Figure - available from: Biological Invasions
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Number and distribution of invasive plant species among the seven countries in South Asia. The maroon horizontal bars on the left side depict the number of species in each country, while the blue vertical bars depict the number of unique and shared species among the countries. The single yellow dot indicates unique species in its respective country, whereas the linked dot represents shared species among the countries of South Asia
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Worldwide, invasive alien species (IAS) cause significant ecological and economic impacts. To meet the Target-6 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework that deals with IAS, it is crucial to fill the geographical knowledge gaps in invasion research. Towards this end, making available inventories of IAS from data-deficient regions of th...
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... While invasive plant species are prevalent globally, India stands out as a hotspot for invasive species in the South Asian region, with 185 reported invasive species, followed by Bhutan with 53 out of the 241 identified invasive species in the seven South Asian countries (Gulzar et al. 2023). Notably, India receives a substantial number of invasive plant species from America (Reddy 2008;Gulzar et al. 2023). ...
... While invasive plant species are prevalent globally, India stands out as a hotspot for invasive species in the South Asian region, with 185 reported invasive species, followed by Bhutan with 53 out of the 241 identified invasive species in the seven South Asian countries (Gulzar et al. 2023). Notably, India receives a substantial number of invasive plant species from America (Reddy 2008;Gulzar et al. 2023). Among the significant invasive species in India, the invasion of Leucaena leucocephala and Prosopis juliflora has garnered attention due to their invasive characteristics and economic significance (Witt 2010). ...
Prosopis juliflora and Leucaena leucocephala are notable examples of invasive woody plants that can spread throughout similar habitats in India. However, little is known about how these two species may interact with one another if future rainfall pattern shifts, which is particularly concerning. Recognizing the pivotal role of eco-physiological parameters in deciphering the dynamics of interspecific competition, a study was devised to elucidate the interplay between L. leucocephala and P. juliflora under simulated rainfall conditions. At Botanical Garden, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, UP, India, three fixed rainout shelter plots were established, each receiving distinct precipitation levels: low rainfall (LR), normal rainfall (NR), and high rainfall (HR). Within each plot, three replicate subplots were dedicated to pure stands of L. leucocephala (L), pure stands of P. juliflora (P), and mixed stands of the two species (LP). The findings of the study underscore significant variations in soil Inorganic N, N-mineralization, based on precipitation levels, with maximum values observed in HR plot and L. Similarly, biomass, photosynthetic rate, and transpiration rate exhibited significant variability in response to precipitation treatment, reaching their highest values in HR plot and L. Conversely, root length, root-shoot ratio, and water use efficiency peaked in LR plot and P, presenting a contrasting trend. This study suggests that L. leucocephala may facilitate the growth of P. juliflora by improving the soil's nitrogen availability and, consequently, the eco-physiological characteristics of the plant in mixed plant stands. Furthermore, L. leucocephala is providing P. juliflora with favourable conditions for robust growth under water stress—a scenario indicative of Facilitative approach.
... Globally, the recent climate change and rapid land-use transformations are triggering the species' redistributions and range shifts (Guo et al., 2018;Manzoor et al., 2021). Facilitated by ever-increasing global trade and transport, the rate of alien species introductions and subsequent invasions has accelerated across the world (Van Kleunen et al., 2015;Chapman et al., 2017;Gulzar et al., 2023). In temperate mountain regions of the world, recent studies have reported the occurrence and successful establishment of warm-loving tropical species (Thapa et al., 2018;Osland and Feher, 2020;Iseli et al., 2023). ...
... Fabaceae are usually rich in protein and are the main dietary source in many countries and regions, and many Fabaceae plant species are crops or medicine plants [39,40]. In the list of alien invasive plant species, Fabaceae account for 15% in South Asia [41], 7% in Europe [42], and 11% in China [43]. In addition, among the 287 native weed species, Cyperaceae, Cruciferae, Labiatae, and Polygonaceae also accounted for a higher proportion. ...
