Abstract

EcologyVolume 89, Issue 6 p. 1541-1553 Article SEPARATING HABITAT INVASIBILITY BY ALIEN PLANTS FROM THE ACTUAL LEVEL OF INVASION Milan Chytrý, Corresponding Author Milan Chytrý [email protected] Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-611 37 Brno, Czech Republic E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorVojtěch Jarošík, Vojtěch Jarošík Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ-128 01 Praha 2, Czech Republic Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, CZ-252 43 Průhonice, Czech RepublicSearch for more papers by this authorPetr Pyšek, Petr Pyšek Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ-128 01 Praha 2, Czech Republic Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, CZ-252 43 Průhonice, Czech RepublicSearch for more papers by this authorOndřej Hájek, Ondřej Hájek Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-611 37 Brno, Czech RepublicSearch for more papers by this authorIlona Knollová, Ilona Knollová Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-611 37 Brno, Czech RepublicSearch for more papers by this authorLubomír Tichý, Lubomír Tichý Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-611 37 Brno, Czech RepublicSearch for more papers by this authorJiří Danihelka, Jiří Danihelka Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-611 37 Brno, Czech Republic Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Poříčí 3a, CZ-603 00 Brno, Czech RepublicSearch for more papers by this author Milan Chytrý, Corresponding Author Milan Chytrý [email protected] Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-611 37 Brno, Czech Republic E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorVojtěch Jarošík, Vojtěch Jarošík Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ-128 01 Praha 2, Czech Republic Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, CZ-252 43 Průhonice, Czech RepublicSearch for more papers by this authorPetr Pyšek, Petr Pyšek Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ-128 01 Praha 2, Czech Republic Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, CZ-252 43 Průhonice, Czech RepublicSearch for more papers by this authorOndřej Hájek, Ondřej Hájek Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-611 37 Brno, Czech RepublicSearch for more papers by this authorIlona Knollová, Ilona Knollová Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-611 37 Brno, Czech RepublicSearch for more papers by this authorLubomír Tichý, Lubomír Tichý Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-611 37 Brno, Czech RepublicSearch for more papers by this authorJiří Danihelka, Jiří Danihelka Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-611 37 Brno, Czech Republic Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Poříčí 3a, CZ-603 00 Brno, Czech RepublicSearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 June 2008 https://doi.org/10.1890/07-0682.1Citations: 299 Corresponding Editor: P. Alpert. Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Abstract Habitats vary considerably in the level of invasion (number or proportion of alien plant species they contain), which depends on local habitat properties, propagule pressure, and climate. To determine the invasibility (susceptibility to invasions) of different habitats, it is necessary to factor out the effects of any confounding variables such as propagule pressure and climate on the level of invasion. We used 20 468 vegetation plots from 32 habitats in the Czech Republic to compare the invasibility of different habitats. Using regression trees, the proportion of alien plants, including archaeophytes (prehistoric to medieval invaders) and neophytes (recent invaders), was related to variables representing habitat properties, propagule pressure, and climate. The propagule pressure was expressed as the proportion of surrounding urban and industrial or agricultural land, human population density, distance from a river, and history of human colonization in the region. Urban and industrial land use had a positive effect on the proportion of both archaeophytes and neophytes. Agricultural land use, higher population density, and longer history of human impact positively affected the proportion of archaeophytes. Disturbed human-made habitats with herbaceous vegetation were most invaded by both groups of aliens. Neophytes were also relatively common in disturbed woody vegetation, such as broad-leaved plantations, forest clearings, and riverine scrub. These habitats also had the highest proportion of aliens after removing the effect of propagule pressure and climate, indicating that they are not only the most invaded, but also most invasible. These habitats experience recurrent disturbances and are rich, at least temporarily, in available nutrients, which supports the hypothesis that fluctuating resources are the major cause of habitat invasibility. The least invaded habitats were mires and alpine-subalpine grasslands and scrub. After removing the effect of propagule pressure and climate, some habitats actually invaded at an intermediate level had very low proportions of aliens. This indicates that these habitats (e.g., dry, wet, and saline grasslands, base-rich fens, and broad-leaved deciduous woodlands) are resistant to invasion. Citing Literature Volume89, Issue6June 2008Pages 1541-1553 RelatedInformation