Abstract
Invasive tree species cause increasing damage to the environment and local economies. Previous studies have seldom treated the presence and abundance of invasive species as different phenomena. Using Classification and Regression Trees (CART) analysis, important driving factors affecting the presence and abundance of invasive tree species in Mississippi were identified. These selected factors were spatially analyzed using a spatial lag model at the county level. The empirical results from the spatial lag model showed that: (1) the presence of invasive tree species was more likely at lower elevations, private ownerships, and in counties with higher per capita annual income; and (2) the abundance of invasive tree species was related to stand age, and elevation. The odds ratio revealed that the presence was most affected by per capita mean annual income. This result might reflect impacts from intensified urban development and alteration of the landscape. As revealed by the coefficients, the abundance was most strongly affected by stand age. Thus, management prescriptions designed to monitor and control invasions should target young private forestlands at low elevations in counties with higher per capita mean annual income.
Highlights
Following the sustained exploration and colonization of North America by Europeans over the past 500 years, exotic plant species have been introduced accidently through international trade and have grown at an unprecedented rate in the United States [1]
The classification tree above showed that the most relevant factors associated with the presence of target invasive tree species in Mississippi included population density, elevation, per capita mean annual income, and ownership
This study identified potential ecological and socioeconomic factors contributing to the presence and abundance of invasive tree species in Mississippi
Summary
Following the sustained exploration and colonization of North America by Europeans over the past 500 years, exotic plant species have been introduced accidently through international trade and have grown at an unprecedented rate in the United States [1]. Some plant species are beneficial while others are harmful. Some introduced plant species have caused ecological and economic losses in agriculture, forestry and other ecosystems. Invasions of non-native plant species can cause ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss due to changes in nutrient cycling, energy budgets and fire regimes of native plant species [3]. Environmental damages and losses due to invasive exotic species in the United States have added up to $120 billion dollars per year, out of which exotic plants alone account for $25 billion dollars annually [2,3]
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