Native weeds have a long history of adaptation to local environments. Understanding the relationship between the occurrence of native weeds and their life history traits is crucial for effective weed management and risk assessment of plant invasions. In this study, we surveyed native weed species and their dominance across 666 field sites in agricultural areas of Yangzhou City, China, and each site was 13.3 hectares in area. A total of 287 native weed species were recorded, referring to 63 families, among which 45% were 50–100 cm in plant height and 47% were of an erect life type. In terms of the proportions out of the total native weed occurrence dominance, Poaceae, Compositae, and Fabaceae weeds accounted for 30%, 13%, and 11%; liana and perennials both occupied 32%; and aquatic, hygrophyte, sun plant, and shade plant all occupied < 10%. Additionally, the proportions increased with increasing seed production per plant and with increasing weediness reported worldwide. Native weed groups holding moderate vegetative reproduction abilities, moderate seed sizes, or herbicide resistance showed higher proportions. Moreover, most of the native weeds surveyed were not succulent or thorny plants and did not hold thorns, awns, obvious hairs, or mucilage on their fruits.
... The minimum residence time refers to the time elapsed since the initial recording of an alien species (Richardson & Pyšek 2006). To estimate the species' minimum residence time, we used the earliest record of the species occurrence in the region based on the rst records in the scienti c literature and/or herbarium records (Hooker, 1875;Stewart, 1972;Kachroo et al., 1977;Gulzar et al., 2023). ...
Biological invasions pose a significant threat to sustenance of biodiversity and ecosystem services, with their incidence expected to rise due to globalization and climate change. Regional inventories of alien species are important for monitoring and managing the biological invasions, particularly in world’s mountains which till recently were immune to invasions but are increasingly becoming vulnerable to invasive species. This study presents the first comprehensive inventory and status assessment of the alien flora in Ladakh – a remote and unique biogeographic region in Indian Trans-Himalaya. Based on field data collected from 2018 to 2023, we provide taxonomic composition of alien flora in Ladakh, including information on invasion status (cultivated, naturalized and invasive), biogeographic affiliation, habitat and life-form characteristics, and pathways of introduction. In total, we recorded 104 alien plant species, accounting ∼ 5.7% to the region's flora. Of these, 24 alien species are under cultivation, while the remaining 80 are aliens growing in wild, with 52 naturalized and 28 invasive. The most species-rich families are Asteraceae (20 species), Amaranthaceae (12 species), Poaceae (7 species), Salicaceae (6 species), and Fabaceae (5 species). Most alien species in the region are native to temperate Asia (34 species), followed by Europe (30 species). The alien species primarily colonize human-dominated habitats, such as roadsides and agricultural fields. Additionally, we found that the elevational distribution of the alien species richness in the region exhibits a unimodal hump-shaped pattern, with the highest number of alien species (73 species) occurring between 2600–3000 meters. The elevational width and maximum elevation of alien species was positively correlated with the maximum elevation in their native region. In an era of rising risks of climate change and rapid land-use transformation in the Himalayan highlands, this first assessment of the alien flora of the Ladakh will foster further research, inform early eradication, and guide pro-active plant invasion management in the region, with lessons for such environments elsewhere.
... Globally, the recent climate change and rapid land-use transformations are triggering the species' redistributions and range shifts (Guo et al., 2018;Manzoor et al., 2021). Facilitated by ever-increasing global trade and transport, the rate of alien species introductions and subsequent invasions has accelerated across the world (Van Kleunen et al., 2015;Chapman et al., 2017;Gulzar et al., 2023). In temperate mountain regions of the world, recent studies have reported the occurrence and successful establishment of warm-loving tropical species (Thapa et al., 2018;Osland and Feher, 2020;Iseli et al., 2023). ...
