Invasive alien plants in China: diversity and ecological insights

China’s current invasive alien plant species were analyzed with regard to their floristic status, biological attributes and invasion status elsewhere. Most of the 270 species identified were annuals, followed by perennial herbs. Woody perennials made only about 10% of the species. The invasives were comprised of 59 families, the largest being Asteraceae, Poaceae, and Brassicaceae. The genera with most invasive species were Amaranthus, Ipomoea, and Solanum. Most of the species originated from the New World, notably from South America. About one-third of the species were serious invaders of natural habitats in countries other than China. The proportion of invasive alien plants in province floras ranged from 0.5 to 3.8%, absolute numbers from nine to 117 species per province. Density of invasive species was correlated positively with native species density at provincial scale. The results demonstrate that in China invasive plants are present throughout the country, with a particularly high species richness in the Southeast. The ecological diversity of invasive plants suggests wide ranging impacts which need to be assessed.     

The alien flora of Greece: taxonomy,life traits and habitat preferences

The aim of the paper is the state-of-the-art assessment of the alien flora of Greece and its traits. The dataset consists of a total of 343 alien taxa, including 49 archaeophytes. The taxonomy, life traits and habitat of the 294 neophytes are analysed vs their naturalisation status. Out of the 122 (41%) naturalised neophytes, 50 are identified as exhibiting invasive behaviour. Poaceae, Asteraceae, Amaranthaceae, Solanaceae, Fabaceae, and Polygonaceae are the plant families richest in alien taxa. The majority of them are of American origin, followed by those of Asiatic and Mediterranean origin. The neophytes are predominantly herbs, most of them annuals. Yet, the perennial life cycle is equally frequent with the annual one and the proportion of phanerophytes in the alien flora is increased compared to the one of the native flora. Regarding flowering traits, most of the aliens have a long flowering period (over 1 month) and flower in late spring, summer and autumn, when few of the native plants are in bloom. Vertebrate zoochory and anemochory are the two dispersal modes mostly utilised by the alien plants (43 and 28%, respectively), while more than one dispersal mechanisms are functional for 56% of them. Artificial habitats have the highest frequencies of alien plants. The natural habitats with the highest numbers of aliens are the coastal ones and inland surface waters. Opuntia ficus-barbarica, Ailanthus altissima, Oxalis pes-caprae, Erigeron bonariensis, Amaranthus albus and Symphyotrichum squamatum are typical cases of plants characterised as invasive, having established in almost all the habitat groups identified. The diversity of the ecological characteristics of the plants suggests a potential of impacts that needs to be further assessed.     

湛江市外来植物入侵状况

[目的]了解湛江市外来入侵植物的种类特征、生活型、起源和危害情况等,对制定预防和控制管理措施提供参考。[方法]以野外调查为主,结合文献资料、网络资源以及标本数据,确定湛江市外来入侵植物的种类、生活型、原产地、引入途径,并进行评估及划分危害等级。[结果]湛江市现有外来入侵植物共112种(含变种),隶属于37科89属,其中,菊科(21种)、禾本科(13种)和豆科(13种)为种类较多的3个科,三者合计占湛江市外来入侵植物总种数的41.96%。湛江市外来入侵植物中以草本植物居多(98种),占入侵植物总数的87.50%。入侵植物主要来源于美洲,共82种,占总种数的73.21%;且55.36%(62种)的入侵植物为有意引入。从危害等级看,外来入侵植物中恶性入侵种(1级)23种,严重入侵种(2级)35种,局部入侵种(3级)21种,一般入侵种(4级)15种,有待观察种(5级)18种。[结论]湛江市的外来入侵植物种类繁多,这与湛江独特的地理位置以及日趋频繁的人类活动息息相关,应当加强监管与防范,及时对外来物种进行治理。     

