Search

El articulo discute sobre el Robo de néctar en plantas ornamentales en Santa Clara, Cuba. El articulo también discute los efectos del robo de néctar a nivel ecológico,las especies de plantas en que ocurre robo de néctar y las plantas exóticas utilizadas como ornamentales en Cuba. Otros temas relacionados son las plantas exóticas potencialmente invasoras y la conservación de la flora autóctona cubana.

Copyright of Annali di Storia delle Università Italiane is the property of CISUI: Centro Interuniversitario per la Storia delle Universita Italiane and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

About 27 % of available water in South Africa is utilised in the urban environment. Estimates for South Africa place ornamental landscape water use as high as 50 % of urban water use. South Africa's average annual rainfall is approximately 495 mm. Rainfall patterns are erratic with periodic droughts of anticipated increased frequency. Ornamental landscapes require additional watering to minimise impacts of dry periods. These landscapes are often over- rather than under-watered. One method of reducing urban ornamental landscape water use is to group plants according to predefined hydrozones to optimise water use through improved site maintenance, landscape design and irrigation application. Currently no extensive researched database of commonly grown ornamental landscape plants linked to hydrozones exists for South Africa. To produce such a plant database, an analysis determining the hydrozone rating of plants sold in South African nurseries was undertaken. The result of this study is a database of plant species suitable for ornamental landscape hydrozones (high, medium, low and very low water requirements) and linked to a plant factor. This provides South African Green Industries Council members, especially landscapers with a database to assist in selecting the most appropriate plants for each hydrozone for their ornamental landscapes and gardens. The database will support South African ornamental landscape water use models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bees rely on floral pollen and nectar for food. Therefore, pollinator friendly plantings are often used to enrich habitats in bee conservation efforts. As part of these plantings, non‐native plants may provide valuable floral resources, but their effects on native bee communities have not been assessed in direct comparison with native pollinator friendly plantings. In this study, we performed a common garden experiment by seeding mixes of 20 native and 20 non‐native pollinator friendly plant species at separate neighboring plots at three sites in Maryland, USA, and recorded flower visitors for 2 years. A total of 3,744 bees (120 species) were collected. Bee abundance and species richness were either similar across plant types (midseason and for abundance also late season) or lower at native than at non‐native plots (early season and for richness also late season). The overall bee community composition differed significantly between native and non‐native plots, with 11 and 23 bee species being found exclusively at one plot type or the other, respectively. Additionally, some species were more abundant at native plant plots, while others were more abundant at non‐natives. Native plants hosted more specialized plant–bee visitation networks than non‐native plants. Three species out of the five most abundant bee species were more specialized when foraging on native plants than on non‐native plants. Overall, visitation networks were more specialized in the early season than in late seasons. Our findings suggest that non‐native plants can benefit native pollinators, but may alter foraging patterns, bee community assemblage, and bee–plant network structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal sand dune ecosystems have been lost and increasingly fragmented due to human use and disaster prevention over the past few decades. Generally, habitat fragmentation and connectivity loss have led to the decline of species biodiversity. In coastal dune ecosystems, habitat loss across the coastal gradient may be a major driver of the decline in coastal species diversity and ecosystem functions. In this study, we assessed the species richness of coastal plants and hymenopteran insects in fragmented coastal dunes of Japan using six sites with and without back-dune habitats. We recorded plant species and their flowering status monthly from April to September 2018 and examined the effects of landscape factors on plant species richness. We also assessed the species richness of hymenopteran bees and wasps and compared their determinants with those of plants. In total, we identified 109 plant species, including 33 native coastal plants (10 of which are endangered) and 40 exotic plants. The number of native plant species was positively affected by the presence of back-dune habitat and sand dune size, while that of native coastal plant species was positively affected only by the presence of back-dune habitat. In contrast, the number of exotic plant species was dependent only on sand dune size. We recorded 58 hymenopteran species including 28 bee pollinators and 30 predatory wasp species. The number of hymenopteran species was positively related to the number of native plant species for both bees and wasps. In conclusion, habitat loss across the coastal gradients led to decreased species richness of native coastal plant species, resulting in reduced species richness of pollinator and predatory insect communities. Most of the coastal areas across sea-to-inland gradients have been lost due to recent disaster prevention activities. Our results highlight the urgent need for biodiversity conservation of endangered species in remnant coastal dune ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sought to evaluate the utility of remotely sensed data in estimating the impact of wattle invasion and clearance on native grass species productivity using Sentinel-2 multispectral instrument (MSI) imaging and the partial least squares regression (PLSR) algorithm. Therefore this study assessed grass above ground biomass (AGB) at various levels of wattle invasion In assessing the impacts of wattle invasion on grass AGB the study found that, wattle invasion significantly reduces grass AGB when, compared with uninvaded and cleared plots. Mean grass AGB was 89.64 g m−2, 43.87 g m−2 and 83.36 g m−2 for the cleared, moderately invaded and uninvaded, respectively. The study further found no significant differences between cleared and uninvaded plots (p = 0.826). However, moderately invaded plots were significantly lower than the cleared (p < 0.0001) and uninvaded plots (p = 0.001). In assessing the applicability of remotely sensed data, the findings of this study showed that the most influential variables in estimating biomass were red-edge-based VIs. Specifically, the simple ratio VI (band5/band2) was