Spatial patterns of presence, abundance, and richness of invasive woody plants in relation to urbanization in a tropical island setting

《Spatial patterns of presence, abundance, and richness of invasive woody plants in relation to urbanization in a tropical island setting》

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作者: Brenda J. Lowry;John H. Lowry;Karl J. Jarvis;Gunnar Keppel;R.Randolph Thaman;Hans Juergen Boehmer

关键字: Invasive woody plants;Pacific Island countries (PICs);Roadside ecology;Small island developing states;Tropical plant invasions;Urban-Rural gradient

作者单位: School of Geography, Earth Science and Environment, Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment, The University of the South Pacific (USP), Suva, Fiji;School of People, Environment and Planning, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand;Department of Biology, Southern Utah University, Cedar City, Utah, USA;School of Natural and Built Environments, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Campus, Adelaide, SA, Australia;Biodiversity, Macroecology and Biogeography Group, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany;School of Geography, Earth Science and Environment, Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment, The University of the South Pacific (USP), Suva, Fiji;School of People, Environment and Planning, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand;Department of Biology, Southern Utah University, Cedar City, Utah, USA;School of Natural and Built Environments, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Campus, Adelaide, SA, Australia;Biodiversity, Macroecology and Biogeography Group, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany

摘要: Tropical Pacific island countries, many of which are less-developed, are experiencing invasions of alien plant species at rates faster than areas of comparable size elsewhere. In this paper we examine the relationship between the presence, abundance, and richness of 14 invasive woody plant (IWP) species and level of urbanization and road type in the Greater Suva Urban Area (GSUA), Fiji. One hundred and fifty-four sample locations within a 29 km transect traversing urban, peri-urban and rural land sectors on local, collector and arterial roads were surveyed. We analyzed the 14 species for frequency of occurrence across the urban-rural gradient and found spatial patterns of IWP presence differed by species. We analyzed the abundance of seven species using multivariable regression and found abundance was more often influenced by urban-rural sector than road type, though road type had a significant effect for some species. We conclude by offering plausible explanations for differences attributed to modes of dispersal, introduction history and human activities. We include supplementary material providing detailed characterization of biology, ecology, and history of the 14 target species. These findings are expected to help inform risk assessments and management of IWP in other tropical urban-rural gradients, and especially small island developing states.