Abstract
The invasion of natural communities by exotic plants, which may turn into invasive or potentially invasive, is one of the most severe known threats to biodiversity, and coastal dunes are among the most affected habitats. Mexico’s coastal dunes are abundant and contain high plant biodiversity but attempts to determine the occurrence and impact of exotic plants are absent. First, we explored the number of invasive plant species found on Mexican coastal dunes. Second, we analyzed if the coastal dune flora native from Mexico acts as a source of invasive species worldwide. We found the relevant spread of exotic plants towards and from Mexico, reaching high percentages: 5% of the coastal dune flora are considered exotic plants; this increases to 8.7% when only plants typical of the coastal dune environment are considered. The Mexican coastal dunes flora is also a relevant source of invasive plants affecting all continents. Furthermore, almost half of the 35 worst worldwide invasive plants (according to the Global Invasive Species Database GISD) grow on Mexican coastal dunes, most native to Mexico and invasive elsewhere. Indeed, the worldwide exchange of coastal dune flora between Mexico and the world seems massive, relevant and highlights the need for worldwide and countrywide management and control strategies.
Highlights
Mexico is a megadiverse country because it hosts between 10 and 15% of the planet’s biodiversity in its territory, which only represents 1.4% of the total surface of the Earth [1,2].The country is fifth worldwide in terms of the number of plant species [2]
We addressed the following questions: (a) how many invasive species are found on Mexican coastal dunes? (b) what is the level of invasion across the coastal dunes of Mexico? (c) how many invasive species native to Mexican coastal dunes are considered invasives on coastal dunes worldwide?
13 plants are found in the Mexican coastal dune flora; one is invasive in Mexico, and the remaining 12 are native to Mexico, invasive elsewhere (Table 1)
Summary
Mexico is a megadiverse country because it hosts between 10 and 15% of the planet’s biodiversity in its territory, which only represents 1.4% of the total surface of the Earth [1,2].The country is fifth worldwide in terms of the number of plant species [2]. Mexico is a megadiverse country because it hosts between 10 and 15% of the planet’s biodiversity in its territory, which only represents 1.4% of the total surface of the Earth [1,2]. Among the many ecosystems found on Mexican territory, coastal dunes are widespread, occurring throughout its 11,000 km of coasts. Because of their topographic heterogeneity, variability in weather regimes, and diversity of vegetation types, coastal dunes host 2072 plant species [5] which corresponds to 9.4% of the Mexican flora. This high percentage highlights the relevance of coastal dunes for Mexico’s biodiversity. Coastal dunes and accompanying plants provide relevant ecosystem services to society, such as mitigation of storm impacts, since they help reduce wave-induced erosion by as much as 64% [6]
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