Biodiv Sci ›› 2021, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (7): 865-874.  DOI: 10.17520/biods.2020485

Special Issue: 生物入侵

• Original Papers: Plant Diversity •     Next Articles

Effects of taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of resident Pinus yunnanensis communities on Ageratina adenophora invasion in the Panxi region, Sichuan Province

Xu Chen1,2, Guoyan Wang1,2*(), Peihao Peng1,2*(), Jingji Li1,3, Songlin Shi1,2, Tingbin Zhang1,4   

  1. 1 Institute of Ecological Resources and Landscape Architecture, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059
    2 College of Tourism and Urban-Rural Planning, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059
    3 College of Ecological Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059
    4 College of Earth Sciences, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059
  • Received:2020-12-30 Accepted:2021-06-04 Online:2021-07-20 Published:2021-06-29
  • Contact: * E-mail: peihaop@163.com; wangguoyan@yeah.net

Abstract:

Aim: Alien plant invasion seriously threatens diversity of native plants and ecosystem function. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of plant invasion could help to prevent and control alien plant invasion.
Methods: In this study, we selected Ageratina adenophora, an invasive herb invaded in Pinus yunnanensis communities in Panxi region of China, as target species. Based on field investigation, we assessed the effects of environmental factors and community characteristics such as species diversity and phylogenetic diversity on the invasion of A. adenophora.
Results: We found that neither environmental factors (i.e. altitude, slope, and fire severity) nor biological factors (i.e. canopy closure and shrub coverage) have significant effect on the intensity of A. adenophora invasion. However, our results demonstrate that the invasion intensity of A. adenophora was significantly impacted by the species diversity of shrub layer (P < 0.05) and the net relatedness index of herb layer to A. adenophora (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: The communities with higher species diversity of shrub layer and more closely related to A. adenophora of herb layer were less likely to be invaded, indicating that A. adenophora invasion could be inhibited by competition for light with shrubs, and also be inhibited by competition for nutrition and occupation with its closely relatives.

Key words: plant invasion, species diversity, net relatedness index, community invisibility