,可塑性强,能有效反映城市植被对城市化的响应策略。本研究在上海市范围内沿中心城区—近郊—远郊的城乡梯度,共选取16块林地共398个样方,分析了上海市森林草本群落区系特征和多样性格局沿城乡梯度的变化规律。结果表明:上海城市森林生态系统中共有草本植物144种,隶属47科118属;多年生草本74种,占半数以上(51.39%);属和种分别涵盖18和12个分布区类型和亚型,以热带和温带成分为主;外来植物28种,占比接近20%;物种丰富度和群落多样性指数均沿中心城区—近郊—远郊梯度先下降后上升,近郊最低,远郊最高;中心城区物种构成与远郊相似,与近郊差异最大。本研究揭示了城市森林生态系统中草本植物的分布格局以及多样性沿城乡梯度的变化规律,为深入开展城市化与城市植被的互作研究提供了理论支撑,为管理部门制定相关政策提供了科学依据。     

山东省外来植物的区系特征及空间分布

外来植物及其生态入侵对当地生物多样性保护和生态系统产生的不利影响,是目前生态学研究的热点之一。本文在文献查阅和野外调查基础上,建立了山东省外来植物数据库,并对其组成、地理区系、空间分布等进行统计分析,结果表明:1)山东省现有外来植物共827种,隶属122科,416属,其中境外外来种348种;2)外来植物比例高,占山东植物区系的39.03%,且优势科和表征科明显;3)外来植物属的地理分布多样,温带成分占优势(52.51%),热带成分丰富(44.06%);4)外来植物来源地和分布地相对集中,反映了环境因子和人类活动在入侵因素中的共同影响;5)温带气候带来源的植物较易入侵山东。     

A new comprehensive database of alien plant species in Chile based on herbarium records

There is an urgent need for comprehensive national databases on alien plant species, especially in developing countries. Despite the fact that plant invasions are considered a major threat to biodiversity, they have been poorly studied or not considered a conservation priority in South America. We aim to assess alien plant distribution in Chile, using the first comprehensive public alien plant database, and discuss the implications of using herbarium records to develop national databases of alien plants. We used herbarium records to assemble a comprehensive national database of alien plants. We calculated the number of alien and native species and specimens recorded in each 10 × 10 km cell. We evaluated sampling efforts and tested for relationships between alien and native species collections, as well as other spatial patterns along the latitudinal gradient. Alien and native species richness was positively correlated. Alien plants were mostly collected in central Chile, with few species collected in both the extreme north and south. However, native plants were strongly collected in central Chile, as well as in both extremes of the country. Alien and native plants followed the same pattern of accumulation along the latitudinal gradient, with native plants being relatively more collected than alien plants. Herbarium records provide valuable baseline information to evaluate plant species distribution. However, there are important gaps in this database, (e.g. variable sampling effort for alien and native plants, incomplete information on life-history traits). Given scientists and land managers increasing demand for baseline information and the high cost of collecting such data in developing countries, herbarium records should be used more frequently for research and management of plant invasions.     

Patterns of alien plant diversity in the urban landscapes of global biodiversity hotspots: a case study from the Himalayas

In an age of Anthropocene, the urban landscapes are recognised as the ‘hotspots’ of human-mediated alien species introductions. As the cities provide an ideal natural experimental system to investigate the patterns of alien plant diversity in urban landscapes, the present study aimed to unravel the taxonomic, biogeographic and ecological patterns of alien flora of Srinagar—one of the largest urban centres in the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot. The alien flora of Srinagar comprises 325 species, constituting ca.35% of total flora of the city. Out of the 325 alien species documented, 157 species (43%) were recorded to be under cultivation, while 168 species (57%) were growing in the wild (i.e., outside cultivation); those growing in the wild, in turn, comprised 110 cultivation escapes and 58 accidentally introduced plant species. Biogeographically, two-third of the alien plant diversity reported from Srinagar is native to Asia-Temperate. This indicates that climatic similarity between Asia-Temperate and Kashmir Himalayas facilitate in flourishing similar floristic diversity. The study highlights a relatively higher proportion of herbaceous growth form in the aliens growing in the wild (80%) than those under cultivation (43%). Similarly, 82% of the alien species under cultivation had a perennial life span, but those growing in the wild were dominated by annuals (44%). Currently, 45 species are growing as casuals and 124 species are naturalised (including 105 naturalised non-invasive and 19 naturalised invasive). Along the continuum of casual-naturalised-invasive categories, the contribution of cultivation escapes and accidently introduced aliens contrastingly shows decreasing and increasing trends respectively. Interestingly, the results revealed that the human practice of stopping cultivation of alien escapes increased rapidly as we move along the continuum. Thus, the present study has investigated the patterns of alien plant diversity in the urban landscape of Srinagar, and the results obtained offer scientific insights toward better scientific understanding and management of plant invasions in this Himalayan city, with wider policy implications for neighbouring urbanised landscapes in the Himalayas and other mountainous regions across the world.     

