Environmental Degradation by Invasive Alien Plants in the Anthropocene: Challenges and Prospects for Sustainable Restoration

Abstract

Biodiversity, soil, air, and water are the vital life-supporting systems of this planet Earth. However, the deliberate and accidental introduction of invasive alien plants (IAPs) in the Anthropocene majorly due to the global international trade perturbed the homeostasis of our biosphere. IAPs are considered as one of the major drivers of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. The pervasive threats of IAPs to environmental sustainability and biosecurity are further exacerbated under the COVID-19 pandemic. The environmental disturbances resulting from IAPs can be attributed to several mechanisms/ hypothesis (e.g., novel weapon (NW), enemy release (ER), and evolution of increased competitive ability (EICA), efficient reproductive attributes, and phenotypic plasticity, etc.) deployed by IAPs. Nevertheless, the interrelationship of IAPs with environmental degradation and restoration remain elusive especially in terms of ecological sustainability. Moreover, there is a dearth of studies which empirically assess the synergies of IAPs spread with other anthropogenic disturbances such as climate and land-use change. In this context, the present review is aimed to depict the impacts of IAPs on environment and also to assess their role as drivers of ecosystem degradation. The restoration prospects targeted to revitalize the associated abiotic (soil and water) and biotic environment (biodiversity) are also discussed in detail. Furthermore, the effects of IAPs on socio-economy, livelihood, and plant-soil microbe interactions are emphasized. On the other hand, the ecosystem services of IAPs such as associated bioresource co-benefits (e.g., bioenergy, phytoremediation, biopolymers, and ethnomedicines) can also be vital in sustainable management prospects. Nevertheless, IAPs-ecological restoration interrelationship needs long-term pragmatic evaluation in terms of ecological economics and ecosystem resilience. The incorporation of 'hybrid technologies', integrating modern scientific information (e.g., 'biorefinery': conversion of IAPs feedstock to produce bioenergy/biopolymers) with traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) can safeguard the environmental sustainability in the Anthropocene. Importantly, the management of IAPs in concert with circular economy principles can remarkably help achieving the target of UN Sustainable Development Goals and UN-Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

A Comparative Photographic Review on Higher Plants and Macro-Fungi: A Soil Restoration for Sustainable Production of Food and Energy

“…In this section, soil degradation and its restoration by plants and mushrooms (Figure 10) are discussed. There are many human activities that lead to soil degradation all over the world; for example, in the European Mediterranean region [134], chemical degradation resulting from heavy metals in China [137], waterlogging and soil salinity in India [138], or pesticides [139], physical degradation resulting from soil compaction [140], or environmental degradation due to invasive alien plants [141]. Several studies have been reported about different strategies for remediation of pollutants or other causes of soil degradation, which differ using plants or mushrooms.…”

Mechanistic Insights and Potential Use of Siderophores Producing Microbes in Rhizosphere for Mitigation of Stress in Plants Grown in Degraded Land

“…The nutrient discrepancy in the plant is a common occurrence found in degraded land, and among different plant nutrients, iron is the essential ingredient for plant growth (Connorton et al, 2017 ). Rapid industrialization, urbanization, unsuitable land use (IPBES, 2018 ), fast agricultural practices (Keesstra et al, 2018 ), soil salinization (Edrisi et al, 2021 ), soil erosion (Paul et al, 2020a , b ), invasion of alien species (Rai, 2021 ), poor governance management strategy (Gerber et al, 2014 ), overexploitation of natural resources, excessive mining (Upadhyay and Edrisi, 2021 ; Shakeel et al, 2022 ), etc., degrade more than 33% of global land resources through direct and indirect approaches (IPBES, 2018 ; Srinivasarao et al, 2021 ).…”

Societal perception on environmental and socio-economic implications of Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) A. Gray invasion in an Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot

“…Likewise, the fast spread of T. diversifolia could devastate the environment and have an impact on the community's socio-economic and livelihood prospects (WITT ET AL., 2019). The landscape selected in this study (Aizawl, Mizoram, North East India) is of extreme ecological and socio-economic relevance as it is an integral landscape within the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot (RAI, 2012(RAI, , 2015(RAI, , 2022RAI & SINGH, 2021). Nevertheless, in India, a comprehensive study on T. diversifolia is limited and negligible especially in the context of a biodiversity rich region i.e.…”