Similar factors underlie tree abundance in forests in native and alien ranges

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

  • Masha T. van der Sande
  • Helge Bruelheide
  • Wayne Dawson
  • Jürgen Dengler
  • Franz Essl
  • Richard Field
  • Mark van Kleunen
  • Holger Kreft
  • Joern Pagel
  • Jan Pergl
  • Oliver Purschke
  • Petr Pyšek
  • Patrick Weigelt
  • Marten Winter
  • Fabio Attorre
  • Isabelle Aubin
  • Erwin Bergmeier
  • Milan Chytrý
  • Matteo Dainese
  • Michele De Sanctis
  • Jaime Fagundez
  • Valentin Golub
  • Greg R. Guerin
  • Alvaro G. Gutiérrez
  • Ute Jandt
  • Florian Jansen
  • Borja Jiménez-Alfaro
  • Jens Kattge
  • Elizabeth Kearsley
  • Stefan Klotz
  • Koen Kramer
  • Marco Moretti
  • Ülo Niinemets
  • Robert K. Peet
  • Josep Penuelas
  • Petr Petřík
  • Peter B. Reich
  • Brody Sandel
  • Marco Schmidt
  • Maria Sibikova
  • Cyrille Violle
  • Timothy J.S. Whitfeld
  • Thomas Wohlgemuth
  • Tiffany M. Knight

Aim: Alien plant species can cause severe ecological and economic problems, and therefore attract a lot of research interest in biogeography and related fields. To identify potential future invasive species, we need to better understand the mechanisms underlying the abundances of invasive tree species in their new ranges, and whether these mechanisms differ between their native and alien ranges. Here, we test two hypotheses: that greater relative abundance is promoted by (a) functional difference from locally co-occurring trees, and (b) higher values than locally co-occurring trees for traits linked to competitive ability. Location: Global. Time period: Recent. Major taxa studied: Trees. Methods: We combined three global plant databases: sPlot vegetation-plot database, TRY plant trait database and Global Naturalized Alien Flora (GloNAF) database. We used a hierarchical Bayesian linear regression model to assess the factors associated with variation in local abundance, and how these relationships vary between native and alien ranges and depend on species’ traits. Results: In both ranges, species reach highest abundance if they are functionally similar to co-occurring species, yet are taller and have higher seed mass and wood density than co-occurring species. Main conclusions: Our results suggest that light limitation leads to strong environmental and biotic filtering, and that it is advantageous to be taller and have denser wood. The striking similarities in abundance between native and alien ranges imply that information from tree species’ native ranges can be used to predict in which habitats introduced species may become dominant.

Original languageEnglish
JournalGlobal Ecology and Biogeography
Volume29
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)281-294
Number of pages14
ISSN1466-822X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.02.2020
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Authors. Global Ecology and Biogeography published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd

DOI

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