地形对桂西南喀斯特山地森林地表植物多样性及分布格局的影响

利用协方差分析、曲线回归拟合及典范对应分析(CCA),研究了地形因子对桂西南喀斯特森林地表植物多样性及不同生长型地表植物分布格局的影响.结果表明： 共调查到152种地表植物,其中,蕨类植物37种、草本44种、藤本9种、灌木62种;协方差分析显示,海拔与地表植物个体数和丰富度显著相关,坡向对地表植物丰富度具有显著影响;地表植物的个体数和丰富度与海拔梯度存在显著的非线性相关性;CCA分析显示,坡向对蕨类植物的分布格局影响显著,坡度对草本、藤本和灌木的分布格局影响显著.蕨类植物对坡向引起的水热条件改变响应更为敏感,坡度对土壤水分、养分的作用大于高程,是影响本区域草本、藤本和灌木3种地表植物分布的主要地形因子.     

The alien flora of Kashmir Himalaya

Compilation of alien flora from phytogeographically distinct regions is of immediate relevance not only for better understanding the patterns of plant invasion but also for explicating the processes promoting invasion at local, regional or global scales. Despite being at higher risk of invasion by plants because of its European colonial past, south Asia has received very little attention in respect of characterization of its alien flora. This paucity of baseline data necessitated compilation of the first catalogue of alien flora from the Kashmir Himalaya—a phytogeographically distinct south Asian region nestled in the northwestern folds of Himalayan biodiversity hotspot. Total alien flora of the region is represented by 571 plant species, belonging to 352 genera and 104 families. It constitutes a relatively higher (29%) proportion of the total flora of the region. Families with largest number of alien representatives are Poaceae (60 species), Asteraceae (54 species), and Brassicaceae (30 species). However, families such as Amaranthaceae (83%) and Chenopodiacae (71%) show higher percentage of aliens relative to their total number of plant species in the region. Most of the alien plant species (38%) trace their origin to Europe, followed by Asia (27%) and Africa (15%). Present study also reports, for the first time, occurrence of seven plant species in this region. Each alien plant species is provided with information on the origin, habit, mode/purpose of introduction, current invasion status, altitudinal range and the primary published source.     

Contrasting patterns of naturalized plant richness in the Americas: Numbers are higher in the North but expected to rise sharply in the South

With increasing availability of plant distribution data, the information about global plant diversity is improving rapidly. Recently, Ulloa Ulloa et al. (2017) presented the first comprehensive overview of the native vascular flora of the Americas, yielding a total count of 124,993 native species. Of these, 51,241 occur in North America and 82,052 in South America. By combining these data with the information in the Global Naturalized Alien Flora (GloNAF) database of naturalized alien floras, we point out that for a complete picture of the regional and continental plant richness, the naturalized alien species need to be considered. Ignoring this novel component of regional floras can lead to an inaccurate picture of overall change in biodiversity in the Anthropocene. We show that North and South America might face contrasting challenges in terms of potential threats to biodiversity posed by alien plant species, because of the different past and present dynamics of invasions and predictions of future development. In total, there are 7,042 naturalized alien plants occurring in the Americas, with 6,122 recorded in North America and 2,677 in South America; if only introductions from other continents are considered additions to the native continental flora make up 6.9 and 1.4 %, respectively. Nevertheless, predictions of naturalized plant trajectories based on global trade dynamics and climate change suggest that considerable increases in naturalized plant numbers are expected in the next 20 years for emerging South American economies, which could reverse the present state.