江门市砂质海岸外来入侵植物分析

[目的]掌握江门市砂质海岸外来植物入侵现状,为江门市砂质海岸外来入侵植物早期预警、防控和生态系统的保护修复提供基础数据。[方法]采用实地调查、植物群落样方调查和查阅资料相结合的方法对江门市砂质海岸外来入侵植物的种类组成、原产地、区系及功能性状等进行统计和分析。[结果]江门市砂质海岸外来入侵植物共有22种,隶属12科22属,种类最多的是菊科(6种)、禾本科(3种)和豆科(3种),分别占总种数的27.27%、13.64%和13.64%;出现频度最高是鬼针草(90.91%)。危害等级以恶性入侵(Ⅰ级)和严重入侵种(Ⅱ级)占比最高,合计占总种数的68.18%。科和属的区系分布类型均以泛热带、热带亚洲及热带美洲类型占主导地位,原产地以美洲地区的频次最多,占总种数的83.33%。生长型以草本植物为主,占总种数的68.18%;生活型以地面芽和一年生植物种数最多,合计占总种数的54.54%;果实类型以瘦果居多,占总种数的31.82%。[结论]江门市砂质海岸外来植物入侵形势严峻,对其生态系统造成极大的威胁。建议加强江门市砂质海岸外来入侵植物科学防治,因地制宜开展受损生境改造,推广乡土植物应用,建立海岸防护林。     

成都市外来入侵植物种类特征及区系分析

【目的】全面掌握成都市外来入侵植物的种类特征、起源、区系成分和危害情况等特征,为相关部门制定管理策略和及早采取应对措施提供依据。【方法】以实地调查为主,结合标本及文献研究的方式获得成都市外来入侵植物的种类和分布信息,根据其在野外的生长和分布状况进行评估及划分危害等级,并进行植物区系分析。【结果】成都市现有外来入侵植物158种(亚种、变种),隶属42个科110个属,其中种类最多的3个科分别是菊科(36种)、豆科(17种)及禾本科(13种),合计占比41.77%;种类最多的属是苋属(8种),占比5.06%。原产地分析结果表明,有101种来自美洲地区,占比63.92%。从危害等级分析来看,其中19种为恶性入侵种(1级),32种为严重入侵种(2级),20种为局部入侵种(3级),41种为一般入侵种(4级)以及46种为有待观察种(5级)。植物区系分析结果显示,成都市外来入侵植物属的分布类型主要为泛热带分布、热带亚洲及热带美洲间断分布和世界分布。【结论】成都市地区的外来入侵植物种类明显增多,扩散趋势已加剧。根据上述入侵现状,本文对成都市地区防范外来植物入侵提出了以下4点防控建议:建立外来入侵植物风险评价体系,开展防控和利用技术研发,谨慎引种以及加强科普教育。     

Qualitative variation in roadside weed vegetation along an urban–rural road gradient

Information on mechanisms of differentiation or homogenization of urban floras is deficient, despite their importance for urban nature conservation and urban land management. Roads, as a major human promoter of urbanization, can be an initial habitat for plants dispersed by transportations. We assumed that variation in weed vegetation along urban–rural roadside gradients is small, particularly in curbside cracks. We classified vegetation occurring in curbside cracks along the National Route 3 in southern Japan and compared the characteristics of the vegetation types recognized. Species in curbside cracks were recorded on 40 plots. Three vegetation types were classified, in part related to surrounding land-use types. Although the Shannon–Wiener diversity index and the number of native species clearly differed among the vegetation types in the curbside cracks, no significant differences between the three floristic vegetation types were found in the number of non-natives and invasive alien species. This may result from the small specificity and complexity of landscape structures, due to the continuity and connectivity of paved-road networks. Of the 122 species, 44 were non-natives or invasive alien species. The vegetation types generally involved the same plant families, with large numbers of species from the Asteraceae and Poaceae, regardless of vegetation types, but frequency of occurrence of the two families clearly differed between natives and non-natives and invasive alien species. Ephemeral non-natives and invasive alien species, particularly Asteraceae and Poaceae, seem to have advantageous dispersal strategies or low habitat dependency facilitating their occurrence in curbside cracks, regardless of adjacent land uses and the urban–rural landscape gradient. Expansion of these species may cause a homogenization of regional floras along roads.     

Alien flora of India: taxonomic composition, invasion status and biogeographic affiliations

