Distribution and pathways of introduction of invasive alien plant species in Romania

By

Sirbu, Culita
Miu, Iulia
Gavrilidis, Athanasios Alexandru
Gradinaru, Simona
Niculae, Iulian Mihaita
Preda, Cristina
Oprea, Adrian
Urziceanu, Mihaela
Camen-Comanescu, Petronela
Nagoda, Eugenia
Sîrbu, Ioana-Minodora
Memedemin, Daniyar
Anastasiu, Paulina

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2022

Original Publication

NeoBiota : advancing research on alien species and biological invasions

Volume

75

Pages

1--21

Subjects

Hotspot analysis , introduction pathways , national database , occurrence records , plant invasion , species richness

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sophia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.75.84684

 

Abstract

Biological invasions are one of the main drivers of modern human-induced species losses. Research on the distribution of alien species and their pathways of introduction is essential for understanding and tackling the invasion process. A comprehensive overview on invasive alien plant (IAP) species in Romania is lacking. With this paper, we aim to contribute to filling this gap and to provide a visualization of national patterns regarding plant species invasions, geographical origins and pathways of introductions. Based on plant species occurrence records in the published literature and herbaria we compiled a national database of 102 invasive and potentially invasive alien plant species. We georeferenced 42776 IAP species occurrences and performed an analysis of their spatial patterns. The spatial analyses revealed a biased sampling, with clear hotspots of increased sampling efforts around urban areas. We used chord diagrams to visualize the pathway of introduction and geographical origins of the IAP species, which revealed that species in Romania originate mainly in North and Central America, while the dominant pathway of plant introduction was horticulture. Our results provide an important baseline in drafting management and action plans, as invasive alien plant species represent a priority for the European Union through the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and a good starting point for various analyses as the database is further developed and regularly updated.