Alien Plant Diversity in Mediterranean Wetlands: A Comparative Study within Valencian, Balearic and Sardinian Floras
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha46210470Keywords:
continent, environmental impact, invasions, islands, non-native plants, waterAbstract
Although wetlands provide an important range of environmental, social and economic services, they are increasingly subjected to anthropogenic perturbations, amongst which invasion by alien plants is particularly alarming. This paper focuses on the alien flora of wetlands from three territories belonging to the western Mediterranean area: one continental (Valencian Community) and two insular (Balearic Islands and Sardinia), providing a complete checklist for the three territories and a general comparison. In total, 380 alien taxa from 89 families have been reported, being the Valencian Community the area richer in taxa (312), followed by the Balearic Islands (151) and Sardinia (134). The invasive component includes 77 taxa, of which nine are common to the three territories - and have been recognised as the most invasive ones in Mediterranean islands - and six are considered invasive worldwide (Ailanthus altissima, Arundo donax, Cortaderia selloana, Oxalis pes-caprae, Ricinus communis and Eichhornia crassipes). Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) revealed that the three territories do not show statistically relevant differences in relation to the alien species present in wetlands and their characteristics. The information on the characteristics of plants in similar habitats of the same biogeographic region provides a portrait of the current dimensions of the phenomenon in Western Mediterranean wetlands and is especially useful from the management perspective: its predictive value can be applied in establishing a prioritization of control measures of those most invasive species and will help screening new introductions with invasive potential.
References
Aguiar FCF, Ferreira MT (2013). Plant invasions in the rivers of the Iberian Peninsula, south-western Europe: A review. Plant Biosystems 147:1107-1119.
Arianoutsou M, Delipetrou P, Celesti-Grapow L, Basnou, C, Bazos I, Kokkoris Y, Blasi C, Vila M (2010). Comparing naturalized alien plants and recipient habitats across an east-west gradient in the Mediterranean Basin. Journal of Biogeography 37:1811-1823.
Bacchetta G, Mascia F, Mayoral O, Podda L (2008). Dati preliminari sulla flora aliena delle aree umide della Sardegna (Italia) [Preliminary data on the alien flora of wetlands of Sardinia (Italy)]. Memorie Società Italiana Scienze Naturali e Museo Civico Storia Naturale di Milano 36:41.
Bacchetta G, Mayoral O, Podda L (2009a). Catálogo de la flora exótica de Cerdeña (Italia) [Checklist of the alien flora of Sardinia (Italy)]. Flora Montiberica 41:35-61.
Bacchetta G, Dettori CA, Donat-Torres MP, Mascia F, Mayoral O, Podda L, Silveyra R (2009b). Comparación de la flora vascular exótica de zonas húmedas de la Comunidad Valenciana (España) y Cerdeña (Italia) [Comparison of the alien vascular flora of wetlands of the Valencian Community (Spain) and Sardinia (Italy)]. “EEI 2009” III Congreso Nacional sobre Especies Exóticas Invasoras. (24-27 November, Zaragoza, Spain). 42 Ed GEI León, Spain.
Bacchetta G, Dettori CA, Mascia F, Meloni F, Podda L (2010). Assessing the potential invasiveness of Cortaderia selloana in Sardinian wetlands through seed germination study. Plant Biosystems 144:518-527.
Barrett SCH (1989). Waterweed invasions. Scientific American 261:90-97.
Benzécri JP (1979). Sur le calcul des taux d’inertie dans l’analyse d’un questionnaire [On the calculation of the rates of inertia in the analysis of a questionnaire]. Cahiers de l’Analyse des Données 4:377-378.
Brundu G, Stinca A, Angius L, Bonanomi G, Celesti-Grapow L, D'Auria G, Griffo R, Migliozzi A, Motti R, Spigno P (2012). Pistia stratiotes L. and Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms.: emerging invasive alien hydrophytes in Campania and Sardinia (Italy). EPPO Bulletin 42:568-579.
Brunel S (2009). Pathway analysis: aquatic plants imported in 10 EPPO countries. EPPO Bulletin 39: 201-213.
CABI (2016). Invasive Species Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. Retrieved 2017 January 02 from www.cabi.org/isc.
Carlton JT (1996). Biological invasions and cryptogenic species. Ecology 77:1653-1655.
Carpenter SR, Cottingham KL (1997). Resilience and restoration of lakes. Conservation Ecology 1:2. http://www.consecol.org/vol1/iss1/art2/.