The wide knowledge gaps in invasion biology research that exist in the developing world are crucial impediments to the scientific management and global policymaking on biological invasions. In an effort to fill such knowledge gaps, we present here an inventory of the alien flora of India, based on systematic reviews and rigorous analyses of research studies (ca. 190) published over the last 120 years (1890–2010 AD), and updated with field records of the last two decades. Currently, the inventory comprises of 1,599 species, belonging to 842 genera in 161 families, and constitutes 8.5% of the total Indian vascular flora. The three most species-rich families are Asteraceae (134 spp.), Papilionaceae (114 spp.) and Poaceae (106 spp.), and the three largest genera are Eucalyptus (25 spp.), Ipomoea (22 spp.), and Senna (21 spp.). The majority of these species (812) have no report of escaping from cultivation. Of the remaining subset of 787 species, which have either escaped from intentional cultivation, or spread after unintentional introduction, casuals are represented by 57 spp., casual/naturalised by 114 spp., naturalised by 257 spp., naturalised/invasive by 134 spp., and invasive by 225 spp. Biogeographically, more than one-third (35%) of the alien flora in India has its native ranges in South America, followed by Asia (21%), Africa (20%), Europe (11%), Australia (8%), North America (4%); and cryptogenic (1%). The inventory is expected to serve as the scientific baseline on plant invasions in India, with implications for conservation of global biodiversity.     

南宁的外来入侵植物

根据野外调查及文献资料的整理,对南宁地区外来入侵植物的种类组成、危害现状、原产地、生活型和入侵生境等进行了分析。结果表明,南宁现有外来入侵植物72种,隶属于25科55属,其中菊科植物19种,禾本科9种,苋科和茄科各6种,分别占总种数的26.4%、12.5%和8.3%。就危害程度而言,已造成严重危害的种数达12种,中等危害有17种,轻度危害有43种。从原产地分析来看,源自美洲的入侵植物多达62种,占总种数的86.1%,其次为源自非洲(5种)、地中海(3种)和欧洲(2种)的植物。这些外来入侵植物中,草本植物种类最为丰富(57种,占种总数的79.2%),其次为灌木(10种,13.9%)和乔木(3种,4.2%)。此外,南宁外来入侵植物的种类组成与广州、澳门和厦门等地的共有种数相对较多,而与青岛、北京和沈阳等地的共有种数较少。同时对外来入侵植物的防控对策进行了简要分析。     

Traditional Knowledge and Useful Plant Richness in the Tehuacán–Cuicatlán Valley,Mexico

Traditional Knowledge and Useful Plant Richness in the Tehuacán–Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico. This study systematizes ethnobotanical information about the interactions between people and plants, ethnofloristic richness, the relative importance of useful species richness in relation to general species richness, and plant management in the Tehuacán–Cuicatlán Valley of central Mexico. The study recorded a total of 1,605 useful vascular plant species (61.2% of the total species richness of the regional vascular flora), this being the region with the highest absolute richness of useful plant species in Mexico. The null hypothesis that plant families with a higher number of useful species would be those having a higher general species richness was analyzed through residuals method. The plant families richest in useful species were Poaceae, Asteraceae, Cactaceae, Cyperaceae, Mimosaceae, and Solanaceae, most of which also have the highest general floristic richness. However, analyses of use categories did not generally corroborate our hypothesis. About 1,335 of the useful species are wild, more than 500 species are submitted to some type of management (62 species are tolerated, 34 protected, 50 enhanced, and 358 cultivated), but only a few have been studied to document their process of domestication. This information can be useful for developing regional strategies of sustainable management of plant resources.     

Aphyllon castilloi sp. nov. (Orobanchaceae) from Veracruz,Mexico

Aphyllon castilloi Franc.‐Gut., Cházaro & Espejo (Orobanchaceae), a new species discovered in central Veracruz, Mexico is herein described, illustrated and compared with other Aphyllon species recorded from Mexico. The new species inhabits tropical semideciduous forest, a novel ecosystem for Aphyllon species native to North America, in contrast to most collections from Mexico, which are from warm sandy deserts. In addition, it parasitizes Simsia foetida (Asteraceae: Heliantheae). As far as known, the distribution of the new species is very restricted.     

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.     

The flora of the Bontebok National Park in regional perspective

Six-hundred-and-fifty plant species from 280 genera and 85 families have been recorded as indigenous to the Bontebok National Park (BNP), which lies 5 km south of Swellendam, in the Western Cape. Twenty-nine of these plant species are globally threatened with extinction and another 23 are species of conservation concern. Three species (Aspalathus burchelliana, Diosma fallax, Erica filamentosa) are endemic to the park. The Asteraceae, Iridaceae and Fabaceae ranked high as speciose families, in line with the Cape Floristic Region (CFR) as a whole, while the Asphodelaceae, Crassulaceae, Poaceae and Cyperaceae were overrepresented, and the Rutaceae, Proteaceae and Ericaceae underrepresented at BNP. The largest genera were Aspalathus (19 species), Crassula (17), Pelargonium (16), Erica (15), Oxalis (12), Moraea (11), Helichrysum (10) and Hermannia (10). Geophytes were the dominant growth form (23% of species recorded), followed by dwarf shrubs (20%), herbs (16%), graminoids (15%), shrubs (13%), succulents (8%), trees (3%) and climbers (2%). Forty alien plant species were recorded (likely an underestimate of true numbers) with the Poaceae most speciose and arguably the biggest invasive threat at the park. With 20 plant species/km², the flora of BNP is richer than expected based on its location within the south-eastern CFR. Similarity with floras of other lowland and montane protected areas in the region is low (< 33% and < 20% respectively), demonstrating that a large component of BNP's flora is not conserved elsewhere. Within a landscape context, BNP forms part of a cluster of connected core sites for Renosterveld conservation. This work confirms the high importance of BNP for flora conservation nationally and even globally.     

