Acacia dealbata invasion in Chile: Surprises from climatic niche and species distribution models.

ABSTRACT:

Aim

Tree invasions are a threat to biodiversity conservation, and although it is hard to predict the future spread of invasive tree species, there are tools available which could allow some estimations. The magnitude of spatial spread (a proxy of invasiveness) can be predicted from species climatic requirement (climatic niche) and can be represented by species distribution models (SDMs). We aimed to assess whether Acacia dealbata conserves its niche in the new environment of south-central Chile, and also, to estimate the invasive stage of the species.

Location

South-central area of Chile, between the O'Higgins (34°0″0'S) and Aysen Regions (47°0″0'S).

Methods

We used a combination of global, native, and regional data to improve the estimation of the potential di

SUBMITTER: Langdon B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6635919 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature