Trees and shrubs as invasive alien species – a global review

@article{Richardson2011TreesAS,
  title={Trees and shrubs as invasive alien species – a global review},
  author={David M. Richardson and Marcel Rejm{\'a}nek},
  journal={Diversity and Distributions},
  year={2011},
  volume={17}
}
Aim  Woody plants were not widely considered to be important invasive alien species until fairly recently. Thousands of species of trees and shrubs have, however, been moved around the world. Many species have spread from planting sites, and some are now among the most widespread and damaging of invasive organisms. This article presents a global list of invasive alien trees and shrubs. It discusses taxonomic biases, geographical patterns, modes of dispersal, reasons for introductions and key… 

Temperate trees and shrubs as global invaders: the relationship between invasiveness and native distribution depends on biological traits

It is revealed that tall woody plants flowering early in the season, and occupying many grid cells in the native range are significantly more likely to become successful invaders than species not possessing these traits, which indicates that the effect of the regional frequency is generic, valid across all woody species, and fine-tuned by advantageous biological traits inherited from common ancestors.

Impact of an invasive tree on arthropod assemblages in woodlots isolated within an intensive agricultural landscape

Landscape simplification and the spread of invasive species are considered beyond the main threats to global biodiversity. It is well recognized that non‐crop habitats bring complexity to farmland

Introduced and invasive cactus species: a global review

The invasive taxa represent an interesting subset of the total pool: they occur in two of the three major phylogenetic clades and in 13 of the 130 cactus genera, they possess five of the 12 cactus growth forms, and they tend to have larger native ranges.

Prosopis: a global assessment of the biogeography, benefits, impacts and management of one of the world's worst woody invasive plant taxa

There is need for more research to improve understanding and management success and for countries to develop strategic plants to guide managed in the future.

Invasive plants and invaded ecosystems in Australia: implications for biodiversity

This work investigates the origins of Australia’s exotic plant flora, assess their economic and ecological impact and discusses the processes by which these species become successful invaders, including the competing theories about how species make the transition along the ‘invasion continuum’.

Different Traits Determine Introduction, Naturalization and Invasion Success In Woody Plants: Proteaceae as a Test Case

While some traits showed a consistent influence at introduction, naturalization and invasion, others appear to be influential at one stage only, and some have contrasting effects at different stages, Trait-based analyses need to consider different invasion stages separately.

More widespread alien tree species do not have larger impacts on regeneration of native tree species in a tropical forest reserve

No relationship between the extent of spread of an alien tree species and their impact on seed germination, seedling survival, and seedling communities of native trees in their understory is found, and no indication that allelochemicals consistently explain their effects on recruitment of the studied species is found.

The global distribution of bamboos: assessing correlates of introduction and invasion

Bamboos are one of the most economically important plant groups globally, but this world-wide trade creates risks of invasions, so the recent upsurge in bamboo cultivation could pose future invasion risks.

An impact assessment of alien invasive plants in South Africa generally dispersed by native avian species

Invasive alien plant species have been identified as a major threat to biodiversity and the relationship with native avian dispersers may increase their invasion potential. The impact of invasive

A tree well travelled: global genetic structure of the invasive tree Acacia saligna

Invasiveness of an introduced species in one region is often used to predict risk and inform management of the same species elsewhere. This assumes that entities in both regions are equivalent in
...

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 191 REFERENCES

A taxonomic, biogeographical and ecological overview of invasive woody plants

It is shown that invasive woody plant species may be either insect or wind-pollinated, have a wide array of fruit types, fruit and seed sizes, number of seeds per fruit and dispersal agents, and it is not yet possible to determine which set of attributes favours invasiveness and therefore it is difficult to make predictions.

Invasive alien plants infiltrate bird‐mediated shrub nucleation processes in arid savanna

Abundance of fleshy-fruited alien species in the natural savanna was positively correlated with the number of individuals of those species planted in the grounds of the military base, while the species richness of alien Fleshy-Fruited taxa decreased with distance from themilitary base, supporting the notion that propagule pressure is a fundamental driver of invasions.

Forestry Trees as Invasive Aliens

There is an urgent need to integrate the various means available for reducing the negative impacts of current invaders and to implement protocols to regulate the translocation of species that are known to be invasive.

Impacts of alien plant invasions on species richness in Mediterranean-type ecosystems: a meta-analysis

A meta-analysis of studies in Mediterranean-type ecosystems to examine whether invasion of alien plant species indeed causes a reduction in the number of native plant species at different spatial and temporal scales confirms a significant decline in native species richness attributable to alien invasions.

The outcome of alien tree invasions in Puerto Rico

Invasive alien tree species in Puerto Rico often form monospecific stands on deforested lands that were previously used for agriculture and then abandoned. Most native pioneer species are incapable

Why forests appear resistant to exotic plant invasions: intentional introductions, stand dynamics, and the role of shade tolerance

This review reveals that in temperate and tropical regions around the world, at least 139 exotic plant species are known to have invaded deeply shaded forest understories that have not undergone substantial disturbance, and that anthropogenic processes can be expected to accelerate the rate of invasion.

A proposed classification of invasive alien plant species in South Africa: towards prioritizing species and areas for management action.

The derivation of lists that contain 117 major invaders and 84 emerging invaders are described, providing a useful means for prioritizing species for a range of management interventions at national, regional and local scales.

PINES AS INVASIVE ALIENS: OUTLOOK ON TRANSGENIC PINE PLANTATIONS IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE

The genetic diversity in introduced versus native pine populations is considered and the potential for transgene escape from pine plantations in the Southern Hemisphere is examined, and the extent to which inherent invasiveness of transgenic pines will differ will depend on the properties conferred by the transgenes, but differences could be substantial.

The evolution and phylogenetic placement of invasive Australian Acacia species

The phylogenetic relationships of the invasive species in relation to the genus Acacia are investigated to provide a framework for studying the evolution of traits that make Acacia species such successful invaders and could assist in screening other species for invasive potential.

The benefits and potential risks of woody legume introductions.

Wood members of the Leguminosae are being introduced and planted as exotics on an unprecedented scale throughout the tropics, and it is shown that some woody legumes exhibit particularly aggressive combinations of frequent early flowering, successful seed dispersal and seed longevity.
...