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Dr Wayne Dawson's Outputs (107)

Non‐Native, Non‐Naturalised Plants Suffer Less Herbivory Than Native Plants Across European Botanical Gardens (2024)
Journal Article
Ivison, K., van Kleunen, M., Speed, J., Vange, V., Pujara, S., Boch, S., Enters, D., Groom, Q., Janovský, Z., Jeschke, J., Joshi, J., Kolb, A., Kollmann, J., Koubek, T., Lemke, T., Matthies, D., Raabová, J., Tielbörger, K., & Dawson, W. (online). Non‐Native, Non‐Naturalised Plants Suffer Less Herbivory Than Native Plants Across European Botanical Gardens. Diversity and Distributions, Article e13938. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.13938

Aim: The enemy release hypothesis states that the invasion success of non‐native species is partly due to their escape from natural enemies, e.g., herbivores. Large‐scale studies of herbivory using multiple species across multiple sites are needed to... Read More about Non‐Native, Non‐Naturalised Plants Suffer Less Herbivory Than Native Plants Across European Botanical Gardens.

Invasion risk of the currently cultivated alien flora in southern Africa is predicted to decline under climate change (2024)
Journal Article
Omer, A., Essl, F., Dullinger, S., Lenzner, B., García‐Rodríguez, A., Moser, D., Fristoe, T., Dawson, W., Weigelt, P., Kreft, H., Pergl, J., Pyšek, P., van Kleunen, M., & Wessely, J. (2024). Invasion risk of the currently cultivated alien flora in southern Africa is predicted to decline under climate change. Ecography, 2024(6), Article e07010. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.07010

Alien species can have massive impacts on native biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and human livelihoods. Assessing which species from currently cultivated alien floras may escape into the wild and naturalize is essential for efficient and proacti... Read More about Invasion risk of the currently cultivated alien flora in southern Africa is predicted to decline under climate change.

Introduced species infiltrate recent stages of succession after glacial retreat on sub-Antarctic South Georgia (2024)
Journal Article
Tichit, P., Brickle, P., Newton, R. J., Convey, P., & Dawson, W. (2024). Introduced species infiltrate recent stages of succession after glacial retreat on sub-Antarctic South Georgia. NeoBiota, 92, 85-110. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.92.117226

Biological invasions are one of the main drivers of global biodiversity decline. At the same time, glacial retreat induced by climate warming is occurring at an alarming rate across the globe, threatening unique taxa and ecosystems. However, we know... Read More about Introduced species infiltrate recent stages of succession after glacial retreat on sub-Antarctic South Georgia.

Plant invasion and naturalization are influenced by genome size, ecology and economic use globally (2024)
Journal Article
Guo, K., Pyšek, P., van Kleunen, M., Kinlock, N. L., Lučanová, M., Leitch, I. J., …Guo, W. (2024). Plant invasion and naturalization are influenced by genome size, ecology and economic use globally. Nature Communications, 15(1), Article 1330. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45667-4

Human factors and plant characteristics are important drivers of plant invasions, which threaten ecosystem integrity, biodiversity and human well-being. However, while previous studies often examined a limited number of factors or focused on a specif... Read More about Plant invasion and naturalization are influenced by genome size, ecology and economic use globally.

Biogeography and global flows of 100 major alien fungal and fungus‐like oomycete pathogens (2023)
Journal Article
Schertler, A., Lenzner, B., Dullinger, S., Moser, D., Bufford, J., Ghelardini, L., Santini, A., Capinha, C., Monteiro, M., Reino, L., Wingfield, M. J., Seebens, H., Thines, M., Dawson, W., van Kleunen, M., Kreft, H., Pergl, J., Pyšek, P., Weigelt, P., Winter, M., & Essl, F. (2024). Biogeography and global flows of 100 major alien fungal and fungus‐like oomycete pathogens. Journal of Biogeography, 51(4), 599-617. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14755

Aim: Spreading infectious diseases associated with introduced pathogens can have devastating effects on native biota and human livelihoods. We analyse the global distribution of 100 major alien fungal and oomycete pathogens with substantial socio‐eco... Read More about Biogeography and global flows of 100 major alien fungal and fungus‐like oomycete pathogens.

