Abstract
Biological invasion pose a severe threat to global biodiversity, and studies of bioinvasion patterns and the underlying mechanisms provide critical tests to ecological theories. China is a global hotspot of biodiversity and also biological invasions. The understanding of mechanisms for bioinvasion patterns has been limited by inadequacy of data spatial resolution, and lack of a historical perspective. This study compiled the first nation-scale distribution data with a sub-provincial spatial unit (prefecture) for 463 invasive alien plants species (IAPS) recorded in China, as well as their introduction times. The spatiotemporal patterns of species richness of invasive alien plants, including three life forms (annual-biennial, perennial, and woody) were explored, then related the species richness patterns with environmental, social-economic and historical factors. Statistical analyses included quantile regression, generalized linear model (GLM), and hierarchical variation partitioning. The results indicated that: (1) herbaceous species comprised 84% of the 463 IAPS in China; (2) plant introductions into China accelerated since 1800, reaching the maximum rate during 1900–1940. IAPS richness had a closer correlation with the time of newest introduction (R2= 0.155) than with that of the oldest introduction (R2= 0.472); (3) IAPS richness decreases with increasing latitude (r= −0.32,P< 0.001) and decreases from the coastal and southern terrestrial borders to inland regions, but doesn’t increase with prefecture size. The three life forms of IAPS showed similar latitudinal patterns of species richness and divergent latitudinal patterns of species percentage. (4) IAPS richness showed significantly positive correlations with thermal climate and a negative relationship with climate seasonality. GLM explained up to 65% of the variation in spatial patterns of IAPS and three life forms; with much less variation explained in the species percentage patterns. The year of the most recent IAPS introduction and the low temperature limit jointly dominated spatial patterns of IAPS richness in China, whereas road density showed little effect. Therefore, global warming and economic globalization play a prominent role in promoting biological invasion in the last few decades, and will continue to drive the trend of plant invasion in China and probably elsewhere.
Highlights
IntroductionAnthropogenic species migration has accelerated (Seebens et al, 2018)
Along with globalization, anthropogenic species migration has accelerated (Seebens et al, 2018)
Based on the most complete list of invasive alien plants species (IAPS) existing in China, this study produced the first data of invasive alien plants distribution in China at a sub-provincial scale, provided a more accurate description to the geographical pattern of invasive plant diversity than earlier studies
Summary
Anthropogenic species migration has accelerated (Seebens et al, 2018). Biological invasions occur globally and they have become one of the primary threats to biodiversity, and cause huge losses to ecosystem functions and services, as well as public wealth (Pimentel et al, 2005; Pejchar and Mooney, 2009; Simberloff et al, 2013). Researches on invasive species diversity generally address the distribution patterns of invasive organisms and the habitat conditions affecting the dispersal and adaptation processes (Hierro et al, 2005; Denslow et al, 2009; Khuroo et al, 2012; Murray and Phillips, 2012) (e.g., environmental invulnerability), in order to predict potentially high-invasion risk areas (Zhu et al, 2007; Wolmarans et al, 2010), and to explore invasion mechanisms relating with environmental filters, dispersal pathways, and ecosystem resistance (Nentwig, 2007; Westphal et al, 2008; Pyšek et al, 2015; Dawson et al, 2017). The study of invasive species diversity seeks for novel understanding on the basic ecological problems of community assembly and species coexistence (Davis et al, 2005; Guisan et al, 2014)
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