Altitudinal distribution of alien plant species in the Swiss Alps

Becker, Thomas; Dietz, Hansjörg; Billeter, Regula; Buschmann, Holger; Edwards, Peter J.

doi:10.1016/j.ppees.2005.09.006

Cited by 192 publications

(193 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Both groups of aliens, archaeophytes and neophytes, were concentrated at lower altitudes, which is consistent with the general decrease in the proportion of alien species with altitude that has been reported in several Central European studies (Pyšek et al 2002a;Becker et al 2005;Chytrý et al 2008Chytrý et al , 2009Simonová & Lososová 2008). In addition, archaeophytes were particularly common in areas with a high proportion of arable land, reflecting the fact that a large proportion of agricultural weeds in Central Europe are archaeophytes Pyšek et al 2005;Sádlo et al 2007;Lososová & Grulich Floristic diversity patterns in the White Carpathians Biosphere Reserve 273 2009).…”

Section: Species Richnesssupporting

confidence: 89%

Floristic diversity patterns in the White Carpathians biosphere reserve, Czech Republic

et al. 2011

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The flora of the White Carpathians, a mountain range in the south-east of the Czech Republic, is documented by about 485,000 records of vascular plant occurrences collected since the mid-19 th century. A total of 1299 species recorded in 93 grid cells of 2.8 × 3.1 km were used for an analysis of spatial patterns of floristic diversity in the White Carpathians. Multivariate statistical techniques such as ordination and classification were used to reveal the main gradients in floristic composition and species richness, and measured environmental data and Ellenberg indicator values were used to assess underlying environmental factors. There is a striking floristic contrast between the western and eastern part of the study area, which is associated with differences in climate, mean altitude, topographic heterogeneity measured as altitudinal range, and land use. The western part is characterised by thermophilous, continental and calcicolous species of open habitats. In contrast, the more forested eastern part along the state border with Slovakia and the north-eastern part of the area are characterised by acidophilous species with higher moisture requirements. This pattern is consistent with the established phytogeographical division of the Czech Republic into the phytogeographical regions of Thermophyticum and Mesophyticum. The further division of the area into four regions, based on classified grid data, is also similar to the current division into phytogeographical districts, except for the Javorníky district. There are two distinct hot spots of species richness, in the western and the extreme north-eastern part. A poorer flora was found in landscapes with intensive agriculture. Species richness is associated with different environmental factors than species composition, namely with soil types and land-use categories. Alien species are more common in areas with a higher incidence of arable land and built-up areas, and less common in areas dominated by grasslands and forests.

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Section: Species Richnesssupporting

confidence: 89%

Floristic diversity patterns in the White Carpathians biosphere reserve, Czech Republic

et al. 2011

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“…Similarly, in our study we can assume that the higher β Roads values are the result of the spatial distribution of the introduction routes in the area, where different locations are physically connected to lowland areas by the network of streets and urban settlements. On the other side, dispersal between high-elevation and different faced slopes of the island are expected to be less likely associated with impervious physical barriers and climatic constrains (Becker et al 2005). …”

Section: Spatial Components Of Plant Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Distributional patterns of endemic, native and alien species along a roadside elevation gradient in Tenerife, Canary Islands

et al. 2015

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Abstract:Invasion by alien plant species may be rapid and aggressive, causing erosion of local biodiversity. This is particularly true for islands, where natural and anthropogenic corridors promote the rapid spread of invasive plants. Although evidence shows that corridors may facilitate plant invasions, the question of how their importance in the spread of alien species varies along environmental gradients deserves more attention. Here, we addressed this issue by examining diversity patterns (species richness of endemic, native and alien species) along and across roads, along an elevation gradient from sea-level up to 2050 m a.s.l. in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain), at multiple spatial scales. Species richness was assessed using a multi-scale sampling design consisting of 59 T-transects of 150 m × 2 m, along three major roads each placed over the whole elevation gradient. Each transect was composed of three sections of five plots each: Section 1 was located on the road edges, Section 2 at intermediate distance, and Section 3 far from the road edge, the latter representing the "native community" less affected by road-specific disturbance. The effect of elevation and distance from roadsides was evaluated for the three groups of species (endemic, native and alien species), using parametric and non-parametric regression analyses as well as additive diversity partitioning. Differences among roads explained the majority of the variation in alien species richness and composition. Patterns in alien species richness were also affected by elevation, with a decline in richness with increasing elevation and no alien species recorded at high elevations. Elevation was the most important factor determining patterns in endemic and native species. These findings confirm that climate filtering reflected in varying patterns along elevational gradients is an important determinant of the richness of alien species (which are not adapted to high elevations), while anthropogenic pressures may explain the richness of alien species at low elevation.

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“…An increase in exotic richness and ascending upper elevational limits might thus be attributed to recently introduced species still expanding their distributional ranges (Becker et al 2005). While the rapid increase in upper elevational limit of some species is a strong indicator that these species 18 Kalwij, J.M.…”

Section: Residence Timementioning

confidence: 99%

“…For exotic species, however, this assumption does not hold since many are still in the process of colonizing their potential niche (Wilson et al 2007). In addition, the rate at which a potential niche becomes occupied depends on a range of indirectly measured or reconstructed variables, such as residence time and propagule pressure (Becker et al 2005;Pyšek et al 2010;Pyšek et al 2011;le Roux et al 2013). Species distribution data therefore need to be sufficiently detailed to detect spatio-temporal trends (Pauchard et al 2009;Walther et al 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Annual monitoring reveals rapid upward movement of exotic plants in a montane ecosystem

2015

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There is increasing evidence that invasive species are threating montane ecosystems globally.However, trends in species distribution are difficult to observe directly due to a lack of data with suitable spatio-temporal resolution. Here, we aimed to detect spatio-temporal trends in exotic 1 Kalwij, J.M. et al.plants in a montane ecosystem, and to determine which drivers had a role affecting these trends.Each year, for a period of seven years, we recorded the upper elevational range limit of exotic plant species in road verges along an elevational gradient of 1,500-2,874 m a.s.l. in southern Africa. We fitted repeated-measures ANOVA models to test if upper elevational range limits changed over time. Generalized least squares models showed that exotic richness of annuals increased by 3.9 species per year. Also, the upper elevational range limits of established exotics ascended by 24.5 m/y for annuals (N = 17 species), and by 9.7 m/y for perennials (N = 26).These upward trends were too rapid to be explained by slow-acting drivers such as climatic

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Altitudinal distribution of alien plant species in the Swiss Alps

Cited by 192 publications

References 29 publications

Floristic diversity patterns in the White Carpathians biosphere reserve, Czech Republic

Floristic diversity patterns in the White Carpathians biosphere reserve, Czech Republic

Distributional patterns of endemic, native and alien species along a roadside elevation gradient in Tenerife, Canary Islands

Annual monitoring reveals rapid upward movement of exotic plants in a montane ecosystem

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