Mapping the Distribution and Dispersal Risks of the Alien Invasive Plant Ageratina adenophora in China

Abstract

Identifying the distribution dynamics of invasive alien species can help in the early detection of and rapid response to these invasive species in newly invaded sites. Ageratina adenophora, a worldwide invasive plant, has spread rapidly since its invasion in China in the 1940s, causing serious damage to the local socioeconomic and ecological environment. To better control the spread of this invasive plant, we used the MaxEnt model and ArcGIS based on field survey data and online databases to simulate and predict the spatial and temporal distribution patterns and risk areas for the spread of this species in China, and thus examined the key factors responsible for this weed’s spread. The results showed that the risk areas for the invasion of A. adenophora in the current period were 18.394° N–33.653° N and 91.099° E–121.756° E, mainly in the tropical and subtropical regions of China, and densely distributed along rivers and well-developed roads. The high-risk areas are mainly located in the basins of the Lancang, Jinsha, Yalong, and Anning Rivers. With global climate change, the trend of continued invasion of A. adenophora is more evident, with further expansion of the dispersal zone towards the northeast and coastal areas in all climatic scenarios, and a slight contraction in the Yunnan–Guizhou plateau. Temperature, precipitation, altitude, and human activity are key factors in shaping the distribution pattern of A. adenophora. This weed prefers to grow in warm and precipitation-rich environments such as plains, hills, and mountains; in addition, increasing human activities provide more opportunities for its invasion, and well-developed water systems and roads can facilitate its spread. Measures should be taken to prevent its spread into these risk areas.

Assessing risk from invasive alien plants in China: Reconstructing invasion history and estimating distribution patterns of Lolium temulentum and Aegilops tauschii

“…The potential geographical distribution of some invasive plants will shrink, whereas others will expand with climate change ( Tu et al., 2021 ; Zhang et al., 2021b ). The suitable areas of Ageratina adenophora in China would decrease under the 2050s, whereas increased in the 2090s ( Zhang et al., 2022 ). In this study, the total trend in suitable areas for L. temulentum increased from the current climate to future scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, and SSP5-8.5) in the 2030s and 2050s.…”

Oreonectes damingshanensis (Cypriniformes, Nemacheilidae), a new species of stream fish from Guangxi, Southwest China

“… platycephalus was originally described from specimens collected from small streams near the top of Hong Kong Mountains, the type locality ( Günther 1868 ), and it has been extensively recorded from various tributary areas of the Pearl River Basin (the Luofu Mountains, the Baiyun Mountains and eastern Guangdong, and Jinxiu, Rong’an, and Zhaoping counties in Guangxi), including areas in northern Vietnam (Fig. 1 ) ( Zhu 1989 ; Kottelat 2001 ; Zhang et al 2016 ). The wide geographical distribution, morphological similarity, and classification based on morphological characteristics of species from the same basin may lead to different geographical populations of the species being identified as a single species, resulting in an underestimation of species diversity.…”

The Study of Exotic and Invasive Plant Species in Gullele Botanic Garden, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

“…In contrast to this, the least exotic, invasive and potentially invasive species abundance, density and diversity was recorded in the natural forest. The least exposure to humans and livestock in the natural forest might contribute to having a least exotic, invasive and potentially invasive species [2,32,33].…”