Explaining the Geographic Pattern of Plant Invasion in 67 Nature Reserves in China
Biological invasion is a serious threat to biodiversity and ecosystem function in nature reserves. However, the knowledge of the spatial patterns and underlying mechanisms of plant invasions in nature reserves is still limited. Based on a recent dataset on both invasive and native plants in 67 natur...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.655313/full |
| _version_ | 1819292175324676096 |
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| author | Shengbin Chen Zhiyang Chen Wenjie Huang Changliang Shao Lingfeng Mao Johan Willem Frederik Slik |
| author_facet | Shengbin Chen Zhiyang Chen Wenjie Huang Changliang Shao Lingfeng Mao Johan Willem Frederik Slik |
| author_sort | Shengbin Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Biological invasion is a serious threat to biodiversity and ecosystem function in nature reserves. However, the knowledge of the spatial patterns and underlying mechanisms of plant invasions in nature reserves is still limited. Based on a recent dataset on both invasive and native plants in 67 nature reserves of China, we used correlation, regression, and variation partitioning methods to statistically assess the relative roles of the “human activity,” “biotic acceptance,” and “environmental heterogeneity” hypotheses in explaining the geographic pattern of plant invasion. A total of 235 invasive plant species were compiled from 67 nature reserves. The high explanatory power of the human activity variables supported the human activity hypothesis. The biotic acceptance hypothesis was weakly supported since no significant correlations between climatic variables and invasion levels were found when the effects of the other factors were controlled. The environmental heterogeneity hypothesis was partially supported, since the number of native plants, representing environmental heterogeneity at fine-scale explained remarkable proportion of spatial variance of invasive plants but not that of the proportion of invasive plants. We predict that nature reserves with high plant diversity affected by rapid economic development and increasing temperature will face a serious threat of exotic plant invasion. In conclusion, our results provide crucial clues for understanding geographic variance of plant invasion in China’s nature reserves and spatial risk assessment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-24T03:50:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-141da6ed48fe4a6e8c03e36697931aa6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-24T03:50:21Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-141da6ed48fe4a6e8c03e36697931aa62022-12-21T17:16:35ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2021-09-01910.3389/fevo.2021.655313655313Explaining the Geographic Pattern of Plant Invasion in 67 Nature Reserves in ChinaShengbin Chen0Zhiyang Chen1Wenjie Huang2Changliang Shao3Lingfeng Mao4Johan Willem Frederik Slik5College of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, ChinaCollege of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, ChinaCollege of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, ChinaInstitute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAS), Beijing, ChinaCo-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, ChinaEnvironmental and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Gadong, BruneiBiological invasion is a serious threat to biodiversity and ecosystem function in nature reserves. However, the knowledge of the spatial patterns and underlying mechanisms of plant invasions in nature reserves is still limited. Based on a recent dataset on both invasive and native plants in 67 nature reserves of China, we used correlation, regression, and variation partitioning methods to statistically assess the relative roles of the “human activity,” “biotic acceptance,” and “environmental heterogeneity” hypotheses in explaining the geographic pattern of plant invasion. A total of 235 invasive plant species were compiled from 67 nature reserves. The high explanatory power of the human activity variables supported the human activity hypothesis. The biotic acceptance hypothesis was weakly supported since no significant correlations between climatic variables and invasion levels were found when the effects of the other factors were controlled. The environmental heterogeneity hypothesis was partially supported, since the number of native plants, representing environmental heterogeneity at fine-scale explained remarkable proportion of spatial variance of invasive plants but not that of the proportion of invasive plants. We predict that nature reserves with high plant diversity affected by rapid economic development and increasing temperature will face a serious threat of exotic plant invasion. In conclusion, our results provide crucial clues for understanding geographic variance of plant invasion in China’s nature reserves and spatial risk assessment.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.655313/fullalien speciesprotected areashuman activitybiotic acceptancehabitat heterogeneityclimate change |
| spellingShingle | Shengbin Chen Zhiyang Chen Wenjie Huang Changliang Shao Lingfeng Mao Johan Willem Frederik Slik Explaining the Geographic Pattern of Plant Invasion in 67 Nature Reserves in China Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution alien species protected areas human activity biotic acceptance habitat heterogeneity climate change |
| title | Explaining the Geographic Pattern of Plant Invasion in 67 Nature Reserves in China |
| title_full | Explaining the Geographic Pattern of Plant Invasion in 67 Nature Reserves in China |
| title_fullStr | Explaining the Geographic Pattern of Plant Invasion in 67 Nature Reserves in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Explaining the Geographic Pattern of Plant Invasion in 67 Nature Reserves in China |
| title_short | Explaining the Geographic Pattern of Plant Invasion in 67 Nature Reserves in China |
| title_sort | explaining the geographic pattern of plant invasion in 67 nature reserves in china |
| topic | alien species protected areas human activity biotic acceptance habitat heterogeneity climate change |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.655313/full |
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