Alien invasion strain drivers#
Alien invasion strain driver#

elaeagnifoliumвЂ™s invasion in the Mediterranean Basin and Europe.

Thessaloniki in Northern Greece was the starting point of S. It is a noxious, deep-rooting weed native to northeastern Mexico and southwestern USA, and probably also Argentina. Therefore, it is considered as a pest recommended for regulation. (Solanaceae) is one of the worst invasive alien plants in the Mediterranean Basin, and it is invasive worldwide, especially in Mediterranean-type climate zones of South Africa and Australia, as well as in subtropical Africa, South Asia and Oceania, mainly due to its dispersal ability, impacts and resistance to control. Such knowledge will allow the prediction of areas that are susceptible to the introduction and establishment of the invasive species, and is essential to prevent the negative consequences of invasive species overall. However, as there are many different invasive plant species, each with its own requirements, species-specific knowledge is needed regarding the patterns of invasion and the underlying drivers. On the other hand, land use may incorporate numerous different activities such as agriculture, grazing, forest management, industry, urbanization, etc., and each of them may have different impacts on invasive-species performance. Similarly, frequency and/or severity of human-induced disturbances can either promote or reduce invadersвЂ™ establishment.

Alien invasion strain driver#

For instance, it is not known whether land use per se or change of land uses can be considered as the driver of invasion.

Alien invasion strain drivers#

Numerous environmental drivers of invasions can also be perceived as effects of invasions due to the fact that in many cases, no clear and coherent separation can be made between causes and effects of invasions. Land use, disturbance and climate have been identified as general driving factors of plant invasions. Preventative measures and integrative initiatives should be implemented quickly, and urgently incorporated into current agricultural, road network and conservation-management regimes. elaeagnifolium and highlights the urgent need for its widespread monitoring, at least in the noninvaded areas in Greece that have been surveyed in this study. Our study elucidates the current invasion pattern of S. elaeagnifolium is associated with (i) higher maximum temperatures and precipitation in summer and low precipitation in winter, as well as with (ii) soil disturbance related to agricultural activities, settlements and road networks, thus facilitating its spread mainly at low altitudes. Our study revealed that the presence of S. elaeagnifolium increased by 1750% during the last decades, doubling its main distribution centers and reaching higher elevations. Compared to previous records, our survey showed that the range of S. These data were linked in GIS with (i) physical environmental attributes (elevation, climate, soil properties) and (ii) type and intensity of human-related activities (land uses, settlements and road type). To identify environmental and human-related drivers of the invasion of Solanum elaeagnifolium (Solanaceae)-one of the worst alien invasive plants worldwide-we conducted an extensive drive-by survey across the Greek territory (presence/absence data all national major multilane highways 12вЂ“25% of the remaining road network driven 3вЂ“5 times during 2000вЂ“2020). Invasive alien plant species have impacts on nature conservation, ecosystem services and agricultural production.