Global patterns of phylogenetic relatedness of invasive flowering plants |
| |
Authors: | Hong Qian |
| |
Institution: | CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China |
| |
Abstract: | Aim The ability of predicting which naturalized non-native species are likely to become invasive can help manage and prevent species invasions. The goal of this study is to test whether invasive angiosperm (flowering plant) species are a phylogenetically clustered subset of naturalized species at global, continental and regional scales, and to assess the relationships of phylogenetic relatedness of invasive species with climate condition (temperature and precipitation). Location Global. Time period Current. Taxon Angiosperms (flowering plants). Methods The globe is divided into 290 regions, which are grouped into seven biogeographic (continental) regions. Two phylogenetic metrics (net relatedness index and nearest taxon index), which represent different evolutionary depths, are used to quantify phylogenetic relatedness of invasive angiosperms, with respect to different tailor-made species pools. Phylogenetic relatedness of invasive angiosperms is related to climatic variables. Results The global assemblage of invasive angiosperm species is a strongly phylogenetically clustered subset of the species of the entire global angiosperm flora. Most invasive angiosperm assemblages are a phylogenetically clustered subset of their respective naturalized species pools, and phylogenetic clustering reflecting shallow evolutionary history is greater than that reflecting deep evolutionary history. In general, the phylogenetic relatedness of invasive species is greater in regions with lower temperature and precipitation across the world. Main conclusions The finding that invasive angiosperm assemblages across the globe are, in general, phylogenetically clustered subsets of their respective naturalized species pools has significant implications in biological conservation, particularly in predicting and controlling invasive species based on phylogenetic relatedness among naturalized species. |
| |
Keywords: | angiosperms climatic condition community assembly exotic species introduced species invasive species niche conservatism phylogenetic relatedness |
|
|