the most optimal variable for predicting grass AGB across various levels of wattle invasion yielding high accuracies (root mean square error of prediction [RMSEP] = 19.11 g m−2 and R2 = 0.83). Additionally, PLSR results showed that the moderately invaded treatment was most optimally predicted with RMSEP of 13.06 g m−2. Overall, the results underscore the utility of remotely sensed data in monitoring grassland degradation and restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive alien species (IAS) are one of the major threats to global and local biodiversity. In forest ecosystems, the threats caused by IAS include hybridization, transmission of diseases and species competition. This review sets out to analyze the impact of alien plant species on forest regeneration, which we consider to be one of the key stages in tree ecology for the survival of forest ecosystems in the future. The focus of the study is directly relevant to practitioners, forest managers and the conservation management of forests. With this systematic review, we aim to provide an overview of 48 research studies reporting on the impact and/or management of IAS in European temperate forests. We followed a multi-step protocol for compiling the publications for the literature review, with nine search queries producing a total of 3,825 hits. After several reduction rounds, we ended up with a grand total of 48 papers. We identified 53 vascular plant species having a negative influence on forest regeneration in Central European forests. In total, 21 tree species are reported to be impacted by IAS in 24 studies. The results of the review synthesis show that five impact mechanisms affect the regeneration success of native tree species: competition for resources, chemical impact on regeneration, physical impact on regeneration, structural impact on regeneration and indirect impact through interaction with other species. We identified in our synthesis management measures that have been recommended for application at different stages of biological invasions. The associated costs and required resources of management measures are under-reported or not accessible by reviewing the scientific literature. We can thus conclude that it is very import to improve the links between science and practical forest management. We expect that this review will provide direction for invasive plant species research and management aimed at protecting biodiversity in European temperate forest ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study is to clarify the circumstances of the existence of school botanical gardens of the Roman Catholic Order of Piarists, which functioned in Volyn during the XVIII -- first third of the XIX century, and to analyze their significance in the context of the establishment and development of park and garden art of the region. The methodology of the research is based on systematic analysis, general scientific methods of systematization and generalization, the method of comparative analysis. The scientific novelty consists of systematization of all empirical material available at present in the national art criticism about the functioning of botanical gardens at the Volyn Piarists monasteries, as well as of the attempt to carry out analytical generalizations regarding their phenomenon. It was concluded that Piarists botanical gardens were a unique component of the cultural and artistic space of Volyn because they laid the foundations for the formation of landscape art in its territory. It is justified, that their activity was related to the needs of educational, scientific and experimental, artistic and economic work of Piarists monks and their pupils. At the same time, a significant direction of the activity of botanical gardens of the Order of Piarists in Volyn was that they became the centers of training botanists, landscape designers, and gardeners, and some of them became outstanding figures in these industries. It is outlined that the school botanical gardens of the order of Piarists in Volyn were one of the manifestations of the European culture of parks in those days, strongly connected with the arrangement of greenhouses in the palace and park ensembles of szlachta in Right-Bank Ukraine. The closure of the public educational establishments as one of the manifestations of the reaction of Russian autocracy to the Polish rebellion of 1830-1831 led to a gradual decline and, ultimately, to the destruction of their school botanical gardens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The invasion of natural communities by exotic plants, which may turn into invasive or potentially invasive, is one of the most severe known threats to biodiversity, and coastal dunes are among the most affected habitats. Mexico’s coastal dunes are abundant and contain high plant biodiversity but attempts to determine the occurrence and impact of exotic plants are absent. First, we explored the number of invasive plant species found on Mexican coastal dunes. Second, we analyzed if the coastal dune flora native from Mexico acts as a source of invasive species worldwide. We found the relevant spread of exotic plants towards and from Mexico, reaching high percentages: 5% of the coastal dune flora are considered exotic plants; this increases to 8.7% when only plants typical of the coastal dune environment are considered. The Mexican coastal dunes flora is also a relevant source of invasive plants affecting all continents. Furthermore, almost half of the 35 worst worldwide invasive plants (according to the Global Invasive Species Database GISD) grow on Mexican coastal dunes, most native to Mexico and invasive elsewhere. Indeed, the worldwide exchange of coastal dune flora between Mexico and the world seems massive, relevant and highlights the need for worldwide and countrywide management and control strategies.

ABSTRACT Brazil has extensive degraded areas, where vegetation fails to establish due to harsh soil conditions. However, some invasive species such as Urochloa decumbens are successful pioneers in such areas, but the reasons deserve investigation. Mycorrhizal fungi are abundant in Cerrado soils, and their association with plants are beneficial for their establishment in natural and degraded areas. This study investigated whether arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization of native and exotic plants in the Cerrado differs between pristine and degraded areas. We collected 135 plants from four functional groups in 68 areas and determined the percentage of mycorrhizal colonization. The invasive grass Urochloa decumbens had significantly higher colonization rates in degraded than in native areas, and higher colonization than the native species. These results are important for soil management since Urochloa decumbens is widely used in early soil restoration efforts, and for nature conservation concerning the management of invasive plants in restoration areas.

