The role of light, soil and human factors on the probability of occurrence of an invasive and three native plant species in coastal transitions of coastal Mississippi, USA

Abstract

Aims Understanding relationships between the distributions of species and their surrounding environment provides a basis for forecasting how species will respond to future environmental changes. In this study, we examined the effects of environmental factors and human developmental features associated with disturbances on probability of occurrence of juveniles of invasive Triadica sebifera and three native plant species, Baccharis halimifolia, Ilex vomitoria and Morella cerifera within a typical coastal transition in coastal Mississippi, USA. Methods We recorded presence of juveniles of focal species and measured environmental factors (soil salinity, canopy openness, soil texture and soil carbon to nitrogen ratio) along an 11.3 km transect located at Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Further, we documented anthropogenic features and associated activities as a proxy for human disturbance.