Mountain roads and non‐native species modify elevational patterns of plant diversity

Haider, Sylvia; Kueffer, Christoph; Bruelheide, Helge; Seipel, Tim; Alexander, Jake M.; Rew, Lisa J.; Arévalo, J. R.; Cavieres, Lohengrin A.; McDougall, Keith L.; Milbau, Ann; Naylor, Bridgett J.; Speziale, Karina L.; Pauchard, Aníbal

doi:10.1111/geb.12727

Cited by 81 publications

(111 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…The non‐significant pattern recorded for natives is probably due to the truncated elevation gradient of this study (c. 1,200 m), which was too short to capture the hump‐shaped elevational pattern of native plants often found in studies that included wider gradients (Marini et al, ; Guo et al, ). As expected from previous studies (Pauchard et al, ; Seipel, Alexander, Edwards, & Kueffer, ; Haider et al, ), we found a strong negative relationship between the number of exotics and elevation. This pattern may be explained by a combination of two factors: (a) higher propagule pressure in the lowlands, and (b) temperature constraints at higher elevations (Becker et al, ; Alexander et al, ;).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…First, the absence of exotic species in disturbed sites at high elevations may be due to the small scale at which the disturbance was performed (1 m 2 ). Studies encompassing a larger spatial scale have found that exotic species are frequent at high elevations also, especially when the disturbance was severe (Haider et al, ). Additionally, our study observed establishment dynamics within one year, and therefore we were not able to detect long‐term changes in the community.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…subsequently facilitate exotic invasions along elevation gradients by acting as corridors for dispersal, and being reservoirs of exotic propagules (Parendes & Jones, 2000;Pauchard et al, 2009;Dainese et al, 2017;Lembrechts et al, 2017;Sandoya, Pauchard, & Cavieres, 2017;Haider et al, 2018). Exotic species often originate from warm, lowland regions, and are therefore expected to have a restricted elevational range in the invaded temperate mountain areas (Pyšek, Sádlo, Mandák, & Jarošík, 2003).…”

Section: Corcos Et Almentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most exotic plants have been introduced in the lowlands, where human settlements are concentrated and exotic propagule pressure is greatest (Marini, Gaston, Prosser, & Hulme, ; Alexander et al, ; Marini et al, ; Dainese, Kühn, & Bragazza, ). Mountain roads subsequently facilitate exotic invasions along elevation gradients by acting as corridors for dispersal, and being reservoirs of exotic propagules (Parendes & Jones, ; Pauchard et al, ; Dainese et al, ; Lembrechts et al, ; Sandoya, Pauchard, & Cavieres, ; Haider et al, ). Exotic species often originate from warm, lowland regions, and are therefore expected to have a restricted elevational range in the invaded temperate mountain areas (Pyšek, Sádlo, Mandák, & Jarošík, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Soil disturbance plays an important role in determining site invasibility (Chytrý et al, ; Boscutti, Sigura, Simone, & Marini, ; Seipel, Rew, Taylor, Maxwell, & Lehnhoff, ), and, independently of temperature, disturbed areas are more prone to establishment of exotic species than natural habitats (Parendes & Jones, ; Lembrechts et al, ; Sandoya et al, ; Haider et al, ). Soil disturbance facilitates plant invasions by providing colonization opportunities that allow the establishment of exotic species by seeds (Latzel, Mihulka, & Klimešová, ; Milbau, Shevtsova, Osler, Mooshammer, & Graae, ; McDougall et al, ; Seipel et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Establishment dynamics of native and exotic plants after disturbance along roadsides

Corcos

Nascimbene

Campesan

et al. 2020

Applied Vegetation Science

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Questions How does small‐scale soil disturbance influence establishment dynamics of native and exotic species along roadsides? Does soil disturbance provide potential opportunities to exotic invasions along elevational gradients? Does the established plant community after disturbance reflect the surrounding vegetation? Location Prealps, Italy. Methods To disentangle the role of elevation and soil disturbance in promoting exotic invasions, we performed a manipulative experiment along 12 roads spanning an elevational gradient of ca. 1,200 m. Additionally, we sampled species richness of native and exotic plants in the surroundings of the experimental plots. Results Soil disturbance reduced species richness of native plants, total plant biomass and vegetation cover compared to the undisturbed plots. The decrease in species richness of natives and plant biomass was stronger at higher than lower elevations, suggesting higher colonization opportunities for exotics. However, exotic species richness did not increase with disturbance, probably due to a low propagule and colonization pressure. We observed strong species replacement between control and disturbed plots, indicating that plant communities established after disturbance were not a subset of species communities already occurring in the surrounding vegetation. Conclusions With increasing elevation, disturbance had a stronger negative effect on native than on exotic species. Higher elevations, hitherto considered to have low invasibility, may provide new potential colonization opportunities for exotics but only if disturbance is coupled with an increased propagule pressure. Disturbance along roadsides promoted the establishment of species that did not occur in the surrounding vegetation.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Corcos Et Almentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Establishment dynamics of native and exotic plants after disturbance along roadsides