Castroviejo S et al. (Eds) (1986-2017). Flora iberica. Real Jardín Botánico Madrid. CSIC. Madrid.
Celesti-Grapow L, Pretto F, Carli E, Blasi C (Eds) (2010). Non-native and invasive vascular flora of the regions of Italy. Casa Editrice. Università La Sapienza, Roma, Italy.
Chase MW, Reveal JL (2009). A phylogenetic classification of the land plants to accompany APG III. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 161:122-127.
Christenhusz MJM, Zhang XC, Schneider H (2011a). A linear sequence of extant families and genera of lycophytes and ferns. Phytotaxa 19:7-54.
Christenhusz MJM, Reveal JL, Farjon A, Gardner MF, Mill RR, Chase MW (2011b). A new classification and linear sequence of extant gymnosperms. Phytotaxa 19:55-70.
Chytrý M, Maskell LC, Pino J, Pysek P, Vila M, Font X, Smart SM (2008). Habitat invasions by alien plants: a quantitative comparison among Mediterranean, subcontinental and oceanic regions of Europe. Journal of Applied Ecology 45:448-458.
Chytry M, Pysek P, Wild J, Pino J, Maskell LC, Vila M (2009). European map of alien plant invasions based on the quantitative assessment across habitats. Diversity and Distributions 15:98-107.
Constan SD (2012). Ecologia de la especies invasora Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle. Bases para su control y erradicacion en Espacios Naturales Protegidos [Ecology of the invasive species Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle. Bases for their control and eradication in Protected Natural Spaces]. PhD thesis, Universitat d’Alacant. Alicante.
Costa JA, Neto C, Capelo J, Lousa M, Rivas-Martinez S (2011). A global view on the riparian forests with Salix neotricha and Populus alba in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain). Plant Biosystems 145:553-569.
Crawley MJ, Harvey PH, Purvis A (1996). Comparative ecology of the native and alien floras of the British Isles. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 351:1251-1259.
Cronk JK, Fennessy MS (2001). Wetland Plants: Biology and Ecology. CRC Press/Lewis Publishers. Boca Raton, Florida, USA.
Daehler CC (2006). Invasibility of tropical islands: partitioning the influence of isolation and propagule pressure. Preslia 78:389-404.
DAISIE (2014). Delivering Alien Invasive Species Inventories for Europe. Retrieved 2017 January 20 from http://www.europe-aliens.org.
Ditomaso JM (2003). Aquatic and Riparian Weeds of the West. Collingdale, DIANE Publishing Company.
Domènech R, Vila M (2008). Response of the invader Cortaderia selloana and two coexisting natives to competition and water stress. Biological Invasions 10:903-912.
Ervin G, Smothers M, Holly C, Anderson C, Linville J (2006). Relative importance of wetland type versus anthropogenic activities in determining site invisibility. Biological Invasions 8:1425-1432.
Euro+Med (2006-onwards). Euro+Med PlantBase - the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. Retrieved 2016 September 20 from http://ww2.bgbm.org/EuroPlusMed.
Genovesi P (2007). Towards a European Strategy to halt biological invasions in inland waters. In: Biological Invaders in Inland Waters: Profiles, Distribution and Threats. Vol 2 (Gherardi F - Ed). Invanding Nature-Springer Series in Invasion Ecology (Drake J - Ed). University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.
Gitay H, Finlayson CM, Davidson N (2011). A Framework for assessing the vulnerability of wetlands to climate change. Ramsar Convention Secretariat. Gland, Switzerland.
Gómez-Serrano MA, Mayoral O (2001). Elaboración de un estudio aplicado al control de plantas invasoras en la Comunidad Valenciana. Conselleria de Medi Ambient. Generalitat Valenciana. Valencia, Spain.
Gómez-Serrano MA, Mayoral O (2003). Caracterización de la flora naturalizada en un ambiente Mediterráneo [Characterization of the naturalized flora in a Mediterranean environment]. In: I Congreso Nacional sobre especies exóticas invasoras “EEI 2003”, Serie Técnica N.1. (ed. G.E.I.) 4-7 June 2003, León, Spain 192-197.
Gritti ES, Smith B, Sykes T (2006). Vulnerability of Mediterranean Basin ecosystems to climate change and invasion by exotic plant species. Journal of Biogeography 33:145-157.
Hood WG, Naiman RJ (2000). Vulnerability of riparian zones to invasion by exotic vascular plants. Plant Ecology 148:105-114.
