Environmental and anthropogenic determinants of the spread of alien plant species: insights from South Africa’s quaternary catchments

A global assessment of terrestrial alien ferns (Polypodiophyta): species’ traits as drivers of naturalisation and invasion

“…Disturbance, especially those caused by human activities (e.g. landslides, cliffs, roads and railways, fire regimes, and plantations) commonly promotes the spread and proliferation of invasive plants and generally reduces resistance to invasion by intact native communities (Richardson et al 2011;Baard and Kraaij 2014;Terzano et al 2018;Hobbs and Huenneke 1992). In our study disturbance facilitated the transition from naturalised to invasive in alien fern species, similarly Robinson et al (2010) and Walker and Sharpe (2010) found that disturbance promoted invasive behaviour in alien ferns by increasing growth and subsequent regeneration.…”

The Role of Environmental Factors in Promoting and Limiting Biological Invasions in South Africa

“…The impact of land use on invasions is context-dependent and changes across spatial and temporal scales depending on regional climatic, habitat, and local disturbance factors (Cabra-Rivas et al 2016;Gonzalez-Moreno et al 2014;Walker et al 2017). At large spatial scales environmental factors, especially climate, seem most important (Terzano et al 2018), while at landscape or habitat scales, local landuse practices also influence the establishment and spread of alien species (Thuiller et al 2006). Examining plant invasions in South Africa, Rouget and Richardson (2003) found that there is a stronger response to environmental factors at large spatial scales.…”

Invasiones en montañas: ¿Cuánto hemos avanzado en los últimos 10 años y cuáles son los desafíos para los ecosistemas de los Andes?

“…La creación de modelos híbridos que incluyan tanto variables de cambio climático como variables antrópicas sería imprescindible para evaluar la potencialidad de las especies exóticas a establecerse en zonas de mayor altitud. Metodologías como las realizadas en especies exóticas en África que incluyen variables ambientales e índices de huella humana podrían aplicarse a especies que invaden los ecosistemas de baja elevación en los Andes y evaluar su potencialidad de dispersarse hacia zonas de mayor elevación (Terzano et al 2018).…”