Invasive alien plants in Sergipe, north-eastern Brazil

Abstract

Biological invasions are considered one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity. In addition, they cause substantial economic impacts. However, studies about the subject in Brazil are still scarce. The aim of the present study was to prepare an inventory of non-native flora with invasive potential from Sergipe, Brazil. The inventory was carried out along the entire length of the sites. The species with potential invaders were grouped according to the biome/ecosystem and classified according to their habit and origin. Eighty-five species with invasive potential were sampled, 43 in the Caatinga, 75 in the Atlantic Forest, 36 in Sandbank and 22 in Mangrove. From these species, 17 were inventoried in all the biomes/ecosystems and 36 were observed in only one of them, six in the Caatinga, 27 in the Atlantic Forest and three in Sandbank. The number of potentially-invasive species sampled in Sergipe is alarming. The present study showed nearly twice the species listed by other authors for the entire northeast Brazil. This high number of taxa may be a consequence of facilitating the transfer of these species and the conservation conditions of the ecosystems studied in Sergipe. Another very worrying factor is that many of the species sampled are extremely aggressive and cause a series of impacts.

The Genus Kalanchoe (Crassulaceae) in Ecuador: From Gardens to the Wild

“…2700 m a.s.l.). This species has been reported as an alien species in the wild in Atlantic Forest in Sergipe (north-eastern Brazil; [69]) and in Honduras [70], and as naturalized in the locality of Cabo Cruz in Cuba [35]. We report a record of K. gastonis-bonnieri as naturalized in the Galapagos Islands (Isabela Island, near sea level); however, we could not find reliable information about the invasive potential of this species in South America in the literature, so we are reporting for the first time this species for this continent; it is, however, showing signs of escaping in other parts of the world, including Australia (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/43488774; accessed on 22 April 2022), Hong Kong of China (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/28761346; accessed on 22 April 2022), Puerto Rico (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/103269505; accessed on 22 April 2022), and Spain [71].…”