There has been a dramatic growth in research on biological invasions over the past 20 years, but a mature understanding of the field has been hampered because invasion biologists concerned with different taxa and different environments have largely adopted different model frameworks for the invasion process, resulting in a confusing range of concepts, terms and definitions. In this review, we propose a unified framework for biological invasions that reconciles and integrates the key features of the most commonly used invasion frameworks into a single conceptual model that can be applied to all human-mediated invasions. The unified framework combines previous stage-based and barrier models, and provides a terminology and categorisation for populations at different points in the invasion process.

A proposed unified framework for biological invasions.

Restoring vegetation in degraded ecosystems is an increasingly common practice for promoting biodiversity and ecological function, but successful implementation is hampered by an incomplete understanding of the processes that limit restoration success. By synthesizing terrestrial and aquatic studies globally (2594 experimental tests from 610 articles), we reveal substantial herbivore control of vegetation under restoration. Herbivores at restoration sites reduced vegetation abundance more strongly (by 89%, on average) than those at relatively undegraded sites and suppressed, rather than fostered, plant diversity. These effects were particularly pronounced in regions with higher temperatures and lower precipitation. Excluding targeted herbivores temporarily or introducing their predators improved restoration by magnitudes similar to or greater than those achieved by managing plant competition or facilitation. Thus, managing herbivory is a promising strategy for enhancing vegetation restoration efforts. 

Herbivory limits success of vegetation restoration globally

Variations in latitudinal gradients could lead to changes in the performance and ecological effects of invasive plants and thus may affect the species composition, distribution and interspecific substitution of native plant communities. However, variations in structure, similarity and beta (β) diversity within invaded communities across latitudinal gradients in heterogeneous habitats remain unclear. In this study, we conducted a two-year field survey along 21°N to 37°N in China, to examine the differential effects of the amphibious invasive plant Alternanthera philoxeroides on native plant communities in terrestrial and aquatic habitats. We compared the differences in the invasion importance value (IV), species distribution, community similarity (Jaccard index and Sorenson index) and β diversity (Bray−Curtis index and βsim index) between terrestrial and aquatic communities invaded by A. philoxeroides, as well as analyzed their latitudinal trends. We found that the IV of A. philoxeroides and β diversity in aquatic habitats were all significantly higher than that of terrestrial, while the terrestrial habitat had a higher community similarity values. The aquatic A. philoxeroides IV increased with increasing latitude, while the terrestrial IV had no significant latitudinal trend. With increasing latitude, the component proportion of cold- and drought-tolerant species in the terrestrial communities increased, and the dominant accompanying species in the aquatic communities gradually changed from hygrophytes and floating plants to emerged and submerged plants. In addition, the aquatic communities had lower community similarity values and higher β diversity in higher latitudinal regions, while terrestrial communities had the opposite parameters in these regions. Our study indicates that the bioresistance capacities of the native communities to invasive A. philoxeroides in heterogeneous habitats are different; A. philoxeroides invasion leads to higher community homogenization in terrestrial habitats than in aquatic habitats, and terrestrial communities experience more severe homogenization in higher latitudinal regions. These findings are crucial for predicting the dynamics of invasive plant communities under rapid global change.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.1021337/pdf

Latitudinal trends in the structure, similarity and beta diversity of plant communities invaded by Alternanthera philoxeroides in heterogeneous habitats

The invention discloses an ecological control method for Mikania micrantha. The ecological control method for Mikania micrantha comprises the following steps: planting Bauhinia glauca seedlings in a control area of Mikania micrantha, and cultivating the Bauhinia glauca seedlings. The ecological controlmethod for Mikania micrantha utilizes the rapid growth characteristic of Bauhinia glauca to realize the purpose of inhibiting growth of Mikania micrantha through rapidly occupying ecological niches of Mikania micrantha, and effectively shortens the cultivation period. In addition, the characteristic of perennial vines of Bauhinia glauca is utilized for shortening the spacing between adjacent Bauhinia glauca, and is combined with the rapid growth characteristics of Bauhinia glauca to avoid re-invasion of Mikania micrantha, and further, ecological control of Mikania micrantha is long-lasting and sustainable, thereby effectively reducing the economic cost of ecological control of Mikania micrantha and improving the ecological control effect of Mikania micrantha.

Ecological control method of Mikania micrantha

Abstract Aims The influence of priority effects on plant community succession is increasingly discussed in community ecology. However, most grassland restoration approaches involving seed addition transfer all target species at the same time. Our objective was to tackle the question: does the order of arrival influence the establishment of restored communities? Location La‐Bâtie‐Neuve, Southern Alps, France. Methods We applied sequential sowing using two groups, one set of dominant species and one set of subordinate species, each comprising three different perennial plant species. We tested four sowing treatments: control (without any sowing), two sequential sowing treatments (dominants first or subordinates first) and synchronous sowing. We analysed plant cover each year for three years after sowing and calculated priority and earliness indices (the third year) for each group and each sown species. Results Manipulating the order of arrival shaped community composition and trajectories. Some species of both groups were positively affected by being sown first compared to being sown synchronously. However, dominant and subordinate groups differed in their earliness index, showing a significant benefit for subordinates to be sown first. The subordinate species Onobrychis viciifolia and Plantago lanceolata established only when they were sown first, while Festuca cinerea showed greater establishment when sown first and simultaneously, compared to late sowing. The dominant Anthyllis vulneraria was not affected by date or type of sowing. However, the cover of the most dominant Bromopsis erecta was lower when being sown second, allowing a control of its dominance by delayed sowing. Conclusion The strength of priority effects differs between species, which may depend on niche characteristics or microenvironment, influencing (negatively or positively) the establishment of late‐arriving species and affecting their competitive abilities. Our study provides evidence that plant community assembly was influenced by the order of arrival, but demonstrated a strong species‐specific response to priority effects. 

Using priority effects for grassland restoration: Sequential sowing can promote subordinate species

The invention discloses replacement control of pachyrhizua angulatus to invasive weed mikania micrantha. It is discovered that the pachyrhizua angulatus can be regarded as a species which replaces andcontrols the mikania micrantha to inhibit invasion of the mikania micrantha. Pachyrhizua angulatus seeds are planted in soil of South China where the mikania micrantha is removed in advance, the pachyrhizua angulatus can rapidly occupy the vacant ecological niche after the mikania micrantha is removed, and the effect that the mikania micrantha are effectively controlled can be achieved at a relatively low density. Meanwhile, along with the increment of the cover degree of the pachyrhizua angulatus, photosynthesis of the mikania micrantha can be lowered, growth of the mikania micrantha is inhibited, landing and germination of mikania micrantha seeds can also be effectively stopped, and the mikania micrantha is prevented from establishing a new population. Quantity increment of the pachyrhizua angulatus seeds is beneficial for spreading and stability of the mikania micrantha population. In the soil where the pachyrhizua angulatus seeds are sowed, the species diversity is improved, the stability of the ecological system is improved, and the ability to resist exotic species invasion is improved.

Replacement control of pachyrhizua angulatus to invasive weed mikania micrantha

Selecting native species for restoration is often done without proper ecological background, particularly with regard to how native and invasive species interact. Here, we provide insights suggesting that such information may greatly enhance restoration success. The performance of the native vine, Pueraria lobata, and that of the invasive bitter vine, Mikania micrantha, were investigated in South China to test how priority effects (timing and rate of germination and seedling growth) and competition (phytochemical effects and competitive ability) impact invasive plant performance. We found that, in the absence of competition, the germination rate of M. micrantha, but not of P. lobata, was significantly affected by light availability. P. lobata seedlings also performed better than those of M. micrantha during early growth phases. Under competition, negative phytochemical effects of P. lobata on M. micrantha were strong and we found M. micrantha to have lower performance when grown with P. lobata compared to when grown by itself. Relative interaction indexes indicated that, under interspecific competition, P. lobata negatively affected (i.e., inhibited) M. micrantha, whereas M. micrantha positively affected (i.e., facilitated) P. lobata. Higher photosynthetic efficiency and soil nutrient utilization put P. lobata at a further advantage over M. micrantha. Field trails corroborated these experimental findings, showing little recruitment of M. micrantha in previously invaded and cleared field plots that were sown with P. lobata. Thus, P. lobata is a promising candidate for ecological restoration and for reducing impacts of M. micrantha in China. This research illustrates that careful species selection may improve restoration outcomes, a finding that may also apply to other invaded ecosystems and species.

Priority effects and competition by a native species inhibit an invasive species and may assist restoration.

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Replacement control of pachyrhizua angulatus to invasive weed mikania micrantha

Priority effects and competition by a native species inhibit an invasive species and may assist restoration.