Naturalizations have led to homogenization of the Malesian flora in the Anthropocene (2023)
Journal Article
Holmes, R., Pelser, P., Barcelona, J., Tjitrosoedirdjo, S. S., Wahyuni, I., van Kleunen, M., Pyšek, P., Essl, F., Kreft, H., Dawson, W., Wijedasa, L., Kortz, A., Hejda, M., Berrio, J. C., Siregar, I., & Williams, M. (2024). Naturalizations have led to homogenization of the Malesian flora in the Anthropocene. Journal of Biogeography, 51(3), 394-408. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14766

Aim:
Worldwide, floras are becoming homogenized at global scales, but regional patterns vary. Here, we present the first assessment for the Malesian phytogeographical region in terms of the timing of introductions, direction, magnitude and drivers... Read More about Naturalizations have led to homogenization of the Malesian flora in the Anthropocene.

The poleward naturalization of intracontinental alien plants. (2023)
Journal Article
Zhang, Z., Yang, Q., Fristoe, T. S., Dawson, W., Essl, F., Kreft, H., …van Kleunen, M. (2023). The poleward naturalization of intracontinental alien plants. Science Advances, 9(40), Article eadi1897. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adi1897

Plant introductions outside their native ranges by humans have led to substantial ecological consequences. While we have gained considerable knowledge about intercontinental introductions, the distribution and determinants of intracontinental aliens... Read More about The poleward naturalization of intracontinental alien plants..

First record of the introduced ladybird beetle, Coccinella undecimpunctata Linnaeus (1758), on South Georgia (sub‐Antarctic) (2023)
Journal Article
Tichit, P., Roy, H. E., Convey, P., Brickle, P., Newton, R. J., & Dawson, W. (2023). First record of the introduced ladybird beetle, Coccinella undecimpunctata Linnaeus (1758), on South Georgia (sub‐Antarctic). Ecology and Evolution, 13(9), https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10513

Biological invasions represent a growing threat to islands and their biodiversity across the world. The isolated sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia in the South Atlantic Ocean is a highly protected area that relies on effective biosecurity includi... Read More about First record of the introduced ladybird beetle, Coccinella undecimpunctata Linnaeus (1758), on South Georgia (sub‐Antarctic).

Climatic stability and geological history shape global centers of neo- and paleoendemism in seed plants (2023)
Journal Article
Cai, L., Kreft, H., Taylor, A., Schrader, J., Dawson, W., Essl, F., …Weigelt, P. (2023). Climatic stability and geological history shape global centers of neo- and paleoendemism in seed plants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(30), Article 2300981120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2300981120

Assessing the distribution of geographically restricted and evolutionarily unique species and their underlying drivers is key to understanding biogeographical processes and critical for global conservation prioritization. Here, we quantified the geog... Read More about Climatic stability and geological history shape global centers of neo- and paleoendemism in seed plants.

Small genome size and variation in ploidy levels support the naturalization of vascular plants but constrain their invasive spread (2023)
Journal Article
Pyšek, P., Lučanová, M., Dawson, W., Essl, F., Kreft, H., Leitch, I. J., …Guo, W. (2023). Small genome size and variation in ploidy levels support the naturalization of vascular plants but constrain their invasive spread. New Phytologist, 239(6), 2389-2403. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.19135

Summary
Karyological characteristics are among the traits underpinning the invasion success of vascular plants.
Using 11 049 species, we tested the effects of genome size and ploidy levels on plant naturalization (species forming self-sustaining po... Read More about Small genome size and variation in ploidy levels support the naturalization of vascular plants but constrain their invasive spread.

Two centuries of spatial and temporal dynamics of freshwater fish introductions (2023)
Journal Article
Muñoz-Mas, R., Essl, F., van Kleunen, M., Seebens, H., Dawson, W., Casal, C. M. V., & García-Berthou, E. (2023). Two centuries of spatial and temporal dynamics of freshwater fish introductions. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 32(9), 1632-1644. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13714

Aim
Investigating major freshwater fish flows (translocations) between biogeographic regions and their temporal dynamics and also quantifying spatial patterns and temporal changes in the array of introduced species, and the emergence and distance be... Read More about Two centuries of spatial and temporal dynamics of freshwater fish introductions.

The impact of land use on non-native species incidence and number in local assemblages worldwide (2023)
Journal Article
Liu, D., Semenchuk, P., Essl, F., Lenzner, B., Moser, D., Blackburn, T. M., …Dullinger, S. (2023). The impact of land use on non-native species incidence and number in local assemblages worldwide. Nature Communications, 14(1), Article 2090. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37571-0

While the regional distribution of non-native species is increasingly well documented for some taxa, global analyses of non-native species in local assemblages are still missing. Here, we use a worldwide collection of assemblages from five taxa - ant... Read More about The impact of land use on non-native species incidence and number in local assemblages worldwide.