Contexto: Sobre la presencia en Cuba de taxones pertenecientes a Pogostemon Desf. (Lamiaceae), género, nativo de África, Asia y Australia, la información previa no resultaba suficientemente precisa. Objetivos: Informar de la relocalización de una especie perteneciente al género, precisar su nomenclatura, aportar datos que permitan identificarlo y argumentar su utilidad. Métodos: Estudio de especímenes de herbario, exploraciones de campo, así como la comparación de muestras con descripciones, claves analíticas y ejemplares incorporados a colecciones científicas. Resultados: Se confirma la presencia en el territorio nacional de Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth. (Lamiaceae), cultivado en las provincias de Sancti Spíritus, Camagüey, Holguín y Guantánamo. Se trata de una especie promisoria, dada su importancia medicinal y para las industrias farmacéutica, de la perfumería y de la cosmetología. Conclusiones: Se elevan a 34 los representantes infragenéricos conocidos de Lamiaceae en el archipiélago cubano que son de origen exótico, 25 los cuales no han llegado a naturalizarse.

Questions: The Pacific Northwest Bunchgrass ecosystem is one of the most endangered in the United States, yet community‐level patterns of non‐native plant distribution and abundance remain largely unexplored. To address this information gap, we asked the following questions: What are the distinct plant communities within Zumwalt Prairie Preserve? What are the most widespread and abundant non‐native species and how does non‐native species composition and dominance vary across plant communities? How do historic land use, biotic and environmental factors influence plant community composition, particularly in terms of non‐native species abundance and dominance? Location: Zumwalt Prairie Preserve, Wallowa County, Oregon, USA. Methods: We sampled 123 plots using point‐intercept methods within a stratified random sampling approach. We analyzed community variation using cluster analysis, indicator species analysis, and non‐metric multidimensional scaling, and related composition and non‐native plant abundance to historical land use, biotic and environmental variables using joint plots, linear regression, and non‐parametric multiplicative regression. Results: While native perennial grasses were the most abundant species, non‐native species accounted for 27% of species encountered and four of the ten most abundant species were non‐native annual grasses (e.g., Ventenata dubia) or non‐native perennial grasses (e.g., Poa pratensis). Abundance patterns of non‐native perennial grasses differed markedly from those of non‐native annual grasses; non‐native perennial grasses were concentrated in old fields, while non‐native annual grasses were abundant in moisture‐limited uncultivated sites. Conclusions: Despite its protected status, non‐native plant species pose a serious threat to the biotic integrity of the Preserve, with unknown consequences to ecosystem dynamics and function. Moreover, patterns of non‐native abundance vary considerably, with different species responding individually to land‐use, environmental, and biotic gradients. An improved understanding of the relationship between non‐native species distributions and historical, environmental, and biotic factors can help in the development of ecologically appropriate, cost‐effective strategies for the conservation and restoration of this unique landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During a systematic survey of the flora in the administrative districts of Pécs and other Transdanubian settlements, several stands of Erigeron bonariensis L. and E. sumatrensis Retz., new species to the Hungarian flora were encountered. In this paper, we discuss the morphological and phytocoenological features of the species as well as the possible ways of their introduction. We provide an identification key for Erigeron species currently known in Hungary. With the changing climate and increasing human impact on the landscape, we predict the future spread and naturalization of these species in Hungary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Giving land managers the ability to predict invasion patterns can provide planning tools for acquisition and management of protected areas. We compared the effects of roads and streams, two substantial pathways for delivery of invasive plant propagules and sources of disturbance that may facilitate invasions, on the abundance of non-native invasive plants in 27 protected areas in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States. As an extension of our road analysis, we also evaluated specific road type as a predictor of protected area invadedness. We found that road and stream predictors did not improve on a model that included only other covariates (e.g., distance to an urban area, average canopy cover, average slope, edge-to-interior ratio, percent agricultural land, and percent developed land). In this model, only percent agricultural land was marginally significant in predicting parcel invadedness. However, we found that four-wheel drive (4WD) roads did predict protected area invadedness well relative to other road types (primary, secondary, and local) and better than a covariates-only model. The role of 4WD road density in predicting protected area invadedness may be explained by their relation to recreation, the unmaintained nature of 4WD roads, or the accumulation of mud and plant materials on 4WD vehicles. Although we found overall streams and roads in general to be poor predictors of invadedness of protected areas by invasive plants, we do propose that our finding of a relationship between plant invasions and density of 4WD roads merits further investigation in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societal Impact Statement: Historical and visual culture research methods can be used to identify the complex symbolism assigned to plants in public urban spaces. This symbolism can divide opinion and generate heated debate on what is considered to be native, other, and culturally and aesthetically appropriate. This article is a contribution to the emerging field of critical plant studies, examining events in Italy when exotic plants were installed in a public square. The work encompasses elements of environmental, anthropological, architectural, and art historical studies, to reveal important aspects of our relationship with plants, other people, and our past and future histories. Summary The last few years have been characterized by dramatic sociocultural