Hulme PE, Brundu G, Camarda I, Dalias P, Lambdon P, Lloret F, … Vila M (2008). Assessing the risks to Mediterranean islands ecosystems from alien plant introductions. In: Plant invasions: human perception, ecological impacts and management. Tokarska-Guzik B (Ed). Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, The Netherlands pp 39-56.
Hussner A (2009). Growth and photosynthesis of four invasive aquatic plant species in Europe. Weed Research 49:506-515.
Hussner A (2012). Alien aquatic plant species in European countries. Weed Research 52:297-306.
Keller RP, Geist J, Jeschke JM, Kühn I (2011). Invasive species in Europe: ecology, status, and policy. Environmental Sciences Europe 23:23.
Keller RP, Perrings C (2011). International policy options for reducing the environmental impacts of invasive species. BioScience 61(12):1005-1012.
Laguna E, Ferrer PP, Collado F, Vizcaíno A (2009). Primera cita de Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd. (Poaceae) en la Comunitat Valenciana [First record of Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd. (Poaceae) in the Comunitat Valenciana]. Studia Botanica 28:175-178.
Leopold LB, Wolman MG, Miller JP (1964). Fluvial processes in geomorphology. Dover Publications, Inc, New York.
Lonsdale M (1999). Global patterns of plant invasions and the concept of invasibility. Ecology 80:1522-1536.
Lloret F, Médail F, Brundu G, Mus M, Hulme PE (2004). Local and regional abundance of exotic plant species on Mediterranean islands: are species traits important? Global Ecology and Biogeography 13:37-45.
Mayoral O, Donat-Torres MP, Jiménez MJ (2012). ¿Está desplazando Cortaderia selloana a Erianthus ravennae en los humedales de la Comunidad Valenciana? Consideraciones sobre sus tasas de germinación [Is Cortaderia selloana (Schult. & Schult. F.) Asch. & Graebn. displacing Erianthus ravennae (L.) Beauv. in the wetlands of the Valencian Community? Considerations on their germination rates]. 4º Congreso Nacional sobre Especies Exóticas Invasoras (EEI 2012). (10-11 September 2012, Pontevedra, Spain). Notas Científicas. Ed. G.E.I., León, Spain pp 117-119.
Meehl GA, Tebali C (2004). More intense, more frequent, and longer lasting heat waves in the 21st Century. Science 305 (5686):994-997.
Miller C, Kettunen M, Shine C (2006). Scope options for EU action on invasive alien species (IAS). Final report for the European Commission. Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), Brussels.
Mittermeier RA, Robles Gil P, Hoffman M, Pilgrim J, Brooks T, Goettsch Mittermeier C, Lamoreux J, Da Fonseca GAB (2005). Hotspots revisited: earth’s biologically richest and most endangered terrestrial ecoregions. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, USA.
Moragues E, Rita J (2005). Els vegetals introduïts a les Illes Balears [Introduced plants in the Balearic Islands]. Documents tècnics de conservaciò, IIa època, núm. 11. Govern de les Illes Balears, Conselleria de Medi Ambient, Palma.
Myers N, Mittermeier RA, Mittermeier CG, Da Fonseca GAB, Kent J (2000). Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403:853-858.
Pignatti S (1982). Flora d’Italia 1-3. Edagricole. Bologna.
Pino J, Gassó N, Vila M, Sol D (2008). Regiones y hábitats más invadidos [Most invaded regions and habitats]. In: Vila M, Valladares F, Traveset A, Santamaría L, Castro P (Coord.) Invasiones Biológicas. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). Madrid.
Podda L, Fraga i Arguimbau P, Mayoral O, Mascia F, Bacchetta G (2010). Comparación de la flora exótica vascular en sistemas de islas continentales: Cerdeña (Italia) y Baleares (España) [Comparison of the vascular exotic flora in continental islands: Sardinia (Italy) and Balearic Islands (Spain)]. Anales del Jardín Botánico de Madrid 67:157-176.
Podda L, Fraga i Arguimbau P, Mascia F, Mayoral O, Bacchetta G (2011). Comparison of the invasive alien flora in continental islands: Sardinia (Italy) and Balearic Islands (Spain). Rendiconti Lincei Science Fisiche e Naturali 22:31-45.
Podda L, Lazzeri V, Mascia F, Mayoral O, Bacchetta G (2012). The checklist of the Sardinian exotic flora: an update. Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca 40:14-21.
Puddu S, Podda L, Mayoral O, Delage A, Hugot L, Petit Y, Bacchetta G (2016). Comparative analysis of the alien vascular flora of Sardinia and Corsica. Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca 44:337-346.
