biological diversity and species richness have been declined throughout the world as a result of human activities. measuring species richness is important in rangeland conservation to evaluate the status and trends of native plant species, detecting non-native species invasion and monitoring rare species. however, heterogeneity in plant distribution makes inventories difficult. in this study tw...

Functional differences between native and exotic species potentially constitute one factor responsible for plant invasion. Differences in trait values between native and exotic invasive species, however, should not be considered fixed and may depend on the context of the comparison. Furthermore, the magnitude of difference between native and exotic species necessary to trigger invasion is unkno...

6 The highlands and mountains of Iceland (defined here as areas located above 400 m a.s.l) are one of the largest remaining wilderness areas in Europe. The present study was aimed to provide the first comprehensive and up-to-date data on non-native plant species from these areas. The study was aimed to answer the following questions: (1) How many non-native vascular plant species inhabit highla...

Seed dispersal is one of the most important mechanisms shaping biodiversity, and animals are one of the key dispersal vectors. Animal seed dispersal can directly or indirectly be altered by invasive organisms through the establishment of new or the disruption of existing seed dispersal interactions. So far it is known for a few gastropod species that they ingest and defecate viable plant seeds ...

Weedy species provide excellent opportunities to examine the process of successful colonization of novel environments. Despite the influence of the sexual system on a variety of processes from reproduction to genetic structure, how the sexual system of species influences weediness has received only limited consideration. We examined the hypothesis that weedy plants have an increased likelihood ...

The aim was to assess patterns of plant diversity in response to elevation and disturbance in a tropical mountain. The study area was located in north-central portion of the Eastern Cordillera of the Ecuadorian Andes, on a road from 1,150 m a.s.l. (Osayacu) to 4,000 (Papallacta). Along a mountain road spanning a wide altitudinal gradient, at 20 elevations we sampled three plots: one at the road...

Potentially, the restoration of native ecosystems could be combined with land application treated municipal wastewater (TMW), reducing TMW discharge into waterbodies. High levels nutrients, pathogens, and other contaminants from can degrade water quality. The onto vegetation reduces nutrient load in bodies may create zones ecological value. However, establishing plants challenging if species ar...

Soil disturbance has been widely recognized as an important factor influencing the structure and dynamics of plant communities. Although soil reworkers were shown to increase habitat complexity and raise the risk of plant invasion, their role in regulating the interactions between native and invasive species remains unclear. We proposed that crab activities, via improving soil nitrogen availabi...

Plant invasions can change soil biota and nutrients in ways that drive subsequent plant communities, particularly when co-invading with belowground mutualists such as ectomycorrhizal fungi. These effects can persist following removal of the invasive plant and, combined with effects of removal per se, influence subsequent plant communities and ecosystem functioning. We used field observations an...