Non-native Plant Research Articles

Seasonal variation in urban pollen resource use by north temperate European honeybees

AbstractUrban green infrastructure can provide important habitats for pollinators and support urban ecosystem services. Therefore, these areas must be managed to maximize biodiversity and density of pollinating insects. We used DNA metabarcoding to study honeybee pollen resource use over time and space in the city of Oslo, Norway, and to assess the role of green infrastructure as a resource for pollinators and the services they generate. Urban honeybees used diverse pollen resources throughout their active season. There was considerable seasonal turnover in pollen resource use that reflected flowering phenology. Non-native plants (including invasive species) were an important resource early in the season but were replaced by native plants later in the season. Hive location was not strongly correlated with resource use, likely indicating effective long-distance foraging in the fragmented urban landscape. However, flower visitation rates and floral resource density in public urban green spaces were coupled to pollen use. Honeybees collected pollen from a small number of preferred species but also visited other species, likely for nectar. To preserve pollinator services, urban planning should consider flower resource management, with particular focus on planting native species that can act as early season resources for bees. Public campaigns and other incentive mechanisms to promote the cultivation of native plants that are resources for pollinators and the protection of urban semi-natural habitats have the potential to enhance the value of green infrastructure to support urban pollinators and pollination services.

Coastal Biodiversity Assessment Aided by Citizen Science Volunteers: A Look at the Italian Central Adriatic

Coastal ecosystems, encompassing land and marine environments and hosting substantial biodiversity, are among the most threatened worldwide. The European Habitats Directive prioritises coastal habitats and species, requiring legislative, direct protection, monitoring, and informational measures. Accurate habitat and species monitoring is crucial to conservation efforts, yet biodiversity research in complex, ever-changing environments like coastal areas is difficult. Citizen Science may bridge biodiversity assessment and eco-friendly monitoring by incorporating non-scientists into the data collection for scientists and stakeholders. A Citizen Science approach supported by a dedicated iNaturalist project (called Wild Coast CASCADE) was implemented to obtain a complete monitoring framework that includes observations of many taxa in terrestrial, aquatic, and transitional dynamic coastal environments in the Central Italian Adriatic coast. We explored data gathered focusing on the IUCN Red List species, the species and habitats of European conservation concern, and the non-native species. Between 2020 and 2023, we collected 3784 records covering 742 species, with 81% meeting the “research grade criteria”, and these were retained for subsequent research. Citizen Science volunteers have collected 291 georeferenced animal records from the global IUCN Red List, 51 plant species from 14 species that are indicators of the presence of habitats of European Conservation Concern, and 44 non-native plants and animals. Our results provide evidence that citizen research projects can effectively assist in monitoring coastal–marine habitats and species. They also underline the potential of Citizen Science for biodiversity conservation and emphasize the importance of public engagement in conservation efforts.

Future changes in key plant traits across Central Europe vary with biogeographical status, woodiness, and habitat type

Many plant traits covary with environmental gradients, reflecting shifts in adaptive strategies and thus informing about potential consequences of future environmental change for vegetation and ecosystem functioning. Yet, the evidence of trait–environment relationships (TERs) remains too heterogeneous for reliable predictions, partially due to insufficient consideration of trait syndromes specific to certain growth forms and habitats. Moreover, it is still unclear whether non-native and native plants' traits align similarly along environmental gradients, limiting our ability to assess the impacts of future plant invasions. Using a Bayesian multilevel modelling framework, we assess TERs for native and non-native woody and herbaceous plants across six broad habitat types in Central Europe at a resolution of c. 130 km2 and use them to project trait change under future environmental change scenarios until 2081–2100. We model TERs between three key plant traits (maximum height, Hmax; specific leaf area, SLA; seed mass, SM) and individual environmental factors (7 climate variables and % urban land cover) and estimate trait change summed across all environmental effects. We also quantify the change in the average trait difference between native and non-native plants. Our models depict multiple TERs, with important differences attributed to biogeographical status and woodiness within and across habitat types. The overall magnitude of trait change is projected to be greater for non-native than native taxa and to increase under more extreme scenarios. Native woody plant assemblages may generally experience a future increase across all three traits, whereas woody non-natives may decline in Hmax and increase in SLA and SM. Herbaceous Hmax is estimated to increase and SLA to decrease in most habitats. The obtained trait projections highlight conditions of competitive advantage of non-native plants over natives and vice versa and can serve as starting points for projecting future changes in ecosystem functions and services.

An invasive appetite: Combining molecular and stable isotope analyses to reveal the diet of introduced house mice (Mus musculus) on a small, subtropical island.

House mice (Mus musculus) pose a conservation threat on islands, where they adversely affect native species' distributions, densities, and persistence. On Sand Island of Kuaihelani, mice recently began to depredate nesting adult mōlī (Laysan Albatross, Phoebastria immutabilis). Efforts are underway to eradicate mice from Sand Island, but knowledge of mouse diet is needed to predict ecosystem response and recovery following mouse removal. We used next-generation sequencing to identify what mice eat on Sand Island, followed by stable isotope analysis to estimate the proportions contributed by taxa to mouse diet. We collected paired fecal and hair samples from 318 mice between April 2018 to May 2019; mice were trapped approximately every eight weeks among four distinct habitat types to provide insight into temporal and spatial variation. Sand Island's mice mainly consume arthropods, with nearly equal (but substantially smaller) contributions of C3 plants, C4 plants, and mōlī. Although seabird tissue is a small portion of mouse diet, mice consume many detrital-feeding arthropods in and around seabird carcasses, such as isopods, flesh flies, ants, and cockroaches. Additionally, most arthropods and plants eaten by mice are non-native. Mouse diet composition differs among habitat types but changes minimally throughout the year, indicating that mice are not necessarily limited by food source availability or accessibility. Eradication of house mice may benefit seabirds on Sand Island (by removing a terrestrial, non-native predator), but it is unclear how arthropod and plant communities may respond and change. Non-native and invasive arthropods and plants previously consumed (and possibly suppressed) by mice may be released post-eradication, which could prevent recovery of native taxa. Comprehensive knowledge of target species' diet is a critical component of eradication planning. Dietary information should be used both to identify and to monitor which taxa may respond most strongly to invasive species removal and to assess if proactive, pre-eradication management activities are warranted.

Composition and activity of soil microbial communities in native and non-native vegetation of southern California

The proliferation of non-native plant species in novel habitats has altered plant community diversity, ecosystem carbon (C) and nutrient cycling, and disturbance regimes worldwide. However, the impacts of non-native plants on soil microbial community composition and activity are still poorly known, especially in semi-arid woodlands. Here we utilized next generation sequencing (16S rRNA sequencing of the V3-V4 regions) and measurements of microbial activity (respiration, net N mineralization, and enzyme assays) to determine how soil microbial composition and activity varied between native and non-native vegetation patches in coastal sage scrub (CSS) woodlands. We sampled eight CSS sites and collected topsoil (0–10 cm) samples from six paired native and non-native vegetation patches at each site. Native patches had significantly (p < 0.05) higher vegetation cover, dissolved organic C (DOC), and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations than non-native patches. β-glucosidase activity was significantly higher (ca. 10 nM g−2 h−1) and peroxidase activity was significantly lower (ca. 60 nM g−2 h−1) in non-native vegetation, while rates of net N mineralization and nitrification, phosphatase and NAGase activities, and respiration were not significantly different in native and non-native vegetation but were positively correlated with total soil C and N (r > 0.60; p < 0.05). Bacterial alpha- and beta-diversity were not significantly different (p > 0.05) between native and non-native patches; however, bacteria/archaea in the phyla Gemmatimonadota, Planctomycetota, Armatimonadota, Fibrobacterota, Thermoplasmatota, and Entotheonellaeota were over-expressed in non-native patches. Within these phyla there were 20 orders that were differentially expressed in native or non-native vegetation, and more than half (60 %) had significantly higher relative abundance in native vegetation. Our results indicate that the expansion of non-native vegetation in semi-arid woodlands significantly alters soil C and N, which feeds back on microbial activity and community composition.

Delineating the calling pattern of Oecanthus indicus from native and non-native plant species.

The study attempted to understand the effect of the host plants on the call parameters of native tree cricket, Oecanthus indicus (Order: Orthoptera, Sub-order: Ensifera, Family: Gryllidae) while calling from native (Justicia adhatoda) and non-native host plant species (Lantana camara and Hyptis suaveolens). The study was conducted at four locations across India. Calls of O. indicus were recorded on these host plants in the field and spectral and temporal parameters of calls were analysed. The results suggested that the peak frequency varied among the two non-native plant species while the difference in temporal pattern between the native and non-native host plants was observed only in the syllable period. The study also quantified the choice of calling positions of insects from the three-host species. The native O. indicus chose non-native H. suaveolens leaves extensively as a preferable site to baffle (37%). Differences in the call parameters and choice of the host plant by insects may ultimately affect the preference and performance of insects on invasive plants. The study would aid in exploring the underlying evolutionary and ecological processes of adaptive success of insects on non-native plants.

Enhanced plasticity and reproductive fitness of floral and seed traits facilitate non-native species spread in mountain ecosystems

Floral and seed traits, their relationships, and responses to abiotic constraints are considered the key determinants of the invasion success of non-native plant species. However, studies evaluating the pattern of floral and seed traits of non-native species in mountain ecosystems are lacking. In this study, we determined (a) whether the floral and seed traits of native and non-native species show similarity or dissimilarity across elevations in mountains, and (b) whether the non-native species follow different allometric patterns compared with native species. Functional variations between native and non-native species were assessed through floral and seed traits: flower count, flower display area, flower mass, specific flower area, seed count, and seed mass across an elevational gradient. Permanent plots (20 × 20 m) were laid at each 100 m elevation rise from 2000 to 4000 m a.s.l. for sampling of herbaceous plant species. The mean values of floral and seed traits such as flower display area, specific flower area, and seed count were significantly higher for non-native species compared to native species. A significant difference in trait values (flower display area, flower mass, seed count, and seed mass) between non-native species and native species was observed along the elevational gradient, except for flower count and specific flower area. The bivariate relationship revealed non-native species to exhibit a stronger relationship between flower display area ∼ flower mass, and flower display area ∼ seed mass traits than the native species. Non-native species showed enhanced reproductive ability under varying environmental conditions along an elevational gradient in mountain ecosystems. Greater flower display area and seed mass at lower elevations and a stronger overall trait-trait relationship among non-native species implied resource investment in pollinator visualization, flower mass, and seed quality over seed quantity. The study concludes that enhanced plasticity and reproductive fitness of floral and seed traits would consequently aid non-native species to adapt, become invasive, and displace native species in mountain ecosystems if the climatic barriers acting on non-native species are reduced with climate change.

Climatic zone effects of non-native plant invasion on CH4 and N2O emissions from natural wetland ecosystems

Plant invasion can significantly alter the carbon and nitrogen cycles of wetlands, which potentially affects the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The extent of these effects can vary depending on several factors, including the species of invasive plants, their growth patterns, and the climatic conditions prevailing in the wetland. Understanding the global effects of plant invasion on the emission of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) is crucial for the climate-smart management of wetlands. Here, we performed a global meta-analysis of 207 paired case studies that quantified the effect of non-native plant invasion on CH4 and N2O emissions in tropical/sub-tropical (TS) and temperate (TE) wetlands. The average emission rate of CH4 from the TS wetlands increased significantly from 337 to 577 kg CH4 ha−1 yr−1 in areas where native plants had been displaced by invasive plants. Similarly, in TE wetlands, the emission rates increased from 211 to 299 kg CH4 ha−1 yr−1 following the invasion of alien plant species. The increase in CH4 emissions at invaded sites was attributed to the increase in plant biomass, soil organic carbon (SOC), and soil moisture (SM). The effects of plant invasion on N2O emissions differed between TS and TE wetlands in that there was no significant effect in TS wetlands, whereas the N2O emissions reduced in TE wetlands. This difference in N2O emissions between climate zones was attributed to the depletion of NH4+ and NO3− in soils and the lower soil temperature in temperate regions. Overall, plant invasion increased the global net CH4 emissions from natural wetlands by 10.54 Tg CH4 yr−1. However, there were variations in CH4 emissions across different climatic zones, indicated by a net increase in CH4 emissions, of 9.97 and 0.57 Tg CH4 yr−1 in TS and TE wetlands, respectively. These findings highlight that plant invasion not only strongly stimulates the emission of CH4 from TS wetlands, but also suppresses N2O emissions from TE wetlands. These novel insights immensely improve our current understanding of the effects of climatic zones on biogeochemical controlling factors that influence the production of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from wetlands following plant invasion. By analyzing the specific mechanisms by which invasive plants affect GHG emissions in different climatic zones, effective strategies can be devised to reduce GHG emissions and preserve wetland ecosystems.

Road Impact on Plant Colonization in the Arid Timanfaya National Park.

Roads have the potential to alter local environmental conditions, such as the availability of water and nutrients, and rapidly create suitable habitats for the establishment of both native and non-native plant species, transforming the ecosystems. This is a challenge in Timanfaya National Park and Los Volcanes Natural Park on Lanzarote Island, protected areas that have experienced primary succession after recent volcanic eruptions. In arid ecosystems, changes in abiotic conditions along roadsides might facilitate colonization and plant growth. We analyzed the effect of roads and road type on plant species composition and richness at a spatiotemporal scale. Vascular plant species were systematically recorded at three distances from the road edge on both sides, across fourteen zones in the wet and dry seasons, for three years. Results showed that there were slight differences on species composition depending on the distance to the road edge, as well as on the zones. Species richness was also determined by the interaction of the position, zones, and season, being higher at the road edge. Furthermore, zones with higher traffic intensity showed a higher presence of both native and non-native species. This study highlights the importance of the awareness about the road impacts on species composition by enhancing the colonization capacity of species while facilitating the entry of invasive ones. Good management practices regarding infrastructures in natural protected areas are crucial for the conservation of their unique flora, landscapes, and natural succession processes.

Roadsides and gardens facilitate the expansion of non-native clonal succulent plants to wetlands in the coastal fringe of the Atacama Desert

Roadsides and gardens facilitate the expansion of non-native clonal succulent plants to wetlands in the coastal fringe of the Atacama Desert

Herbaceous ornamental plants with conspicuous aesthetic traits contribute to plant invasion risk in subtropical urban parks

Global ornamental horticulture is a major pathway for plant invasions, while urban parks are key areas for introducing non-native ornamental plants. To react appropriately to the challenges (e.g., biological invasion issues) and opportunities (e.g., urban ecosystem services) of herbaceous ornamentals in urban parks, we conducted a comprehensive invasive risk assessment in 363 urban parks in Chongqing, a subtropical city in China. The results found more than 1/3 of the 119 non-native species recorded in urban parks had a high invasion risk, and more than five species had potential invasion risk in 96.29% of the study area, indicating herbaceous ornamentals in urban parks are potentially a pool of invasive species that deserves attention. Moreover, humans have chosen herbaceous ornamentals with more aesthetic characteristics in urban parks, where exotic species were more prominent than native species in floral traits, such as more conspicuous flowers and longer flowering periods. The findings can inform urban plant management, provide an integrated approach to assessing herbaceous ornamentals' invasion risk, and offer insights into understanding the filtering effects of human aesthetic preferences.

A faulty metaphor and frustrating weeding lead to advocacy of non-native plants

A faulty metaphor and frustrating weeding lead to advocacy of non-native plants

The Patterns of Intraspecific Variations in Mass of Nectar Sugar along a Phylogeny Distinguish Native from Non-Native Plants in Urban Greenspaces in Southern England.

To serve human needs, non-native species are selected based on an array of functional traits, which generally confer competitive advantages to these species in their recipient environments. Identifying non-obvious functional traits that indirectly inform human selection of non-natives to introduce into urban greenspaces is not yet part of common discussions in invasion biology. We tested whether functional traits integrated within a phylogenetic framework, may reveal those subtle criteria underlying the introduction of non-native plants into urban greenspaces. We found no differences in terms of functional traits between natives and non-natives. We also found no evidence that functional traits predict nectar production, irrespective of how nectar production was measured. Finally, we found that the mean sugar concentration of nectar per flower is evolutionarily shared both within closely related non-native plants as well as within close native plants. However, phylogenetically close species share similar intraspecific variation in mass of nectar sugar per flower, but this is true only for non-native plants, thus revealing a non-obvious selection criteria of non-native plants for urban greenspaces. Our results indicate that the phylogenetic patterns of intraspecific variation in mass of nectar sugar per flower is the major criterion distinguishing non-natives from native plants in urban greenspaces in Southern England.

