We postulate that the causes of the problem of invasive alien species are primarily economic and, as such, require economic solutions. Invasive alien species are of increasing concern for four reasons. First, introductions are increasing sharply, while mechanisms for excluding or eradicating alien species have been either withdrawn or progressively weakened. Both trends are due to the liberaliz...

Aim Since ecological and evolutionary context changes when a plant species is introduced to a new area, it can be assumed that responses of alien plants to changing conditions along environmental gradients differ from those in their native range. Even if seed availability is not limited, the distribution of alien plants along such a gradient might still be restricted by their ability to germina...

Lanka helped to check the accuracy of the scientific names listed in country papers. Their hard work helped to increase the reliability of the information in this document and is much appreciated. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of any government or other body represented in the meeting, nor its sponsors. Reproduction...

The Eurasian species Artemisia vulgaris L. has been reported from the Eastern Cape Province (Stutterheim District) in South Africa since at least half a century. However, examination of relevant herbarium specimens demonstrated that African plant material belongs to morphologically similar East Asian species, A. verlotiorum. It is included Alien and Invasive Species Lists as prohibited absent c...

Invasive alien plants can pose serious threats to cultivated and wild plants. This provides the basis to regulate them as ‘plant pests’ within the framework of plant health. To assess if a regulation would be appropriate, necessary and effective, and to identify available options for measures to reduce a possible risk, the revised International Standard on Phytosanitary Measures No. 11, “Pest r...

With the growing body of literature assessing the impact of invasive alien plants on resident species and ecosystems, a comprehensive assessment of the relationship between invasive species traits and environmental settings of invasion on the characteristics of impacts is needed. Based on 287 publications with 1551 individual cases that addressed the impact of 167 invasive plant species belongi...

The introduction of alien plants into a new range can result in the loss of co-evolved symbiotic organisms, such as mycorrhizal fungi, that are essential for normal plant physiological functions. Prior studies of mycorrhizal associations in alien plants have tended to focus on individual plant species on a case-by-case basis. This approach limits broad scale understanding of functional shifts a...

Any organism must be equipped for life in a given environment, otherwise it will die. The fundamental question is how well does an organism need to be “equipped”, or what syndrome of traits must it possess to survive and flourish at a given locality. In the current human-mediated biodiversity crisis, where alien species play an important role, we need to know whether some species are inherently...

The effects of invasive plants on the species diversity of plant communities are controversial, showing either a positive or negative linear relationship. Based on community data collected from forty 5 m×5 m plots invaded by Sphagneticola trilobata in eight cities across Hainan Island, China, we found S. trilobata decreased plant community diversity once its cover was beyond 10%. We demonstrate...