Climate change and land use transformation are triggering the shift in species ranges, causing tropicalization of temperate floras and consequently impacting the endemic biodiversity of temperate zones. Therefore, early documentation of such floristic changes is essential for implementing effective management strategies to mitigate the loss of endemic biodiversity. Here we report Amaranthus deflexus L. of tropical origin for the first time from the temperate Kashmir Himalaya, India. Based on the sparse plant populations and recent reports, A. deflexus is categorized as a casual alien species for the study region. The taxonomic identification of species was confirmed on the basis of diagnostic floral characters. This study provides a comprehensive micro- and macromorphological description, photographic illustrations, and a comparison of diagnostic characters of A. deflexus with closely related species A. viridis L. and a distribution map to support the scientific validity of the plant record in this Himalayan region.
... Nigeria, for instance, has a similar number of invasive plant species as Brazil, despite having an area that is approximately nine times Invasive non-native species in Brazil: an updated overview smaller (Borokini et al. 2023). Brazil also has fewer invasive plants than south Asia (Gulzar et al. 2023) or Russia (Vinogradova et al. 2018), and about half the number of invasive plants of China (Hao and Ma 2023). However, a different picture emerges for freshwater habitats, with Brazil hosting one of the largest numbers of invasive freshwater species in the world (i.e., Magliozzi et al. 2020;Bernery et al. 2022;Espínola et al. 2022). ...
Invasive non-native species (invasive species, henceforth) across all taxonomic groups are spreading globally, with numbers projected to continue growing in the future. It is difficult for governments and managers to handle this issue when the identity of invasive species or the areas of occurrence of biological invasions are not known. Here, we provide an updated list of invasive animals, plants and algae in Brazil that is fully integrated and based on the same criteria and lexicon to define invasive species across all plant and animal taxa and habitats. We list 444 invasive non-native species: 254 animals, 188 plants and 2 algae. Some of the invasive species have been present in Brazil since the beginning of the European colonization in the 1500 s, but the majority of first records in Brazil were made in the last century, with copious first records after the year 2000. The list of invasive species presented here represents the most comprehensive attempt thus far to catalog all invasive non-native species at a continental-scale for a megadiverse country. Brazil has published a national strategy with the objective of improving mechanisms and partnerships for invasive non-native species prevention, early detection and rapid response. We believe that the current list of invasive species will provide technical and scientific support for the implementation of effective measures in the management of biological invasions.
... The dominance of perennials in the floras has also been reported at local and regional scales (Grierson and Long 1983;Press et al. 2000;Singh et al. 2015;Wang et al. 2015;Gulzar et al. 2022;Wani et al. 2022;Khuroo et al. 2023). The perennial plants are better adapted to endure harsh environmental conditions (intense cold, severe winds, and rocky terrains, short growing season), long-term survival, and clonal strategies in their life cycle (Press et al. 2000;Singh et al. 2015Singh et al. , 2019Wani et al. 2022;Gulzar et al. 2024;Khuroo et al. 2021Khuroo et al. , 2023. ...
In an era of global environmental change, empirical synthesis of biodiversity data across geographic scales and taxonomic groups is urgently required. Recently, with an upsurge in data synthesis, substantial progress has been made in making massive biodiversity data available on a global scale. However, most of these databases lack sufficient geographic coverage, particularly from biodiversity hotspot regions of developing countries. Here, we present a comprehensive and curated plant database of the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) – home to two global biodiversity hotspots. The database, currently comprising 11,743 native plant species, has been collated from an extensive quantitative synthesis of 324 floristic studies published between 1872 and 2022. Based on this database, we investigate the patterns of species richness, distribution, life-history traits, endemic and threat status of the native flora of the IHR, and the results revealed that these patterns vary considerably among the 12 states of the IHR. Sikkim harbours the highest number of plant species (5090), followed by Arunachal Pradesh (4907). We found a total of 1123 species (ca. 10%) endemic to India and 157 threatened species occurring in the IHR. The life-history traits (growth form and lifespan) were unequally represented between the Himalaya and the Indo-Burma hotspots. We found herbs as the dominant growth form across the IHR. Also, maximum species similarity was found between Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh (Cs = 0.66), and minimum between the former and Meghalaya (Cs = 0.13). Overall, our study represents a significant step forward in filling the knowledge gaps from the global biodiversity hotspots in India, with immense management and policy implications.
