Non-native species follow people not only along roads but also on trails: results from a multiregional comparison
Abstract ID: 3.11664 | Accepted as Talk | Talk | TBA | TBA
Agustina Barros (1,2)
Eduardo Fuentes-Lillo (3), Valeria Aschero (1), Aníbal Pauchard (3), Maria Alisa Alvarez (1), Ronja Wedegärtner (4), Jan Clavel (5), Jana Müllerová (6), Jan Pergl (7), Michaela Vítková (7), Tereza Klinerová (7), Lohengrin Cavieres (8), Onalenna Gwate (9), Vincent Ralph Clark (9), Marc Achermann (9), Tim Seipel (10), Chloe Meffre (11), Christian Larson (10), Lisa Rew (10), Tomas Arellano (3), Sylvia Haider (12), Franz Essl (13), Stefan Dullinger (14), Shengwei Zong (15), Jonas Lembrechts (5)
(2) Climate Futures, School of Geography, Planning and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania, Churchill Ave, Sandy Bay TAS 7005
(3) Laboratorio de Invasiones Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad de Concepción, Chile, Concepcion, Chile
(4) Fram Project AS, Oslo, Norway, Oslo, Norway
(5) Plants and Ecosystems (PLECO), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium, Antwerp, Belgium
(6) Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí n. L., Faculty of Environment, Ústí n. L., Czech Republic, Ústí n. L., Czech Republic
(7) Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, 252 43 Průhonice, Czech Republic., 252 43 Průhonice, Czech Republic
(8) Departamento de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad de Concepción, Chile, Concepción, Chile
(9) University of the Free State: Qwaqwa Campus, South Africa., Qwaqwa Campus, South Africa
(10) Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Mt, USA, Bozeman, Mt, USA
(11) School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia., Hobart, Tasmania
(12) Vegetation Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation, Institute of Ecology, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Universitätsallee 1, 21335 Lüneburg, Germany, Universitätsallee 1, 21335 Lüneburg, Germany
(13) Division of BioInvasions, Macroecology & Global Change, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria., Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria
(14) Biodiversity Dynamics and Conservation, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria, Rennweg 14, 1030 Vienna, Austria
(15) Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China, Changchun 130024, China.
Mountain ecosystems, known for their unique biodiversity and high levels of endemism, are now facing increasing challenges due to global climate change and human use, which can favor the establishment of non-native plants as well as influence species range shifts. While road construction and motorized traffic are commonly recognized as major vectors for the introduction and spread of non-native plants, the role of outdoor recreational activities, particularly hiking, remains less understood. Hiking trails are key conduits for tourism and provide access to higher elevations, often areas less impacted by plant invasions. Our study aims to investigate the abiotic, biotic, and anthropogenic drivers of non-native plant species distribution along hiking trails, assessing their potential to facilitate the spread of non-native plants into pristine areas and higher elevations. We conducted a multi-regional analysis across nine mountain regions on six continents, employing a standardized sampling design with T-shaped sample sites extending both parallel and perpendicular to trails. Our results show that, at the global scale, abiotic (climatic) factors were the most significant drivers of non-native species presence and richness, while biotic factors were more important for species cover. Although our results showed that anthropogenic factors played a relatively minor role in shaping species distributions compared to previously documented road-based invasions, we found that non-native species were not confined to trail edges, suggesting that off-trail movements by hikers and domestic animals may contribute to the spread of these species into undisturbed environments. These findings highlight the need to consider the broader impacts of hiking and off-trail activities on non-native plant invasions and their potential to influence species range shifts as has been observed previously by roads.
| N/A | ||||||||
|