Epizoochorous dispersal by barbs, hooks, and spines in a lowland moist forest in central French Guiana

An analysis of the flowering plant flora of a lowland moist forest in central French Guiana reveals 25 species with adaptations for epizoochorous dispersal by barbs, hooks, or spines (stick-tights). This represents 1.5% of the flowering plant flora. Stick-tights are represented among the monocotyledons of the flora of central French Guiana by five species of Poaceae. The Fabaceae and Asteraceae, each with six species with stick-tight dispersal, are the richest families of flowering plants in terms of stick-tight dispersal in central French Guiana. This region possesses numerous potential mammal and bird dispersal agents, therefore it is a puzzle why stick-tight dispersal, especially among species of the canopy, is not more frequent.     

中国外来陆生草本植物: 多样性和生态学特性

构建包含基本生物学和生态学信息的外来物种数据库不仅对理解生物入侵分布格局至关重要, 同时也是制定外来种管理策略和解释生物入侵过程的重要一步。作者在前人研究的基础上构建了中国外来陆生草本植物数据库, 共收集到中国外来陆生草本植物800种, 分属37目72科; 其中约有60%集中在菊科、豆科、仙人掌科、禾本科、十字花科等10个优势科。中国外来陆生草本植物主要来源于美洲(407种, 占总数的47%), 主要分布在南亚热带—热带区(46%, 密度为4种/10⁴km²), 其次为温带湿润区(26%, 密度约2种/10⁴km²)和亚热带区(23%, 密度约2种/10⁴km²), 旱—寒区(5%, 密度小于1种/10⁴km²)分布较少。从生活型上看, 以多年生 (293种, 40%)和一年生 (272种, 37%)为主; 而从生境类型来看, 约有一半(46%)分布于“高养分高干扰”类型的生境。约有80%的物种属有意引入, 因此有意引入是陆生外来草本植物进入中国的主要途径。近2个世纪来, 外来陆生草本植物进入中国的速度快速增加, 约90%的物种在这个时期进入; 而近半个世纪以来, 外来陆生草本植物进入中国的速度快速增长, 约60%的物种在这个时期进入中国。本文所提供的中国外来陆生草本植物的生物学和生态学特征, 可以为管理层制定外来种相关管理和控制策略提供参考信息。     

乐山地区外来入侵植物风险评估

[目的]全面了解乐山地区的外来入侵植物现状,为乐山地区外来入侵植物的防控提供可行性建议对策,并为防控进展研究和预警机制的建立提供参考。[方法]通过实地调查、查阅文献和标本数据库分析乐山地区外来入侵植物情况,利用层次分析法建立乐山地区外来入侵植物的评估体系,评估所有外来入侵植物的风险值,并根据等级划分标准和风险值将外来入侵植物划分为5个风险等级(I~V级)。[结果]乐山地区入侵植物种类共109种,隶属38科86属。其中菊科17属20种,为最大优势科,豆科、苋科、茄科、禾本科次之,且草本植物占优。I级风险(恶性入侵)植物有10种,II级风险(严重入侵)的有11种,III级风险(局部入侵)的有13种,IV级风险(一般入侵)的有27种,其他48种(有待观察)为V级风险。中高危害风险的外来入侵植物共34种,隶属18科32属。[结论]乐山地区外来入侵植物种类繁多且危害风险高,基于上述入侵现状和风险等级提出了防控外来植物入侵的对策。     

A preliminary analysis of the diet composition of overwintering Bean geese (Anser fabalis) and greater white-fronted geese (A. albifrons) in Korea using PCR on fecal samples