... Invasive alien plant species are considered hazardous to global biodiversity, ecosystem dynamics, and human livelihood [1]. The spread of these species has been gradual, encompassing all biomes globally [2], and is projected to persevere harshly in invaded ecosystems in the long run [3]. Invasive alien plants have hindered the advancement towards several United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals [4] because of the multifaceted and complex economic implications they perpetuate. ...
Invasive alien plant species are a problem to global biodiversity, ecosystem dynamics, and human livelihood. The risks and potential effects of invasive alien species on local vegetation are growing, particularly the potential loss of ecological services. Thus, this study aimed to synthesise the impacts of acacia 'species' on soil physicochemical properties in South Africa. A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework for conducting a systematic review was followed. A total of 16 studies that met the study selection criteria were used. Data were extracted and evaluated by checking if any soil physicochemical parameters increased (+) or decreased (−) the impacts on invaded and cleared soils. The results showed increased quantities of soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and gravimetric water content in invaded soil than in cleared soil. Acacia species generally positively improved the soil's physical and chemical properties during their invasion, and some minor changes may occur after their clearance, such as a decrease in cations. The results of this study only explain how acacias affect soil physical and chemical properties in three provinces; therefore, there need to be more studies from other provinces which could have further given insights into a particular region.
The Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is a recently signed protocol by the conference of the parties (COP 15) with an aim to protect biodiversity from risks imposed by biological threats such as invasive alien species (IAS). The present work is an effort to meet target 6 of GBF which directly deals with IAS by assessing the current and future distribution of Ageratum species in regions of the Eastern Ghats of India. Prediction of Ageratum distribution was done based on greenhouse gas emission levels, namely RCP 4.5, 6.0 and 8.5 for the climatic years 2030, 2050 and 2080. Of a total of 23 environmental parameters (19 bioclimatic, 1 land use land cover (LULC) and 3 topographic) seven were selected for species distribution modeling (SDM) considering value inflation factor (VIF) scores <3 by using maximum entropy. In the current climatic scenario, 40.09% of the geographical area (TGA) is covered by Ageratum species which will reach 76.51%, 77.44%, 82.58% for RCP 4.5, 6.0 and 8.5 respectively by the end of 2100. Both the AUC value (0.884) and Jackknife test have shown a good model performance. The Eastern Ghats, being a biodiversity-rich zone, needs efficient conservation and management strategies to decrease the extent of invaded areas to maximize biodiversity returns.
Invasive alien species are currently considered as one of the dominant drivers of global environmental change. Till now, the majority of studies have focused on single or a few traits of alien species that facilitate their invasion. Also inclusion of all the traits which determine the transition of aliens along the different stages of invasion continuum (casual, naturalised and invasive) has remained largely overlooked. In this study, we collected a comprehensive trait dataset on 144 alien plant species of Kashmir Himalaya – a global biodiversity hotspot region. To test which traits of alien species, individually or in combination along with anthropogenic factors, determine their transition along the invasion continuum, we employed chi-square tests, boosted regression trees and phylogenetic methods. We found the perennial lifespan, longer residence time, greater number of introduced regions, and better seed dispersal mechanism were critical in determining the transition from casual to naturalised. The herbaceous growthform (therophytes), annual lifespan, achene fruit, longer residence time and broader introduced range were the species’ traits determining transition from naturalised to invasive. Aliens introduced as ornamentals have more propensity to become naturalised; whereas aliens introduced unintentionally show overrepresentation at the invasive stage. Phylogeny alone showed mixed results indicating both clustering and dispersion; however in combination with other traits, it plays a significant role in determining the stage of invasion. Overall, our results disentangle the individual and interactive roles of multiple traits that determine the transition of alien species’ along the invasion continuum. Further, we foresee the potential applicability of our findings in designing robust invasion risk analysis protocols and stage-specific invasion management strategies in this Himalayan region, with learnings for elsewhere in the world.