events: from Brexit to Trump's election in the USA; the unthinkable has manifested itself as the index of insidious and undervalued ideological networks. Despite the bleak outlook, the deep sense of moral loss, and ethical disorientation, these events could function as an opportunity to productively think beyond the fictitious righteousness of postmodern politics. In the middle of a cold night, in February 2017, Starbucks Coffee Co., in collaboration with Italian architect Marco Bay, installed a grove of palm and banana trees opposite Milan's much‐loved gothic cathedral. Public opinion instantly split. Milan's rude awakening revealed a tale of two cities: on one side were those who lauded the initiative and on the opposite were those who condemned the trees' exotic origin as unrepresentative of true Italianicity. Against the backdrop of strained relationships between Italy and the European Union, due to the handling of North‐African and Middle‐Eastern diasporas, palms and bananas have found themselves at the center of an unexpectedly acrimonious public discussion. This article considers the role played by plant‐politics and architectural aesthetics in constructing national identity and otherness while tapping into all important and often concealed aspects of contemporary society's collective unconscious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bulletin of Botanical Research is the property of Bulletin of Botanical Research Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The use of increasingly diverse exotic ornamental plants in urban open green spaces has led to more heterogeneous urban landscapes. The studies on ecological effects of these plants on the existing soil properties and on long-term impact on urban ecosystems are insufficient. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the impact of certain exotic plants on the properties of the soil properties where they were planted in a case of a public area. In the study, Karadeniz Technical University campus (Trabzon, Turkey), where exotic ornamental plants were used extensively, was selected as the sample. Three-replicate soil samples were obtained from the areas where 20 exotic woody plant species which were planted in the sample area more than 20 years ago and were the most prevalent species in the area and unplanted control areas. Certain physical and chemical properties of the soil samples such as texture (sand, clay, dust), soil reaction (pH), organic matter, total nitrogen, salinity, total lime content and potassium intake were analyzed in the laboratory. The study findings demonstrated that there were significant differences between the properties of the soil where exotic plant species were planted and the soil properties in unplanted control areas (p <0.05 and p> 0.01). In particular, it was observed that exotic plants induced a significant increase in total nitrogen, potassium intake and organic matter content. Therefore, consideration of the effects of exotic species on certain physical and chemical soil properties in landscape planting may be beneficial for more successful plant selection and sustainable designs. The present study findings are expected to contribute to expanding the present knowledge on the interactions between exotic species and soil properties planted in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Shadier conditions were observed in the invaded than native woodlands. • Emergence was similar but seedling survival tended to be lower in invaded woodlands. • Success of the exotic species was equal or lower than native species. • Lower light quantity was related with a reduction in the growth of seedlings. • C. ehrenbergiana seems to be the most suitable species to start restoration. Abstract Nowadays forests, which were formerly considered resistant to invasion due to its shady understories, are been transformed to invaded landscapes. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the regeneration of native woody species in Ligustrum lucidum invaded woodlands. In addition, we aim to identify the main environmental differences between the native and invaded woodlands and evaluate the effect of those conditions in the regeneration phase of dominant native woody species. Finally, we analyze how is the emergence and survival of the exotic species in relation to that exhibited by native species in both environmental situations. For this, we performed a seed addition experiment placing three native woody species (Celtis ehrenbergiana, Lithraea molleoides, Vachellia caven) and the dominant exotic (L. lucidum) in native and invaded woodlands of the Chaco mountains, central Argentina. Also, we performed a laboratory experiment simulating the differences in light recorded at the field (main abiotic difference between both woodland types). Our field experiment indicated that, if seeds are actively added, the percentage of seedlings emergence of native species could be similar in invaded and native woodlands. However, we observed a trend of lower seedling survival after winter within the exotic monospecific stands, which was significant only for the native species C. ehrenbergiana. We suggest that this constraint could be partly related to the shadier conditions imposed by L. lucidum , since this is the major environmental change within the invaded woodlands in comparison with native ones. Consistently, the experimental simulation showed that the increased in shade reduced the overall growth of seedlings. As was mostly observed in temperate biome, our study in a subtropical seasonally dry region indicates that invaded areas may not affect the emergence stage but limit the survival of seedlings. Among the native species, C. ehrenbergiana seems to be the most suitable species to start restoration, showing the highest performance throughout the year. Combined actions of seed addition and canopy opening might counteract the abiotic constraint and contribute to restoration success of this invaded landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exotic plant species commonly exploit disturbances more successfully than native plants. This outcome is widely attributed to the fact that disturbance reduces biotic resistance from native plant competitors. However, biocrusts, communities of mosses, lichens, and micro‐organisms, are a prominent component of semi‐arid grasslands occurring in the interstitial spaces between vascular plants. Biocrusts may provide an important source of biotic resistance to invaders, different from native plant competition, but poorly