Clonal alien plants in the mountains spread upward more extensively and faster than non-clonal

By

Zhong hua jiao yu wen hua ji jin dong shi hui bian yi wei yuan hui 中华教育文化基金董事会编译委员会
Pyšek, Petr
Guo, Kun
Hasigerili, Hasigerili
Guo, Wenyong

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2024

Original Publication

NeoBiota : advancing research on alien species and biological invasions

Volume

91

Pages

29--48

Subjects

alien plant species , clonal trait , elevation range , human activities , invasion speed , mountain invasions

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sophia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.91.115675

 

Abstract

Alien species are colonizing mountain ecosystems and increasing their elevation ranges in response to ongoing climate change and anthropogenic disturbances, posing increasing threats to native species. However, how quickly alien species spread upward and what drives their invasion remains insufficiently understood. Here, using 26,952 occurrence records of 58 alien plant species collected over two centuries in the Czech Republic, we explored the elevation range and invasion speed of each alien species and the underlying factors driving these variables. We collected species traits relevant for invasion (e.g., clonality, flowering time, life span, invasion status, height, mycorrhizal type, native range, naturalized range, monoploid genome size, and Ellenberg-type indicator values for light, temperature, and nitrogen), human-associated factors (e.g., introduction pathways and the sum of economic use types), and minimum residence time. We explored the relationships between these factors and species’ elevation range and invasion speed using phylogenetic regressions. Our results showed that 58 alien species have been expanding upward along mountain elevations in the Czech Republic over the past two centuries. A stronger effect of species’ traits than human-associated factors has been revealed, e.g., clonality was a key trait supporting the invasion of alien species into the mountains, while human-associated factors showed no effect. Our findings highlight that the characteristics associated with rapid reproduction and spread are crucial for alien species’ invasion into montane regions. Identifying key drivers of this process is important for predicting the spatiotemporal dynamics of alien species in high-altitude ecosystems and thus employing apposite measures to reduce the threat to native plant species.