The naturalized vascular flora of Malesia (2023)
Journal Article
Holmes, R., Pelser, P., Barcelona, J., Tjitrosoedirdjo, S. S., Wahyuni, I., van Kleunen, M., …Williams, M. (2023). The naturalized vascular flora of Malesia. Biological Invasions, 25(5), https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-022-02989-y

Major regional gaps exist in the reporting and accessibility of naturalized plant species distribution data, especially within Southeast Asia. Here, we present the Malesian Naturalized Alien Flora database (MalNAF), the first standardized island-grou... Read More about The naturalized vascular flora of Malesia.

Model Selection in Occupancy Models: Inference versus Prediction (2023)
Journal Article
Stewart, P. S., Stephens, P. A., Hill, R. A., Whittingham, M. J., & Dawson, W. (2023). Model Selection in Occupancy Models: Inference versus Prediction. Ecology, 104(3), Article e3942. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3942

Occupancy models are a vital tool for ecologists studying the patterns and drivers of species occurrence, but their use often involves selecting among models with different sets of occupancy and detection covariates. The information-theoretic approac... Read More about Model Selection in Occupancy Models: Inference versus Prediction.

Horizon scanning for potential invasive non-native species across United Kingdom Overseas Territories (2022)
Journal Article
Dawson, W., Peyton, J. M., Pescott, O. L., Adriaens, T., Cottier-Cook, E. J., Frohlich, D. S., …Roy, H. E. (2023). Horizon scanning for potential invasive non-native species across United Kingdom Overseas Territories. Conservation Letters, 16(1), Article e12928. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12928

Invasive non-native species are recognized as a major threat to island biodiversity, ecosystems, and economies globally. Preventing high-risk invasive non-native species from being introduced is the most cost-effective way to avoid their adverse impa... Read More about Horizon scanning for potential invasive non-native species across United Kingdom Overseas Territories.

Naturalized alien floras still carry the legacy of European colonialism (2022)
Journal Article
Lenzner, B., Latombe, G., Schertler, A., Seebens, H., Yang, Q., Winter, M., …Essl, F. (2022). Naturalized alien floras still carry the legacy of European colonialism. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 6(11), 1723-1732. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01865-1

The redistribution of alien species across the globe accelerated with the start of European colonialism. European powers were responsible for the deliberate and accidental transportation, introduction and establishment of alien species throughout the... Read More about Naturalized alien floras still carry the legacy of European colonialism.

Testing enemy release of non‐native plants across time and space using herbarium specimens in Norway (2022)
Journal Article
Ivison, K., Speed, J. D., Prestø, T., & Dawson, W. (2023). Testing enemy release of non‐native plants across time and space using herbarium specimens in Norway. Journal of Ecology, 111(2), 300-313. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13998

1. The enemy release hypothesis predicts that invasive plant success is in part due to the absence of natural enemies in the invaded range. However, few studies have assessed how enemy release may vary over time or space. 2. Norway has seen a large i... Read More about Testing enemy release of non‐native plants across time and space using herbarium specimens in Norway.

Phylogenetic composition of native island floras influences naturalized alien species richness (2022)
Journal Article
Bach, W., Kreft, H., Craven, D., König, C., Schrader, J., Taylor, A., …Weigelt, P. (2022). Phylogenetic composition of native island floras influences naturalized alien species richness. Ecography, 2022(11), Article e06227. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.06227

Islands are hotspots of plant endemism and are particularly vulnerable to the establishment (naturalization) of alien plant species. Naturalized species richness on islands depends on several biogeographical and socioeconomic factors, but especially... Read More about Phylogenetic composition of native island floras influences naturalized alien species richness.

The role of phylogenetic relatedness on alien plant success depends on the stage of invasion (2022)
Journal Article
Omer, A., Fristoe, T., Yang, Q., Razanajatovo, M., Weigelt, P., Kreft, H., …van Kleunen, M. (2022). The role of phylogenetic relatedness on alien plant success depends on the stage of invasion. Nature Plants, 8(8), 906-914. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-022-01216-9

Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis predicts successful alien invaders to be distantly related to native species, whereas his pre-adaptation hypothesis predicts the opposite. It has been suggested that depending on the invasion stage (that is, introdu... Read More about The role of phylogenetic relatedness on alien plant success depends on the stage of invasion.