Mechanical forest restoration treatments stimulate understory plants in the Colorado Front Range

Restoration efforts are underway in dry conifer forests across the western United States to increase their resilience to wildfire and other disturbances. Because such treatments typically decrease overstory density and homogeneity, they can also drive changes in the understory plant community. Past studies of post-treatment changes in understories have found variable results over short time frames and across regions, highlighting the need to study longer-term, region-specific responses. We investigated whether mechanical restoration treatments benefited understory plants in dry conifer forests of the Colorado Front Range, and what biotic and abiotic variables modified understory plant responses in treated areas. We analyzed data collected 1–2 years pre-treatment, 1–2 years post-treatment, and 4–6 years post-treatment in 168 plots, which were distributed across 8 sites and 16 pairs of treated and nearby untreated areas. Treatments were implemented by removing trees with heavy machinery or hand tools (i.e., thinning). By the time treatments were 4–6 years old, native understory plant cover was 1.7 times higher in treated compared to untreated plots, and native richness was 1.1 times higher. Heightened cover and richness values in treated plots were not driven by a single native plant functional group, but by a large portion of the native community; long-lived, graminoid, vegetatively spreading, and non-vegetatively spreading plants all had higher cover in treated plots, while short-lived, long-lived, forb, graminoid, and non-vegetatively spreading plants had higher richness in treated plots. Non-native plants showed 3.1 times higher cover and 4.4 times higher richness in treated compared to untreated plots at 4–6 years post-treatment, but were present at very low levels (e.g., ≤ 0.5% mean cover in either treatment). Greater native plant cover and richness at 4–6 years post-treatment were associated with lower overstory basal areas that resembled 19th-century forest structural conditions for the landscape. Contrary to expectations, a long-term measure of moisture availability (i.e., 30-year average climatic water deficit) was not a strong predictor of native cover or richness in treated plots 4–6 years post-treatment; rather, they were better predicted by moisture availability during the spring months prior to sampling. Overall, the consistent and enduring stimulation of cover and richness of native understory plants after mechanical treatments, with only limited invasion from non-native species, illustrates the important benefits of ongoing restoration activities in dry conifer forests of the Colorado Front Range.

Soil microbes mediate the effects of resource variability on plant invasion.

A fundamental question in ecology is which species will prevail over others amid changes in both environmental mean conditions and their variability. Although the widely accepted fluctuating resource hypothesis predicts that increases in mean resource availability and variability therein will promote nonnative plant invasion, it remains unclear to what extent these effects might be mediated by soil microbes. We grew eight invasive nonnative plant species as target plants in pot-mesocosms planted with five different synthetic native communities as competitors, and assigned them to eight combinations of two nutrient-fluctuation (constant vs. pulsed), two nutrient-availability (low vs. high) and two soil-microbe (living vs. sterilized) treatments. We found that when plants grew in sterilized soil, nutrient fluctuation promoted the dominance of nonnative plants under overall low nutrient availability, whereas the nutrient fluctuation had minimal effect under high nutrient availability. In contrast, when plants grew in living soil, nutrient fluctuation promoted the dominance of nonnative plants under high nutrient availability rather than under low nutrient availability. Analysis of the soil microbial community suggests that this might reflect that nutrient fluctuation strongly increased the relative abundance of the most dominant pathogenic fungal family or genus under high nutrient availability, while decreasing it under low nutrient availability. Our findings are the first to indicate that besides its direct effect, environmental variability could also indirectly affect plant invasion via changes in soil microbial communities.

Non-native vascular flora of alpine areas in the White Mountains, New Hampshire, USA

ABSTRACT Arctic-alpine vegetation in the eastern United States is unique to northern New England and New York and is disjunct from similar areas in eastern Canada. We present the first study of the non-native flora in the region, specifically focusing on New Hampshire’s White Mountains. By combining literature and herbaria searches, field surveys, and a seventeen-year evaluation at an alpine hut in a hypothesis-driven framework, we document the composition, chronology, and persistence of non-native plant species establishments, regress richness in relation to elevation and disturbed area, and evaluate similarities to nineteen other alpine floras globally. Our results indicate that the White Mountains support one of the most species-rich non-native alpine floras known in the world, with 58 species detected at thirty-one sites since 1874, comprising 19 percent of 300 species documented in New Hampshire’s 22 km2 of alpine tundra. There is a negative relationship between non-native alpine plant richness and elevation along a mountain road on Mt. Washington. Moreover, elevation predicts richness per unit area in proximity to clusters of built structures in alpine areas. The compositions, geographic origins, and dominant ruderal strategies of non-native species are similar to those of Arctic and other alpine non-native floras globally. Sørenson similarity index and nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordination of twenty alpine regions reveals the White Mountains have highest similarity with widely separated mountain regions in Australia, Hawaii, the Rocky Mountains, the Andes, Southern Africa, and Iceland, driven by shared species of Eurasian origin. We report the unexpected discovery of Plagiobothrys hispidulus, a borage native to western North America not previously reported from New Hampshire. These findings have important implications for managers of alpine areas in eastern North America and may facilitate the early detection, monitoring, and control of non-native species, minimizing their establishment and spread.

