Integrative Biology Journals

Plant Diversity ›› 2025, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (05): 824-832.DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2024.09.003

• Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Habitat fragmentation differentially affects invasive and native plant diversity in a human-dominated wetland island system

Jinliang Liua,b, Mengyuan Chena, Lu Wanga, Tengteng Liua, Xinjie Jina,b, Fei-Hai Yuc, Yonghua Zhanga,b   

  1. a. College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, China;
    b. Institute for Eco-environmental Research of Sanyang Wetland, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325014, Zhejiang, China;
    c. Institute of Wetland Ecology & Clone Ecology/Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation, Taizhou University, Taizhou 318000, Zhejiang, China
  • Received:2024-06-02 Revised:2024-09-04 Online:2025-09-29 Published:2025-09-29
  • Contact: Yonghua Zhang,E-mail:zhangyhua@wzu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    This study was supported by the National Key R&D program (2023YFE0124900), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32271606), and the Research Project of Wenzhou Ecological Park Management Committee (SY2022ZD-1001-03).

Habitat fragmentation differentially affects invasive and native plant diversity in a human-dominated wetland island system

Jinliang Liua,b, Mengyuan Chena, Lu Wanga, Tengteng Liua, Xinjie Jina,b, Fei-Hai Yuc, Yonghua Zhanga,b   

  1. a. College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, China;
    b. Institute for Eco-environmental Research of Sanyang Wetland, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325014, Zhejiang, China;
    c. Institute of Wetland Ecology & Clone Ecology/Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation, Taizhou University, Taizhou 318000, Zhejiang, China
  • 通讯作者: Yonghua Zhang,E-mail:zhangyhua@wzu.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:
    This study was supported by the National Key R&D program (2023YFE0124900), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32271606), and the Research Project of Wenzhou Ecological Park Management Committee (SY2022ZD-1001-03).

Abstract: Managing invasive species requires identifying the factors that determine alien species invasion success. This study investigates how anthropogenic and biogeographical factors influence alien plant invasion in the Sanyang Wetlands, a human-dominated island system in Wenzhou City, China. Specifically, we analyzed whether human activities (e.g., habitat heterogeneity, proportion of road area, and cultivation) and island characteristics (e.g., island area, isolation) affect the diversity of native and invasive plant species similarly. We also assessed the applicability of the equilibrium theory of island biogeography to invasive plant species diversity and examined how these factors affect invasive plant species with different dispersal syndromes (anemochore, zoochore, and autochore). We found that both invasive and native species richness positively correlate with island area, habitat heterogeneity, and proportion of road area. However, although native species richness was negatively correlated with isolation, invasive species richness was not. The diversity and composition of invasive species with different dispersal syndromes were determined by different variables; for example, the composition and diversity of zoochores was increased by habitat heterogeneity, while anemochore species richness was increased by the proportion of road area, whereas anemochore species composition was influenced by distance to the nearest island. We conclude that habitat fragmentation differentially affects invasive and native plant diversity, aligning with the predictions of the equilibrium theory of island biogeography only for native species but not for invasive species. Our findings indicate that tailoring habitat attributes and regulating human activities could be effective strategies for mitigating the spread of invasive species in fragmented landscapes.

Key words: Alien species invasion, Dispersal strategies, Human disturbance, Island attributes, Island biogeography theory, Wetland

摘要: Managing invasive species requires identifying the factors that determine alien species invasion success. This study investigates how anthropogenic and biogeographical factors influence alien plant invasion in the Sanyang Wetlands, a human-dominated island system in Wenzhou City, China. Specifically, we analyzed whether human activities (e.g., habitat heterogeneity, proportion of road area, and cultivation) and island characteristics (e.g., island area, isolation) affect the diversity of native and invasive plant species similarly. We also assessed the applicability of the equilibrium theory of island biogeography to invasive plant species diversity and examined how these factors affect invasive plant species with different dispersal syndromes (anemochore, zoochore, and autochore). We found that both invasive and native species richness positively correlate with island area, habitat heterogeneity, and proportion of road area. However, although native species richness was negatively correlated with isolation, invasive species richness was not. The diversity and composition of invasive species with different dispersal syndromes were determined by different variables; for example, the composition and diversity of zoochores was increased by habitat heterogeneity, while anemochore species richness was increased by the proportion of road area, whereas anemochore species composition was influenced by distance to the nearest island. We conclude that habitat fragmentation differentially affects invasive and native plant diversity, aligning with the predictions of the equilibrium theory of island biogeography only for native species but not for invasive species. Our findings indicate that tailoring habitat attributes and regulating human activities could be effective strategies for mitigating the spread of invasive species in fragmented landscapes.

关键词: Alien species invasion, Dispersal strategies, Human disturbance, Island attributes, Island biogeography theory, Wetland