Pysek P, Richardson DM, Rejmánek M, Webster GL, Williamson M, Kirschner J (2004). Alien plants in checklist and floras: towards better communication between taxonomist and ecologists. Taxon 53:131-143.
Pysek P, Jarošík V, Pergl J, Moravcová L, Chytrý M, Kühn I (2014). Temperate trees and shrubs as global invaders: the relationship between invasiveness and native distribution depends on biological traits. Biological Invasions 16:577-589.
Raunkiaer C (1934). The life forms of plants and statistical plant geography. Univ Oxford. Oxford.
RAMSAR (1971). Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat. Ramsar (Iran), 2 February 1971. UN Treaty Series No. 14583. As amended by the Paris Protocol, 3 December 1982, and Regina Amendments, 28 May 1987.
Richardson DM (1998). Forestry Trees as Invasive Aliens. Conservation Biology 12:18-26.
Richardson DM, Pysek P, Carlton JT (2011). A compendium of essential concepts and terminology in biological invasions. In: Fifty years of invasion ecology: the legacy of Charles Elton (ed. DM Richardson) Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing pp 409-420.
Richardson DM, Pysek P, Rejmánek M, Barbour MG, Panetta FD, West CJ (2000). Naturalization and invasion of alien plants: concepts and definitions. Diversity and Distributions 6:93-107.
Richardson M, Hui C, Nuñez MA, Pauchard A (2014). Tree invasions: patterns, processes, challenges and opportunities. Biological invasions 16:473-481.
Rivas-Martínez S (2007). Mapa de series, geoseries y geopermaseries de vegetación de España [Map of series, geoseries and geopermaseries of vegetation in Spain]. Itinera Geobotanica 17:5-436.
Sala OE, Chapin FS, Armesto JJ, Berlow E, Bloomfield J, Dirzo R, … Wall DH (2000). Global biodiversity scenarios for the year 2100. Science 287:1770-1774.
Sanz-Elorza M, Dana ED, Sobrino E (2004). Atlas de las plantas alóctonas invasoras en España [Atlas of invasive alien plants in Spain]. Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Madrid.
Sanz-Elorza M, Guillot D, Deltoro V (2011). La flora alóctona de la Comunidad Valenciana [The non-native flora of the Valencian Community]. Botanica Complutensis 35:97-130.
Sarris D, Koutsias N (2014). Ecological adaptations of plants to drought influencing the recent fire regime in the Mediterranean. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 184:158-169.
SENB-CIEF (2011). Identificación de la especie arbórea invasora Diospyros lotus [Identification of the invasive tree species Diospyros lotus]. Servicio de Espacios Naturales y Biodiversidad (SENB) – Centro para la Investigación y Experimentación Forestal (CIEF), Generalitat Valenciana. Valencia. Retrieved 2017 January 02 from http://bdb.cma.gva.es/webdoc/documento.ashx?id=168460.
Smith VH, Tilman GD, Nekola JC (1999). Nutrient enrichment: impacts of excess nutrient inputs on fresh- water, marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Environmental Pollution 100:179-196.
Stevens PF (2001-onwards). Angiosperm phylogeny website. Retrieved 2016 September 20 from 9http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/.
Strayer DL (2010). Alien species in fresh waters: ecological effects, interaction with other stressors, and prospects for the future. Freshwater Biology 55:152-174.
The Plant List (2013). Version 1. Retrieved 2016 September 20 from http://www.theplantlist.org/.
Vila M, Basnou C, Pysek PM, Josefsson M, Genovesi P, Gollasch S, … DAISIE partners (2009). How well do we understand the impacts of alien species on ecosystem services? A pan-European, cross-taxa assessment. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 8:135-144.
Vila M, Muñoz I (1999). Patterns and correlates of exotic and endemic plant taxa in the Balearic Islands. Ecologia Mediterranea 25:153-161.
Vila M, Valladares F, Traveset A, Santamaría L, Castro P (2008). Invasiones biológicas [Biological invasions]. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid.
Weber E (2003). Invasive plant species of the world. A reference guide to environmental weeds. CABI publishing, Wallingford, UK.
Wilby NJ (2007). Managing invasive aquatic plants: problems and prospects. Aquatic conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 17:659-665.
Downloads
Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2018 Olga MAYORAL, Francesco MASCIA, Lina PODDA, Emilio LAGUNA, Pere FRAGA, Juan RITA, Luca FRIGAU, Gianluigi BACCHETTA
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
License:
Open Access Journal:
The journal allows the author(s) to retain publishing rights without restriction. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author.
.png)
