Tolerant species make good invaders
Summary
Being able to predict which plant species will become invasive would help reduce invasion impacts by focusing policy and monitoring efforts on likely invaders. Biologists have tried to identify common traits (e.g. growth rates, reproductive strategies) of invasive plants, but have had little success in predicting new invaders. Higgins and Richardson (2014) found that it isn't so much the specific traits of the plants that predicts invasion, but the tolerance of the plants to a wide range of environmental conditions. Using data on the native ranges of Eucalyptus and Acacia species, they found that species that with broad niches in their native range are more likely to become invasive because they are able to establish across broader geographic areas.
Take home points
The breadth of environmental conditions that species encounter in their native ranges can help predict which species will become invasive and may be more useful to consider than individual species’ traits.
Plant species that can tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions are more likely to become invasive.
Management implications
Prioritize monitoring and preventive management of plant species that can tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions.
Broad climate tolerance is favored in horticultural plants, but also increases the likelihood of invasiveness.
Keywords
Range Expansion; Invasive Plant; Terrestrial Habitat; Model