Abstract
Studies on the impacts of alien plants help to understand extent of biological invasion. Multiple analyses of diversity parameters at different locations allow general explanations of impact on species diversity and richness in plant communities. The current study assessed impact of Xanthium strumarium invasion on native plant diversity in Pothwar region of Pakistan. The approach used for study was random samplings with two categorical factors: invaded and non-invaded plots under same habitat conditions. Differences in species frequency (N), species richness (R), evenness (Jꞌ), Shannon diversity index (Hꞌ) and Simpson index of dominance (λ) were compared between invaded and control plots by t-test series. Control plots harbored by average 1.3 more species/10m2. The control category was more diverse (Hꞌ=2.00) than invaded category (Hꞌ=1.82). Non-invaded plots showed a higher floristic richness than invaded ones. At multivariate scale, ordination (nMDS) and ANOSIM showed significant magnitude of differences between invaded and control plots. The decrease in diversity indices in invaded over control sites indicated that plant communities become less biodiverse due to Xanthium strumarium invasion. This makes X. strumarium a candidate of consideration for appropriate control measures.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Control plots contained 1.3 more species per 10 m2 on average than invaded plots.
Verbatim
e0“Control plots harbored by average 1.3 more species/10m2.”
Claim · model-written summary
Control plots had higher Shannon diversity than invaded plots.
Verbatim
e0“The control category was more diverse (Hꞌ=2.00) than invaded category (Hꞌ=1.82).”
Claim · model-written summary
Non-invaded plots had higher floristic richness than invaded plots.
Verbatim
e0“Non-invaded plots showed a higher floristic richness than invaded ones.”
Claim · model-written summary
Multivariate ordination found significant differences between invaded and control plots.
Verbatim
e0“At multivariate scale, ordination (nMDS) and ANOSIM showed significant magnitude of differences between invaded and control plots.”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors attribute reduced community biodiversity to Xanthium strumarium invasion.
Verbatim
e0“The decrease in diversity indices in invaded over control sites indicated that plant communities become less biodiverse due to Xanthium strumarium invasion.”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend considering control measures for X. strumarium.
- Taxon
- X. strumarium
Xanthium strumariume0 - Outcome
- appropriate control measurese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“This makes X. strumarium a candidate of consideration for appropriate control measures.”