Biological Invasions in Desert Green-Islands and Grasslands

Abstract

The desert ecosystem is an important component of the terrestrial ecosystems in China, as it contains a large number of rare species and important wild animal and plant genetic resources. Meanwhile, oases and grasslands, two major geographical landscapes in deserts areas, play an important role in the local economy and are sites where many invasive species have become established. To evaluate the current situation of alien invasive species in Chinese desert areas and to provide support for controlling alien invasive species, we have collected and analyzed the relevant references. There are 165 alien invasive species in Chinese desert areas, 88, 57 and 20 of which are plants, animals and microorganisms, respectively. The occurrence of invasive species differs in each province of the Chinese desert area; the number of invasive species is higher in Xinjiang, Gansu and Inner Mongolia than in Qinghai and Ningxia. Most of the alien invasive species in the desert region come from North America and Europe. The amount of time required for establishment of a new invasive species in the desert area is decreasing, but the number of new invasive species is increasing. In addition, alien invasive species in the Chinese desert area have caused serious negative impacts on local economy, agriculture, human health, social stability and minority ethnic group culture. Although researchers working in the Chinese desert area have achieved some remarkable goals in preventing establishment and spread of alien species and have thereby reduced their negative effects on agricultural production, many unsolved problems still exist. Therefore, we suggest establishment of regulatory policies, improved coordination between departments, and increased technical research and application.