understood.We established a large‐scale field experiment to examine how intact versus disturbed biocrusts influenced the emergence and establishment of four native and four exotic plant species in intermountain bunchgrass systems over 2 years—one wet and one dry. We also conducted a complementary greenhouse experiment to explore how differences in moisture might influence biocrust effects on germination.In the greenhouse, biocrusts inhibited the germination of both native and exotic plants in the high moisture treatment only. In field experiments, biocrusts inhibited the overall emergence of exotic seedlings in the wetter of the 2 years and inhibited the establishment of exotic seedlings in both years, but they had no overall effect on the emergence or establishment of native seedlings. We found that intact biocrusts in intermountain grasslands can suppress the establishment of some exotic plants, but have much weaker effects on natives. They also suggest that water availability may influence biocrust effects on seed germination.Synthesis. Our results indicate that intact biocrusts may provide an important source of biotic resistance to exotic plant invasions in intermountain grasslands. Furthermore, precipitation inputs may mediate biocrust effects on plant establishment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of exotic species to new regions offers opportunities to test fundamental questions in ecology, such as the context-dependency of community structure and assembly. Annual grasslands provide a model system of a major unidirectional introduction of plant species from Europe to North America. We compared the community structure of grasslands in two Mediterranean regions by surveying plots in Spain and in California with similar environmental and management conditions. All species found in Spanish grasslands were native to Spain, and over half of them (74 of 139 species) are known to have colonized California. In contrast, in California, over half of the species (52 of 95 species) were exotic species, all of them native to Spain. Nineteen species were found in multiple plots in both regions (i.e., shared species). The abundance of shared species in California was either similar to (13 species) or greater than (6 species) in Spain. In California, plants considered pests were more likely than non-pest species to have higher abundance. Co-occurring shared species tended to maintain their relative abundance in native and introduced communities, which indicates that pools of exotic species might assemble similarly at home and away. These findings provide interesting insights into community assembly in novel ecosystems. They also highlight an example of startling global and local floristic homogenization.

Exotic species introductions are a global phenomenon and protected areas are susceptible to them. Understanding the drivers of exotic species richness is vital for prioritizing natural resource management, particularly in developing countries with limited resources. We analyzed the influence of coarse resolution factors on exotic species richness (plants, mammals, and birds) in Argentina’s National Parks System. We collected data on native species richness, year of park formation, park area, region, elevation range, number of rivers crossing area boundaries, roads entering area, mean annual rainfall, mean annual temperature, mean annual number of visitors, and Human Influence Index within and surrounding each park. We compiled 1,688 exotic records in 36 protected areas: 83% plants and 17% animals (9.5% mammals, 5.5% birds, 1.5% fishes, 0% amphibians, 0% reptiles). The five parks with the most exotic species (all taxa combined) were in north Patagonia. Exotic grasses were the most common exotic plants, and within animals, lagomorphs and feral ungulates were remarkably widespread. Exotic plant richness was mostly influenced by temperature and native plant richness, while exotic mammal and bird richness was driven mostly by anthropogenic variables, with models explaining 36–45% of data deviance. Most variables that positively influenced exotic taxa were indirectly related to an increase in spatial heterogeneity (natural or anthropogenic), suggesting greater niche space variability as facilitators of exotic richness increase. Additional data are needed to further investigate the patterns and mechanisms of exotic species richness in protected areas, which will help to prioritize the greatest needs of monitoring and management.

The paper provides an inventory of the naturalized vascular flora of Ghana, based on newly gathered information from the literature and consultations with local experts. We adopted a rather conservative approach by including only species for which strong evidence exists that they are alien in Ghana. We recorded 291 species of naturalized alien plants; for 237 of them there is information on their distribution in the 10 administrative regions of Ghana. Twenty-five species (i.e. 8.6% of the total number of naturalized species) are classified as invasive. There are 21 widely distributed species (7.2% of the total naturalized flora) that occur in at least eight regions, and five of them are distributed all over the country: Azadirachta indica, Echinochloa colona, Leucaena leucocephala, Senna occidentalis and S. siamea. Of these five, the first three are classified as invasive. The naturalized flora of Ghana includes 71 families, with Leguminosae (66 species), Compositae (22) and Poaceae (18) most represented. The majority of species have their native range in South and North America, contributing 161 and 127 species, respectively. Tropical Asia (98 species) and Africa (37 species) are less represented and only three species have their origin in Europe. The dominance of the Americas as a source region is even more pronounced for the subset of invasive species, with this continent accounting for 18 species out of 25 (72%). Annual and biennial/perennial herbs, shrubs and trees are evenly represented in the naturalized alien species pool. Among invasive species, biennial/perennial herbs are markedly over-represented compared to their contribution to the naturalized flora as a whole (52% vs 38%). The same is true for aquatic species (12% vs 2%). Species that occur as naturalized in more than 40 regions in Africa are also more widely distributed within Ghana. The numbers of naturalized species in the administrative regions of Ghana varied from 34 in Upper West to 173 in Greater Accra. These numbers increased with human population density and decreased with distance from the sea, but this pattern was driven by the city of Accra region. The only predictor that remained significant after removing this outlier was the amount of precipitation in the dry period, which was positively associated with the regional richness of naturalized species. This study could serve as a stimulus for other countries in hitherto understudied tropical regions to work towards comprehensive inventories, for which basic data on the alien flora often is still incomplete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The value of distinguishing between plant species regarded as 'native' and 'alien' has special relevance in the island continent of Australia, where European settlement was a springboard for human-assisted plant dispersal. The year of European settlement is proposed here as providing a distinction between a 'native' and 'naturalised' flora and is applied for the entire Australian flora of vascular plants. Herbarium collections and ecological criteria were employed to determine the status of 168 species of ambiguous origin. The date of 1788 proved to be a relatively straightforward criterion to assign native and naturalised status and the origin of only 27 plant species remains ambiguous. The dispersal of plants between continents is an ongoing process but European settlement of the Australian continent represents a very sharp biogeographic event for the Australian flora and provides a straightforward criterion for determining the 'naturalised' species. The year of European settlement in 1788 is used here to define the 'native' and 'naturalised' flora of the Australian continent. Using this definition the origin of only 27 species remains ambiguous. It is argued that this date is meaningful as a biogeographic watershed and because of the weight of evidence from early botanical collections provides a relatively unambiguous means of defining the 'native' flora of the Australian continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exotic hydrophytes are often considered as aquatic weeds, especially when forming dense mats on an originally poorly colonized environment. While management efforts and research are focused on the control and on the impacts of aquatic weeds on biodiversity, their influence on shallow lakes' biogeochemical cycles is still unwell explored. The aim of the present study is to understand whether invasive aquatic plants may affect the biogeochemistry of shallow lakes and act as ecosystem engineers. We performed a multi-year investigation (2013–2015) of dissolved biogeochemical parameters in an oligo-mesotrophic shallow lake of south-west of France (Lacanau Lake), where wind-sheltered bays are colonized by dense mats of exotic Egeria densa Planch. and Lagarosiphon major (Ridl.) Moss. We collected seasonal samples at densely vegetated and plant-free areas, in order to extrapolate and quantify the role of the presence of invasive plants on the biogeochemistry, at the macrophyte stand scale and at the lake scale. Results revealed that elevated plant biomass triggers oxygen (O2), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and nitrogen (DIN) stratification, with hypoxia events frequently occurring at the bottom of the water column. Within plants bed, elevated respiration rates generated important amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and ammonium (NH4+). The balance between benthic nutrients regeneration and fixation into biomass results strictly connected to the seasonal lifecycle of the plants. Indeed, during summer, DIC and DIN regenerated from the sediment are quickly fixed into plant biomass and sustain elevated growth rates. On the opposite, in spring and autumn, bacterial and plant respiration overcome nutrients fixation, resulting in an excess of nutrients in the water and in the increase of carbon emission toward the atmosphere. Our study suggests that aquatic weeds may perform as ecosystem engineers, by negatively affecting local oxygenation and by stimulating nutrients regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Suburban gardens consist of mostly exotic ornamental species. • Native species are planted less than their exotic congeners. • Some invasive plant species are intentionally planted. • Taxa richness increases with garden size and mortgage value. Abstract Horticulture has long been an important source of exotic plant species that may naturalize and become invasive. To analyze the extent of exotic plant species and their possible preference in modern landscaping in Rochester, New York, USA, we inventoried 101 randomly chosen suburban (peri-urban) house gardens. On average, 72% of plants per property were not native to the Eastern United States. Of the exotic species present in gardens, 44% have naturalized in New York State. Additionally, invasive plants were often intentionally planted, such as Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), which was found in nearly half of the gardens. We also sought to ascertain if garden diversity could be correlated with the age, size, or cost of properties. Although our findings were not as distinct as previous garden inventories, property size and mortgage value correlated positively with species richness. Overall, landscape trends across all property types favored exotic over native garden plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since neophytes can become invasive in the future, untangling their ecological preferences is of paramount importance, especially in urban areas where they represent a substantial proportion of the local flora. Studies exploring alien species assemblages in urban environments are however scarce. This study aims to unravel alien plant species preferences for five urban land uses (densely built-up areas, open built-up areas, industrial areas, broadleaved urban forests, and agricultural areas and small landscape elements). We took the city of Brussels as a model, in which we recorded all vascular species growing spontaneously in grid cells of 1 km2. We tested two different ways of classifying the 1-km2 cells: (1) We simply associated each cell with its dominant land cover; (2) We used a fuzzy approach for which the degree of association of a given cell to a given land cover depended on the proportion of that land cover within the cell. For both classification methods, we calculated the indicator species of the resulting land cover types based on alien species only. The crisp and fuzzy classifications identified 33 and 49 species, respectively, with a clear preference for some urban land use types (from a total of 129 alien plant species analyzed). Results showed that urban land use types having apparently similar environmental conditions can actually harbor different neophyte assemblages. Fine-tuning the categorization of urban environments in future ecological studies is therefore important for understanding spatial patterns of alien species occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although orchid bees (Apidae: Euglossini) are known as key pollinators in tropical ecosystems, knowledge of their floral sources is still scarce, especially for those species commonly found in urban environments. We aimed to identify the pollen, nectar and resin sources used by the widespread species Euglossa cordata in an urban area in south-eastern Brazil. The residual pollen from 81 brood cells of nine nests reactivated between October 2013 and December 2014 was acetolysed and analysed. A total of 50 pollen types belonging to 20 botanical families were identified in the samples. Pollen sources included species from seven families; five of them were plants with poricidal anthers (Bixaceae, Commelinaceae, Fabaceae, Melastomataceae and Solanaceae). The mass-flowering trees Handroanthus chrysotrichus and H. heptaphyllus (Bignoniaceae) are firstly reported as important pollen sources to an orchid bee species. Nectar was collected primarily from plants with long, tubular corolla as Acanthaceae, Apocynaceae, Bignoniaceae and Convolvulaceae. The vine species Dalechampia stipulacea (Euphorbiaceae) acted as a floral resin source. All pollen sources consisted of native plants whereas some exotic plant species were visited for nectar collection. Although nesting in an area encompassed by a high proportion of invasive plant species, Euglossa cordata females preferred to visit native plants to gather floral resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Grasslands dominated by non-native (exotic) species have replaced purely native-dominated areas in many parts of the world forming 'novel' ecosystems. Altered precipitation patterns are predicted to exacerbate this trend. It is still poorly understood how soil microbial communities and their functions differ between high diversity native- and low diversity exotic-dominated sites and how altered precipitation will impact this difference.Methods: We sampled 64 experimental grassland plots in central Texas with plant species mixtures of either all native or all exotic species; half with summer irrigation. We tested how native vs. exotic plant species mixtures and summer irrigation affected bacterial and fungal community composition and structure, the influence of niche vs. neutral processes for microbial phylotype co-occurrence (C-score analysis), and rates of phosphorus and nitrogen mineralization across an 8-year experiment.Results: Native and exotic-dominated plots had significantly different fungal community composition and structure, but not diversity, throughout the length of the study, while changes in bacterial communities were limited to certain wet and cool years. Nitrogen and phosphorus mineralization rates were higher under native plant mixtures and correlated with the abundance of particular fungal species. Microbial communities were more structured in exotic than native grassland plots, especially for the fungal community.Conclusions: The results indicate that conversion of native to exotic C4 dominated grasslands will more strongly impact fungal than bacterial community structure. Furthermore, these impacts can alter ecosystem functioning belowground via changes in nitrogen and phosphorus cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subtropical and temperate coastal saltmarsh of Australia is listed as an endangered ecological community under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act). Saltmarshes are under threat from sea level rise, landward migration of mangroves, and in urban regions from habitat loss, input of litter, nutrients, and other contaminants. In urbanised catchments, saltmarsh areas receive nutrient-enriched and pollutant-contaminated run-off, such as heavy metals, through the stormwater system. This study aimed to investigate the impact of urban stormwater on saltmarsh and mangrove species composition and distribution. To test the effect of stormwater run-off in urbanised catchments on saltmarsh communities, we analysed the soil for pollutant elements, salinity and nutrient concentration and recorded vegetation composition at eight sites in the Sydney region, Australia. We found that elevated total nitrogen (>0.4 wt%) and reduced salinity of the soil downslope of stormwater outlets facilitates establishment of exotic plants and might promote migration of mangroves into saltmarshes, resulting in a squeezing effect on the distribution of saltmarsh vegetation. Saltmarsh cover was significantly lower below stormwater outlets and exotic plant cover increased significantly with sediment calcium concentrations above 8840 mg/kg, which are associated with stormwater run-off. However, this effect was found to be strongest in highly industrialised areas compared to residential areas. Understanding the impact of pollutants on coastal wetlands will improve management strategies for the conservation of this important endangered ecological community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines the use of exotic plants by Bapedi healers (THs) as medicine for respiratory infections (RIs) and related symptoms (RLs). A sample of 240 THs practising in the Limpopo Province, South Africa was questioned using a semi-structured questionnaire, supplemented by personal observations. Thirty-eight plants comprising of 35 genera belonging to 26 botanical families, mainly the Solanaceae (5 spp.) and Poaceae (3 spp.), were documented. Herbs (44.7 %, n = 17) constituted the major habit followed by trees (42.1 %, n = 16). The most important plants according to use mention (UM) and fidelity level (FL) indexes were Zingiber officinale (UM = 240 and FL = 99.5 %, chronic cough), Moringa oleifera (UM = 210 and FL = 100 %, fatigue), Datura stramonium (UM = 202 and FL = 100 %, chest pain), Jacaranda mimosifolia (UM = 156 and FL 100 %, chronic cough) and Schkuhria pinnata (UM = 105 and FL = 94.5 %, painful eyes). These plants also yielded the highest use value (UV) index, but with M. oleifera (fatigue; UV = 0.87), followed by D. stramonium (chest pain; UV = 0.84), J. mimosifolia (chronic cough; UV = 0.65) and S. pinnata (asthma, fatigue and painful eyes; UV = 0.46) being the most appreciated. Overall, larger number of species recorded in our study illustrates the important role played by foreign plants as treatment of RIs and RLs in the Bapedi traditional healing sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Freedom Hills Forever Wild Tract (FHFWT) is a 13,800 ha property acquired through multiple purchases by Alabama's Forever Wild Land Trust beginning in 2001. The FHFWT is managed by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for habitat conservation, as a wildlife management area, and for outdoor education. An intensive floristic study of this area was conducted from March 2012 through February 2017. A total of 761 taxa (757 species) from 431 genera and 136 families were collected, with 328 taxa representing county records. A total of 104 nonnative taxa were collected during the surveys. Forty-three percent of the total collections were county records and 72 exotic taxa collected during this survey were determined to be county records. Plant collections were deposited at the Alabama Natural Heritage Section Herbarium (ALNHS) with duplicates distributed to Anniston Museum of Natural History (AMAL), Auburn University Herbarium (AUA), Jacksonville State University Herbarium (JSU), and the University of West Alabama Herbarium (UWAL). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exotic species introductions are a global phenomenon and protected areas are susceptible to them. Understanding the drivers of exotic species richness is vital for prioritizing natural resource management, particularly in developing countries with limited resources. We analyzed the influence of coarse resolution factors on exotic species richness (plants, mammals, and birds) in Argentina's National Parks System. We collected data on native species richness, year of park formation, park area, region, elevation range, number of rivers crossing area boundaries, roads entering area, mean annual rainfall, mean annual temperature, mean annual number of visitors, and Human Influence Index within and surrounding each park. We compiled 1,688 exotic records in 36 protected areas: 83% plants and 17% animals (9.5% mammals, 5.5% birds, 1.5% fishes, 0% amphibians, 0% reptiles). The five parks with the most exotic species (all taxa combined) were in north Patagonia. Exotic grasses were the most common exotic plants, and within animals, lagomorphs and feral ungulates were remarkably widespread. Exotic plant richness was mostly influenced by temperature and native plant richness, while exotic mammal and bird richness was driven mostly by anthropogenic variables, with models explaining 36-45% of data deviance. Most variables that positively influenced exotic taxa were indirectly related to an increase in spatial heterogeneity (natural or anthropogenic), suggesting greater niche space variability as facilitators of exotic richness increase. Additional data are needed to further investigate the patterns and mechanisms of exotic species richness in protected areas, which will help to prioritize the greatest needs of monitoring and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad is the property of Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Instituto de Biologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Recent research on plant invasions indicates that some parts of the world are understudied with temperate Asia among them. To contribute towards closing this gap, we provide a standardized list of invasive alien plant species with their distributions in 45 Russian regions, and relate the variation in their richness to climate, socioeconomic parameters and human influence. In total, we report 354 invasive alien species. There are, on average, 27 ± 17 (mean ± SD) invasive plants per region, and the invasive species richness varies from zero in Karelia to 71 in Kaluga. In the European part of Russia, there are 277 invasive species in total, in Siberia 70, and in the Far East 79. The most widespread invaders are, in terms of the number of regions from which they are reported, Acer negundo, Echinocystis lobata (recorded in 34 regions), Erigeron canadensis and Elodea canadensis (recorded in 30 regions). Most invasive species in Russia originate from other parts of temperate Asia and Europe. There were significant differences in the representation of life forms between the European, Siberian and Far East biogeographical regions, with perennials being over-represented in the Far East, and shrubs in the European part of Russia. The richness of invasive species can be explained by climatic factors, human population density and the percentage of urban population in a region. This publication and the associated dataset is the first comprehensive treatment of the invasive flora of Russia using standardized criteria and covering 83% of the territory of this country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite an existing India-wide inventory of alien plant species, an inventory documenting the occurrence of naturalized alien plant species in each of the Indian states (including union territories) was not available yet. We compiled from the literature a list of naturalized alien vascular plant species with data on their occurrence in 33 Indian states, and related the richness of naturalized species per state to climate, socioeconomic parameters and human influence. In total, we report 471 naturalized species in India, which represents 2.6% of the total flora of this country, and for 449 of them we provide the distribution in the states. The highest and lowest numbers of naturalized species are reported from Tamil Nadu (332) and the island Lakshadweep (17), respectively. The families richest in naturalized species are Compositae (75), Leguminosae (60) and Poaceae (36). The highest numbers of naturalized aliens occurs in states located at lower latitudes in the tropics, and in more northernly located states that even in the dry period still have relatively high amounts of precipitation. Naturalized species richness of a state is furthermore positively related to socioeconomic factors represented by the percentage of the population living in urban areas, and human population density. The state-wise inventory of naturalized alien species improves our knowledge on threats associated with plant invasions in India, and can be used to provide arguments for promoting programs on conservation of native biodiversity in the country as well as in particular states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]