The Upper Range Limit of Alien Plants Is Not in Equilibrium with Climate in the Andes of Central Chile
Alien plant species are colonizing high-elevation areas along roadsides. In this study, we evaluated whether the distributions of alien plants in the central Chilean mountains have reached climatic equilibrium (i.e., upper distribution limits consistent with their climatic requirements). First, we e...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/18/2345 |
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| author | Estefany Goncalves Ileana Herrera Jake Alexander Milen Duarte Lohengrin A. Cavieres Luis Morales-Salinas Ramiro O. Bustamante |
| author_facet | Estefany Goncalves Ileana Herrera Jake Alexander Milen Duarte Lohengrin A. Cavieres Luis Morales-Salinas Ramiro O. Bustamante |
| author_sort | Estefany Goncalves |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Alien plant species are colonizing high-elevation areas along roadsides. In this study, we evaluated whether the distributions of alien plants in the central Chilean mountains have reached climatic equilibrium (i.e., upper distribution limits consistent with their climatic requirements). First, we evaluated whether the upper elevational limits of alien plants changed between 2008 and 2018 based on the Mountain Invasion Research Network (MIREN) database. Second, we compared the observed upper elevational limits with the upper limits predicted by each species’ global climatic niche. On average across species, the upper elevation limit did not change between 2008 and 2018. However, most species maintained the same limit or shifted downward, while only 23% of the species shifted upwards. This lack of change does not mean that the species’ distributions are in equilibrium with the climate, because the observed upper limit was lower than the limit predicted by the global niche model for 87% of species. Our results suggest that alien species in this study region may not only be climate-limited, but could also be limited by other local-scale factors, such as seed dispersal, intermittent disturbance rates, soil type and biotic interactions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:47:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-007957ca2c924d8683589fac69dc2cec |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:47:01Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-007957ca2c924d8683589fac69dc2cec2023-11-23T18:26:14ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472022-09-011118234510.3390/plants11182345The Upper Range Limit of Alien Plants Is Not in Equilibrium with Climate in the Andes of Central ChileEstefany Goncalves0Ileana Herrera1Jake Alexander2Milen Duarte3Lohengrin A. Cavieres4Luis Morales-Salinas5Ramiro O. Bustamante6Laboratorio de Ecología Geográfica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 7800003, ChileEscuela de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondón 092301, EcuadorInstitute of Integrative Biology, ETH, 8092 Zurich, SwitzerlandInstituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB), Barrio Universitario, Concepción 7800003, ChileInstituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB), Barrio Universitario, Concepción 7800003, ChileLaboratory for Research in Environmental Sciencies (LARES), Facultad de Ciencias Agronomicas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8820000, ChileLaboratorio de Ecología Geográfica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 7800003, ChileAlien plant species are colonizing high-elevation areas along roadsides. In this study, we evaluated whether the distributions of alien plants in the central Chilean mountains have reached climatic equilibrium (i.e., upper distribution limits consistent with their climatic requirements). First, we evaluated whether the upper elevational limits of alien plants changed between 2008 and 2018 based on the Mountain Invasion Research Network (MIREN) database. Second, we compared the observed upper elevational limits with the upper limits predicted by each species’ global climatic niche. On average across species, the upper elevation limit did not change between 2008 and 2018. However, most species maintained the same limit or shifted downward, while only 23% of the species shifted upwards. This lack of change does not mean that the species’ distributions are in equilibrium with the climate, because the observed upper limit was lower than the limit predicted by the global niche model for 87% of species. Our results suggest that alien species in this study region may not only be climate-limited, but could also be limited by other local-scale factors, such as seed dispersal, intermittent disturbance rates, soil type and biotic interactions.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/18/2345Andean mountainsbiological invasionsclimatic nicheelevationelevational limitroadsides |
| spellingShingle | Estefany Goncalves Ileana Herrera Jake Alexander Milen Duarte Lohengrin A. Cavieres Luis Morales-Salinas Ramiro O. Bustamante The Upper Range Limit of Alien Plants Is Not in Equilibrium with Climate in the Andes of Central Chile Plants Andean mountains biological invasions climatic niche elevation elevational limit roadsides |
| title | The Upper Range Limit of Alien Plants Is Not in Equilibrium with Climate in the Andes of Central Chile |
| title_full | The Upper Range Limit of Alien Plants Is Not in Equilibrium with Climate in the Andes of Central Chile |
| title_fullStr | The Upper Range Limit of Alien Plants Is Not in Equilibrium with Climate in the Andes of Central Chile |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Upper Range Limit of Alien Plants Is Not in Equilibrium with Climate in the Andes of Central Chile |
| title_short | The Upper Range Limit of Alien Plants Is Not in Equilibrium with Climate in the Andes of Central Chile |
| title_sort | upper range limit of alien plants is not in equilibrium with climate in the andes of central chile |
| topic | Andean mountains biological invasions climatic niche elevation elevational limit roadsides |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/18/2345 |
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