Invasive fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum (Forssk.) Chiov.) increases its potential area of distribution in Tenerife island under future climatic scenarios

Abstract

Mapping the distribution of invasive 12 species under current and future climate conditions 13 is crucial to implement sustainable and effective 14 conservation strategies. Several studies showed how 15 invasive species may benefit from climate change 16 fostering their invasion rate and, consequently, affect-17 ing the native species community. In the Canary 18 Islands and on Tenerife in particular, previous 19 research mostly focused on climate change impacts 20 on the native communities, whereas less attention has been paid on alien species distribution under climate change scenarios. In this study, we modelled the habitat distribution of Pennisetum setaceum, one of the most invasive alien species on Tenerife. In addition, we described the species' potential distribution shift in the light of two climate change scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP8.5), highlighting the areas that should be prioritized during management and eradication programs. P. setaceum's suitable areas are located in the coastal area, with higher habitat suitability near cities and below 800 m asl. In both future climate change scenarios, the geographic distribution of P.

Effect of Water Deficit on Germination, Growth and Biochemical Responses of Four Potentially Invasive Ornamental Grass Species

“…Meanwhile, although P. setaceum has been included on the “List of invasive alien species of Union concern”, according to the EU regulation 1143/2014 [ 59 ], our findings suggest that it may be less potent in its invasiveness of arid areas due to its reduced germination and seedling vigour under the applied drought conditions during germination and seedling elongation. These data agree with previous studies [ 60 ], whereby dry summers may detrimentally affect its ability to produce seeds and successful seedling establishment [ 61 ].…”

Changes in soil chemical properties and plant species composition during primary succession on an oceanic island

“…One of the most invasive plants ( Opuntia maxima ), highly adapted to and widely distributed in the dry lowlands of the Canaries, appeared only in late‐successional stages with low abundances in the present chronosequence. Fountain grass, Pennisetum setaceum , a very successful and recent invader in the semi‐arid regions of the Canary Islands (Da Re et al, 2020), was completely absent from recent lava flows on La Palma. On more humid islands, however, aliens have been reported to colonize recent lava flows and affect compositional change and diversity pattern during primary succession (Aplet et al, 1998; Potgieter et al, 2014).…”

Integration of remote sensing and bioclimatic data for prediction of invasive species distribution in data-poor regions: a review on challenges and opportunities

“…For the better prediction of invasive species using SDM, it is necessary to include climate variables. Climate variables are one of the major contributing factors for predicting invasive species (Deblauwe et al 2016;Fernandez et al 2013;Re et al 2020). SDMs perform better when climate data are used (either partially or completely) for model predictions (Ahmadi et al 2020;Guisan et al 2007;Truong et al 2017;Zimmermann et al 2007).…”