Abstract
Invasive aquatic plants can cause local losses of species diversity throughout the world and they can also contribute to water quality deterioration. Although widely studied elsewhere, little information exists about invasive aquatic plants and their impacts in China. This study summarizes the taxonomy, origin, vector of introduction, current distribution, and the ecological impacts of invasive aquatic plants in China. This study provides useful information for the management of freshwater habitats and suggests strategies for curtailing the increasing problem of invasive aquatic plants and their impacts. We integrated data based upon original research and a literature review to compile an inventory of invasive aquatic plants in China. In total, we found 152 invasive aquatic plant species belonging to 84 genera and 39 families, representing four major growth forms including emergent (57.24%), submerged (27.63%), rooted floating leaf (9.87%), and free floating (5.26%) categories of aquatic plants. The Poaceae (Gramineae) (23 species) was the most represented and species-rich family, followed by Alismataceae (14 species), Cyperaceae (13 species), Nymphaeaceae and Araceae (both with 10 species). The majority of the invasive aquatic plant species were introduced from South America, and there were also many from North America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Most of these species (96.05%) are obligate freshwater species, while a minority (3.95%) is limited to marine or intertidal habitats. The ornamental trade has been the most frequent historic pathway for the introduction of invasive aquatic plants.
Highlights
Biological invasions are recognized as a serious threat to global biodiversity and ecosystem function, inflicting great social and economic damage (Mack et al 2000; Pimentel et al 2005)
We recorded a total of 152 invasive aquatic plant species belonging to 39 families and 84 genera (Supplementary material Table S1)
All geographic origin information for invasive aquatic plant species in China is shown in Table S1 and Figure 2
Summary
Biological invasions are recognized as a serious threat to global biodiversity and ecosystem function, inflicting great social and economic damage (Mack et al 2000; Pimentel et al 2005). The presence and often dominance of invasive species in aquatic habitats has caused comparatively greater ecological and economic consequences than those in terrestrial environments (Vilà et al 2010). Invasive aquatic plants may alter ecosystem structure, resulting in a significant negative impact on aquatic biodiversity and water quality (Zedler and Kercher 2004; Chamier et al 2012; Brundu 2015), and are of great concern to both ecologists and environmental managers. China is one of the world’s largest countries with a wide diversity of aquatic habitats and environments. It spans 50 degrees of latitude and covers five climatic zones: cold-temperate, temperate, warm-temperate, subtropical, and tropical. The Chinese government spends billions of US dollars for the control of invasive aquatic plants every year (Gao and Li 2004), but the effect remains unsatisfactory in terms of truly managing the problems exacerbated or caused by exotic plants (Gao and Li 2004)
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