Bean geese (Anser fabalis) and Greater white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons) are the dominant wintering waterfowl in South Korea. Although they are commonly observed in estuaries and rice fields during the winter, the diet composition of the geese during the winter has rarely been studied. In this study, we provide the results from preliminary analyses on the diet of these two geese species overwintering in Daebu Island of South Korea. We used a total of 13 fecal samples from Bean geese (n?=?4) and Greater white-fronted geese (n?=?9), and performed a BLAST search for the sequences obtained from 87 clones (n?=?36 for Bean geese and n?=?51 for Greater white-fronted geese). The diet of Bean geese consisted of five families of plants: Caryophyllaceae (75.0%), Poaceae (13.9%), Asteraceae (5.5%), Polygonaceae (2.8%) and Cucurbitacea (2.8%). On the other hand, the diet of Greater white-fronted geese consisted of 6 families of plants: Poaceae (74.5%), Caryophyllaceae (9.8%), Solanacea (5.9%), Portulacaceae (3.9%), Lamiaceae (3.9%) and Brassicaceae (2.0%). We found that plants of the rice family (Poaceae) are important in the diet of wintering geese, especially for Greater white-fronted geese. This knowledge can be used to establish conservation strategies of the geese overwintering in South Korea.     

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。     

Diaspores and phyto-remains accidentally transported to the Antarctic Station during three expeditions

The aim of the project was to assess the size and species range of alien plant diaspores and phyto-remains transported into the Polish Antarctic Station during three Antarctic expeditions. Our study clearly demonstrates that many diaspores can be quite easily unintentionally transported in good conditions to the Antarctic. In the analyzed material there were present diaspores of invasive species. All identified species belong to 20 families. The most abundant were Asteraceae and Poaceae species. The most interesting finding was the presence of caryopses of Poa annua, the first alien angiosperm species which already established a stable breeding population in the Antarctic. Base on our results, we can predict that risk of establishment of anther alien plant species in the vicinity of “Arctowski” Station is very high.     

华南地区外来入侵和归化植物分析

为了解华南地区外来植物现状,通过野外调查和查阅文献等,确定华南地区有外来入侵和归化植物45科141属223种,以菊科(Asteraceae,38种)、豆科(Fabaceae,36种)、禾本科(Poaceae,19种)植物为主,其中草本植物和原产美洲的植物占优势,分别有204种(占总数的91.5%)和163种(占73.1%)。广东外来入侵植物有159种,归化植物23种;广西有入侵植物135种,归化植物16种;海南有入侵植物111种,归化种15种;香港有入侵植物105种,归化植物9种;澳门有入侵植物89种,归化种4种;华南5省区共有的外来入侵和归化植物为57种(55种为入侵植物,2种为归化植物)。广东是外来植物种类最多的地区,与其他4省区共有的外来入侵和归化植物种类也最多,说明广东同时是外来植物输入和输出大省。由于气候和生态生境的相似性,各省区都面临着其他植物从周边地区入侵的风险,因此在治理入侵植物时,应建立联合防控机制对外来入侵植物的联合监测和防控,以提升外来入侵植物的治理成效和降低其对人类健康和生态安全的威胁。     

Plant families as predictors of plant biodiversity in Mexico

Three speciose plant families (Asteraceae, Fabaceae s.l. , and Poaceae) are evaluated for their appropriateness as predictors of overall regional patterns of plant diversity in Mexico. These families fulfil criteria for usefulness as indicators advocated by several authors, such as adequate taxonomic knowledge, wide geographical distribution, and occurrence in different plant communities. Known richness was determined from a database including 17,903 species from floristic inventories, review of taxonomic literature, and the study of herbarium specimens. Mexico was divided into 253 cells, each 1° latitude by 1° longitude; for each cell, total plant diversity and number of species in each predictor's family were determined. In addition, each species was categorized by 'preferred' vegetation type (temperate forest, dry tropical forest, humid tropical forest, xerophytic scrubland). Both multiple and simple regression models show that the three families are good predictors of total vascular floristic richness. Fabaceae s.l. has the highest semipartial correlations for all multiple models except with the xerophytic scrubland data set, for which it shares the highest values with Poaceae. Univariate models also predict satisfactorily the vascular floristic richness, especially when Fabaceae s.l. is used as the predictor, and the effect of vegetation type is included. Our results indicate that these three families can be used as potential predictors for total vascular plant species richness in Mexico although Fabaceae s.l. is the best predictor.