Work

Plant Species Richness and Invasional Meltdown in Different Parts of Acer negundo L. Secondary Range

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: To understand the alien plant invasion patterns, it is important to know if their consequences are equal in different regions, particularly in different parts of the secondary range. In this article, we estimated plant species richness in communities invaded by the North American tree Acer negundo L. in two remote regions: the Belarusian Polesia and the Middle Urals. We tested three hypotheses about: (1) decreased plant species richness in communities invaded by A. negundo; (2) presence of alien species in invaded communities—invasional meltdown hypothesis; and (3) different alien plant species richness in communities of different regions. In each region, 24 sample plots of 400 m2 were described: 12 invaded and 12 non-invaded by A. negundo. The species richness of invaded plots decreased: total richness decreased by 21%–43%; the richness of herbaceous plants decreased by 24%–43%; and woody richness decreased by 8%–44%. The proportion of alien herbs in plots invaded by A. negundo increased by 35%. This is the first, although not exhaustive, confirmation of the invasional meltdown hypothesis for communities invaded by A. negundo. Alien herbs increasingly invaded communities of the Belarusian Polesia, alien trees—communities of the Middle Urals. Thus, regional geographical and floristic conditions should be considered when assessing the invasion consequences.

Source: Forests

DOI: 10.3390/f14112118

Authors: Denis I. Dubrovin, Denis V. Veselkin, Andrei P. Gusev

Institutions: Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Francisk Skorina Gomel State University

Language: English

Topic: Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies

Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Life on land

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,224