Widespread plant species: Natives versus aliens in our changing world
Biological Invasions
By: T.J. Stohlgren, P. Pysek, J. Kartesz, M. Nishino, A. Pauchard, M. Winter, J. Pino, D.M. Richardson, J.R.U. Wilson, B.R. Murray, M.L. Phillips, L. Ming-yang, L. Celesti-Grapow, and X. Font
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Abstract
Estimates of the level of invasion for a region are traditionally based on relative numbers of native and alien species. However, alien species differ dramatically in the size of their invasive ranges. Here we present the first study to quantify the level of invasion for several regions of the world in terms of the most widely distributed plant species (natives vs. aliens). Aliens accounted for 51.3% of the 120 most widely distributed plant species in North America, 43.3% in New South Wales (Australia), 34.2% in Chile, 29.7% in Argentina, and 22.5% in the Republic of South Africa. However, Europe had only 1% of alien species among the most widespread species of the flora. Across regions, alien species relative to native species were either as well-distributed (10 comparisons) or more widely distributed (5 comparisons). These striking patterns highlight the profound contribution that widespread invasive alien plants make to floristic dominance patterns across different regions. Many of the most widespread species are alien plants, and, in particular, Europe and Asia appear as major contributors to the homogenization of the floras in the Americas. We recommend that spatial extent of invasion should be explicitly incorporated in assessments of invasibility, globalization, and risk assessments. ?? 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Suggested Citation
Stohlgren, T., Pysek, P., Kartesz, J., Nishino, M., Pauchard, A., Winter, M., Pino, J., Richardson, D., Wilson, J., Murray, B., Phillips, M., Ming-yang, L., Celesti-Grapow, L., Font, X., 2011, Widespread plant species: Natives versus aliens in our changing world: Biological Invasions, v. 13, no. 9, p. 1931-1944, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-011-0024-9.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Widespread plant species: Natives versus aliens in our changing world |
| Series title | Biological Invasions |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10530-011-0024-9 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 9 |
| Publication Date | May 21, 2011 |
| Year Published | 2011 |
| Language | English |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Biological Invasions |
| First page | 1931 |
| Last page | 1944 |