Habitat invasion research: where vegetation science and invasion ecology meet

Abstract

In the last decade, habitat-oriented studies of plant invasions, performed at broad scales and using large data sets of vegetation plots, have focused on quantifying the representation of alien species in vegetation or habitat types, identifying factors underlying invasions, and exploring the pools of species available for invasion into particular habitats. In this essay we summarize what we have learned, discuss constraints associated with this kind of data and outline promising research topics to which a macroecological perspective of habitat invasions can contribute. Such topics include, among others: integrating species-specific information on invasion status, residence time in the region, biological and ecological traits and phylogenetic relationships into habitat invasion research to better capture the context-dependence of invasions; focusing on the functional role that alien species, relative to natives, play in plant communities; and obtaining insights into the role of pre-adaptation for invasion by comparing the functional composition of habitat species pools in the native range. There is still a strong geographic bias, with detailed assessments across broader ranges of habitat types in large regions available only from Europe, the United States and New Zealand, which call for extension of this research to other continents.Dedicated to the memory of our dear friend and collaborator Vojt ech Jaro s ık .

Native‐range habitats of invasive plants: are they similar to invaded‐range habitats and do they differ according to the geographical direction of invasion?

“…Recent studies have demonstrated that habitat characteristics play an important role in determining the patterns of invasions by alien plant species (Catford et al, 2012;Py sek & Chytr y, 2014). However, habitats in the invaded ranges have been the main focus of research so far (Stohlgren et al, 1999(Stohlgren et al, , 2006Chytr y et al, 2005Chytr y et al, , 2008bVil a et al, 2007;Affre et al, 2010;Py sek et al, 2010aPy sek et al, , 2012, including studies of their invasibility versus actual level of invasion (Chytr y et al, 2008a,b).…”

Non-random co-occurrence of native and exotic plant species in Mediterranean grasslands

“…In ecology, community assembly constitutes a relevant issue from the theoretical and applied points of view (Young et al, 2001;Hillebrand and Matthiessen, 2009;HilleRisLambers et al, 2012;Py sek and Chytrý, 2014). Most studies on species co-occurrence have focussed upon the importance of different ecological factors acting on the species present in a given region such as dispersal, abiotic filters and biotic interactions (Chase, 2003;Diamond, 1975;G€ otzenberger et al, 2011;Casado et al, 2015).…”

Alien plant invasions in European woodlands

“…In the last two decades, scientists have used vegetation survey data and plant species lists to compare the levels of alien plant invasion across habitats in Europe, for example in Catalonia (Vilà, Pino, & Font, 2007), Basque Country (Campos, Biurrun, García-Mijangos, Loidi, & Herrera, 2013), Czech Republic (Chytrý, Pyšek, Tichý, Knollová, & Danihelka, 2005) and Slovakia (Medvecká, Jarolímek, Senko, & Svitok, 2014) (see also review by Pyšek & Chytrý, 2014). While not a surrogate of invasibility per se (see Chytrý, Jarošik et al, 2008;Lonsdale, 1999;Richardson & Pyšek, 2006), the levels of alien plant invasion can point to mechanisms underlying plant invasions, particularly if levels are similar in corresponding habitats across regions.…”