Estimating non‐native plant richness with a species‐accumulation model along roads

Abstract

Monitoring non‐native plant richness is important for biodiversity conservation and scientific research. The species‐area model (SA model) has been used frequently to estimate the total species richness within a region. However, the conventional SA model may not provide robust estimations of non‐native plant richness because the ecological processes associated with the accumulation of exotic and native plants may differ. Because roads strongly dictate the distributions of exotic plants, we propose a species‐accumulation model along roads (SR model), rather than an SA model, to estimate the non‐native plant richness within a region. Using 270 simulated data sets, we compared the differences in performance between the SR and SA models. A decision tree based on prediction accuracy was created to guide model application, which was validated using field data from 3 national nature reserves in 3 different provinces in China. The SR model significantly outperformed the SA model when non‐native species were restricted to the roadsides and the proportion of uncommon exotic species was small. More importantly, the SR model accurately estimated the non‐native plant richness in all field sites with an error of <1 species per site. We believe our new model meets the practical need to efficiently and robustly estimate non‐native plant richness, which may facilitate effective biodiversity conservations and promote research on non‐native plant invasion and vegetation dynamics.

Quantifying the effects of road width on roadside vegetation and soil conditions in forests

“…Even for non-native species spread, verges hosted but did not facilitate the spread of alien species, and it is necessary to highlight the importance of considering regional climatic gradients, landscape context and road-verge properties themselves (Kalwij et al 2008). Especially for a wellpreserved region, where road dependency is strong, and the proportion of uncommon non-native species is small (Liao et al 2019). Therefore, these effects were mainly caused by road width, which is a comprehensive factor that integrates multiple factors (usage frequency, disturbance intensity, traffic volume, surfacing material, animal behavior and so on).…”

Similar yet distinct distributional patterns characterize native and exotic plant species richness across northern New Zealand islands

“…Biological invasions are a major threat to biodiversity worldwide (Liao et al, 2020; Simberloff et al, 2013; Whittaker & Fernández‐Palacios, 2007). Invasions by exotic plant species can gradually displace native species, resulting in global floristic homogenization (Castro & Jaksic, 2008; Pyšek & Richardson, 2006; Qian & Ricklefs, 2006).…”

Island biogeography of plants and humans

“…Biological invasions are one of the main threats to the insular biota (Whittaker and Fernández-Palacios 2007, Simberloff et al 2013, Liao et al 2020, Rojas-Sandoval et al 2020. Exotic species often displace native species by monopolizing space and resources, a process that often leads to the local extinctions of natives and biotic homogenization (Pyšek and Richardson 2006, Qian and Ricklefs 2006, Castro and Jaksic 2008.…”

“…Biological invasions are a major threat to biodiversity worldwide (Whittaker and Fernández-Palacios 2007, Simberloff et al 2013, Liao et al 2020. Invasions by exotic plant species can gradually displace native species, resulting in global floristic homogenization (Pyšek and Richardson 2006, Qian and Ricklefs 2006, Castro and Jaksic 2008.…”