Spatially Varying Relationships between Alien Plant Distributions and Environmental Factors in South Korea

Abstract

Invasive alien plants can severely threaten biodiversity and cause economic losses in the agricultural industry; therefore, identifying the critical environmental factors related to the distribution of alien plants plays a crucial role in ecosystem management. In this study, we applied partial least squares regression (PLSR) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) to estimate the important environmental factors affecting the spread of two invasive and expansive plants, Lactuca scariola L. and Aster pilosus Willd., across South Korea. GWR provides more accurate predictions than ordinary least squares regression, and the local coefficients of GWR allow for the determination of the spatial relationships between alien plant distributions and environmental variables. Based on the model’s results, the distributions of these alien species were significantly associated with anthropogenic effects, such as human population density, residential area, and road density. Furthermore, the two alien species can establish themselves in habitats where native plants cannot thrive, owing to their broad tolerance to temperature and drought conditions. This study suggests that urban development and expansion can facilitate the invasion of these species in metropolitan cities.

Impact of Invasive Plant Species on Ecosystems, Biodiversity Loss and Their Potential Industrial Applications

“…(Göswein et al, 2021) while in forests they slows down the natural regeneration (Dyderski and Jagodziński, 2020). Invasive species do not encounter problems in growing in urban areas (Park et al, 2021, Dambiec et al, 2022, spreading easily through the inner rivers (Wagner et al, 2020), the anthropogenic pressure accentuating their spread (El-Barougy et al, 2021, Park et al, 2021, Zhang et al, 2022, and increased resistance to drought and temperature variation (Park et al, 2021).…”

Fumigation Effects and Behavioral Responses of Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis Invicta Buren) to Six Plant Essential Oils

“…The invasion of non-indigenous species is considered to be a serious ecological and economic problem around the world (Lodge et al 2006;McGoey and Stinchcombe 2021). They threaten all types of ecosystems, including forests (Latham et al 2017), grasslands (Day et al 2011), agricultural lands (Park et al 2021), wetlands (Leonard et al 2021), rivers (Wasserman et al 2020), lakes (Brainard et al 2021) and even entire ecosystems in the oceans (Pinteus et al 2021). Their impact and damage have affected every aspect of human society (Agha et al 2021).…”