Corcos

Nascimbene

Campesan

et al. 2020

Applied Vegetation Science

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Subtle changes in plant diversity in the Bavarian Alps over the past eight decades

Zettlemoyer,

Munck,

Poschlod

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Historical resurveys represent a unique opportunity to analyze vegetation dynamics over longer timescales than is typically achievable. Leveraging the oldest historical dataset of vegetation change in the Bavarian Alps, Germany, we address how environmental conditions, vegetation composition, and functional diversity in the calcareous grasslands of the Schachen region have changed across different elevational ranges over an 83‐year timeframe. We document changes in regional average temperature and precipitation. We use indicator values (IV) for species' ecological preferences and their palatability to grazers to infer local conditions (temperature, soil moisture/fertility, and grazing regime). We further estimate changes in temporal beta‐diversity and functional trait community composition between historical (1936) and contemporary (2019) surveys in two elevational (subalpine and alpine) belts. Both subalpine and alpine sites became drier; subalpine sites also became warmer with more palatable plants. Species occurrence and abundance in the Schachen region has not changed substantially over time despite changing macroclimate and local environmental conditions under anthropogenic change. Yet these grasslands have experienced several “invisible” changes in functional composition over the past 80 years. As the Schachen has become drier, species with traits related to drought tolerance and animal‐based dispersal have increased in dominance. Specifically, in alpine sites, community‐weighted means revealed that with low fecundity, higher potential for endo‐ and epizoochory (seed dispersal via animal gut and fur, respectively), higher foliar frost tolerance, and deeper dormancy increased in dominance. Similar trends were found for increasing dominance of low fecundity, epizoochorous species in subalpine sites. Vegetation data from resurveying historical plots in combination with changes in local conditions, classic biodiversity indices, and functional trait indices can provide more holistic insights into changes in the environment and potential impacts of those environmental changes on long‐term plant community and functional diversity.

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Think globally, measure locally: The MIREN standardized protocol for monitoring plant species distributions along elevation gradients

Haider

Lembrechts

McDougall

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Climate change and other global change drivers threaten plant diversity in mountains worldwide. A widely documented response to such environmental modifications is for plant species to change their elevational ranges. Range shifts are often idiosyncratic and difficult to generalize, partly due to variation in sampling methods. There is thus a need for a standardized monitoring strategy that can be applied across mountain regions to assess distribution changes and community turnover of native and non‐native plant species over space and time. Here, we present a conceptually intuitive and standardized protocol developed by the Mountain Invasion Research Network (MIREN) to systematically quantify global patterns of native and non‐native species distributions along elevation gradients and shifts arising from interactive effects of climate change and human disturbance. Usually repeated every five years, surveys consist of 20 sample sites located at equal elevation increments along three replicate roads per sampling region. At each site, three plots extend from the side of a mountain road into surrounding natural vegetation. The protocol has been successfully used in 18 regions worldwide from 2007 to present. Analyses of one point in time already generated some salient results, and revealed region‐specific elevational patterns of native plant species richness, but a globally consistent elevational decline in non‐native species richness. Non‐native plants were also more abundant directly adjacent to road edges, suggesting that disturbed roadsides serve as a vector for invasions into mountains. From the upcoming analyses of time series, even more exciting results can be expected, especially about range shifts. Implementing the protocol in more mountain regions globally would help to generate a more complete picture of how global change alters species distributions. This would inform conservation policy in mountain ecosystems, where some conservation policies remain poorly implemented.

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Mountain roads and non‐native species modify elevational patterns of plant diversity

Cited by 81 publications

References 61 publications

Establishment dynamics of native and exotic plants after disturbance along roadsides

Establishment dynamics of native and exotic plants after disturbance along roadsides

Subtle changes in plant diversity in the Bavarian Alps over the past eight decades

Think globally, measure locally: The MIREN standardized protocol for monitoring plant species distributions along elevation gradients

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