Giant invasive Heracleum persicum: Friend or foe of plant diversity?

ABSTRACT: The impact of invasion on diversity varies widely and remains elusive. Despite the considerable attempts to understand mechanisms of biological invasion, it is largely unknown whether some communities' characteristics promote biological invasion, or whether some inherent characteristics of invaders enable them to invade other communities. Our aims were to assess the impact of one of the massive plant invaders of Scandinavia on vascular plant species diversity, disentangle attributes of invasible and noninvasible communities, and evaluate the relationship between invasibility and genetic diversity of a dominant invader. We studied 56 pairs of Heracleum persicum Desf. ex Fisch.-invaded and noninvaded plots from 12 locations in northern Norway. There was lower native cover, evenness, t

SUBMITTER: Rijal DP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5496559 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature