Niche Dynamics of Alien Plant Species in Mediterranean Europe
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216224%3A14310%2F25%3A00144470" target="_blank" >RIV/00216224:14310/25:00144470 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70379" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70379</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70379" target="_blank" >10.1111/gcb.70379</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Niche Dynamics of Alien Plant Species in Mediterranean Europe
Original language description
Humans have spread plants globally for millennia, inadvertently causing ecological disruptions. Apart from their negative effects, biological invasions provide a unique opportunity to study how species modify their niche when confronted with novel environments. Focusing on the Mediterranean Basin, we assessed (1) which traits influence niche dynamics, and (2) whether niche conservatism or niche shift promotes invasion success. We selected the 80 most widespread alien vascular plant species in Mediterranean Europe and compiled data on their distributions in their native and invaded ranges. We then tested how a species' residence time, biogeographic origin, dispersal ability, functional traits, and intraspecific trait variability (ITV) influence its niche dynamics following invasion. Using already published independent data, we finally assessed whether niche dynamics can explain different dimensions of invasion success (quantified as regional spread or local abundance). We found that niche shifts were common (71% of species) and were mostly driven by species failing to occupy all suitable environments in their invaded range (unfilling), regardless of residence time. Niche unfilling and niche expansion were more important in species with high intraspecific trait variability introduced from non-Mediterranean biomes (temperate or tropical). Niche expansion was also greater in species with long-distance dispersal, a narrow native niche, and bigger seeds. Interestingly, invasion success correlated more with a species' ability to conserve its niche and residence time than with niche expansion. Niche shifts were better predicted by species traits than residence time. For example, high adaptive and acclimatization potential (inferred from high intraspecific trait variability) favored niche shifts in general, and long-distance dispersal favored niche expansion. Understanding how these traits relate to niche dynamics is important since a species' ability to conserve and fill its niche is, in turn, a good predictor of invasion success.
Czech name
—
Czech description
—
Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
—
OECD FORD branch
10619 - Biodiversity conservation
Result continuities
Project
<a href="/en/project/GX19-28491X" target="_blank" >GX19-28491X: Centre for European Vegetation Syntheses (CEVS)</a><br>
Continuities
P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)
Others
Publication year
2025
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
ISSN
1354-1013
e-ISSN
1365-2486
Volume of the periodical
31
Issue of the periodical within the volume
8
Country of publishing house
US - UNITED STATES
Number of pages
11
Pages from-to
„e70379“
UT code for WoS article
001542390500001
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-105012405628