Alien mantids in a tropical paradise: First record of the giant mantis Sphodromantis viridis (Insecta, Mantodea) for the Canary Islands (Spain)

The presence of adults, nymphs, and oothecae of the African giant mantis Sphodromantis viridis Forsskål is for the first time recorded on the island of Tenerife, the largest and most populated of the Canary archipelago, an autonomous Spanish community in the Atlantic Ocean. The discovery took place in a popular water park rich in non-native plants in the municipality of Costa Adeje. It is possible that anthropogenic movements, particularly the massive movement of tourists and goods that continually cross this small archipelago, aided the dispersal to the area of this mantis, which for some years has also been expanding in many areas of the Mediterranean basin. A hypothesis on the ecological impact and the possible invasiveness of this extremely adaptable species is discussed and supported by the large number of sightings of oothecae and specimens that are, fortunately, still confined within the west coast of the island.

Hidden cargo: The impact of historical shipping trade on the recent-past and contemporary non-native flora of northeastern United States.

Understanding establishment and spread of non-native plants is important in the face of a homogenizing global flora. While many studies focus on successful, invasive species, fewer have studied failed plant introductions. Until the early 1900s, large quantities of ship ballast, often containing foreign plant propagules, were deposited in New Jersey (USA). The resulting ballast flora is documented in extensive herbarium records, providing us a unique opportunity to analyze successes and failures of novel plant species introductions. We used digitized specimens from 75 herbaria to study 264 non-native species introduced into New Jersey through 19th century ballast deposition. We used spatial (density-based clustering; HDBSCAN) and temporal analyses of species retention and geographic spread to quantify disappearance rate, survival, and dispersion through time and define trajectory groups. Four distinct trajectory groups were identified: waif (only present during import; 32% of species), short-term (disappeared quickly; 20%), established-limited spread (survives locally, 30%), and established-widespread (widespread, 18%). Species disappearance rate was highest during ballast deposition and decreased soon after deposition stopped around 1900. Spatial patterns showed a strong association with 19th century railroads for inland dispersal from ports. The disappearance rate and spatial analyses are robust to herbarium collection bias. This study using New Jersey as a model is one of the few documenting multispecies successes and failures in inadvertent plant introductions. Results reveal distinct trends in species establishment and geographic spread and highlight the utility of herbarium specimens in answering questions that span large time scales.

European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) as seed disperser in arid ecotones of Argentina: non-native herbivore facilitation of native and non-native plants

European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) as seed disperser in arid ecotones of Argentina: non-native herbivore facilitation of native and non-native plants

Identifying and Managing Areas under Threat in the Iberian Peninsula: An Invasion Risk Atlas for Non-Native Aquatic Plant Species as a Potential Tool.

Predicting the likelihood that non-native species will be introduced into new areas remains one of conservation's greatest challenges and, consequently, it is necessary to adopt adequate management measures to mitigate the effects of future biological invasions. At present, not much information is available on the areas in which non-native aquatic plant species could establish themselves in the Iberian Peninsula. Species distribution models were used to predict the potential invasion risk of (1) non-native aquatic plant species already established in the peninsula (32 species) and (2) those with the potential to invade the peninsula (40 species). The results revealed that the Iberian Peninsula contains a number of areas capable of hosting non-native aquatic plant species. Areas under anthropogenic pressure are at the greatest risk of invasion, and the variable most related to invasion risk is temperature. The results of this work were used to create the Invasion Risk Atlas for Alien Aquatic Plants in the Iberian Peninsula, a novel online resource that provides information about the potential distribution of non-native aquatic plant species. The atlas and this article are intended to serve as reference tools for the development of public policies, management regimes, and control strategies aimed at the prevention, mitigation, and eradication of non-native aquatic plant species.