Capacity of countries to reduce biological invasions (2022)
Journal Article
Latombe, G., Seebens, H., Lenzner, B., Courchamp, F., Dullinger, S., Golivets, M., …Essl, F. (2023). Capacity of countries to reduce biological invasions. Sustainability Science, 18(2), 771-789. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-022-01166-3

The extent and impacts of biological invasions on biodiversity are largely shaped by an array of socio-economic and environmental factors, which exhibit high variation among countries. Yet, a global analysis of how these factors vary across countries... Read More about Capacity of countries to reduce biological invasions.

Greater chemical signaling in root exudates enhances soil mutualistic associations in invasive plants compared to natives (2022)
Journal Article
Yu, H., He, Y., Zhang, W., Chen, L., Zhang, J., Zhang, X., …Ding, J. (2022). Greater chemical signaling in root exudates enhances soil mutualistic associations in invasive plants compared to natives. New Phytologist, 236(3), 1140-1153. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.18289

Invasive plants can change soil properties resulting in improved growth. Although invaders are known to alter soil chemistry, it remains unclear if chemicals secreted by roots facilitate invasive plant–soil mutualisms. With up to 19 confamilial pairs... Read More about Greater chemical signaling in root exudates enhances soil mutualistic associations in invasive plants compared to natives.

Introducing the combined atlas framework for large‐scale web‐based data visualization: The GloNAF atlas of plant invasion (2022)
Journal Article
Hancock, S. C., Essl, F., Kraak, M., Dawson, W., Kreft, H., Pyšek, P., …Lenzner, B. (2022). Introducing the combined atlas framework for large‐scale web‐based data visualization: The GloNAF atlas of plant invasion. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 13(5), 1073-1081. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210x.13820

Large-scale biodiversity data, for example, on species distribution and richness information, are being mobilized and becoming available at an increasing rate. Interactive web applications like atlases have been developed to visualize available datas... Read More about Introducing the combined atlas framework for large‐scale web‐based data visualization: The GloNAF atlas of plant invasion.

Environmental and socioeconomic correlates of extinction risk in endemic species (2021)
Journal Article
Pouteau, R., Brunel, C., Dawson, W., Essl, F., Kreft, H., Lenzner, B., …Kleunen, M. (2022). Environmental and socioeconomic correlates of extinction risk in endemic species. Diversity and Distributions, 28(1), 53-64. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.13438

Aim Our current understanding of the causes of global extinction risk is mostly informed by the expert knowledge-based “threats classification scheme” of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Studies based on this dataset came to different conclus... Read More about Environmental and socioeconomic correlates of extinction risk in endemic species.

The global loss of floristic uniqueness (2021)
Journal Article
Yang, Q., Weigelt, P., Fristoe, T. S., Zhang, Z., Kreft, H., Stein, A., …van Kleunen, M. (2021). The global loss of floristic uniqueness. Nature Communications, 12(1), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27603-y

Regional species assemblages have been shaped by colonization, speciation and extinction over millions of years. Humans have altered biogeography by introducing species to new ranges. However, an analysis of how strongly naturalized plant species (i.... Read More about The global loss of floristic uniqueness.

Characteristics of the naturalized flora of Southern Africa largely reflect the non‐random introduction of alien species for cultivation (2021)
Journal Article
Omer, A., Fristoe, T., Yang, Q., Maurel, N., Weigelt, P., Kreft, H., …van Kleunen, M. (2021). Characteristics of the naturalized flora of Southern Africa largely reflect the non‐random introduction of alien species for cultivation. Ecography, 44(12), 1812-1825. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.05669

Biological invasions are one of the most defining features of the Anthropocene. Most studies on biological invasions focus on the later stages of the invasion process, that is after species have already become naturalized. It is frequently overlooked... Read More about Characteristics of the naturalized flora of Southern Africa largely reflect the non‐random introduction of alien species for cultivation.

Phylogenetic structure of alien plant species pools from European donor habitats (2021)
Journal Article
Kalusová, V., Padullés Cubino, J., Fristoe, T. S., Chytrý, M., Kleunen, M., Dawson, W., …Sandel, B. (2021). Phylogenetic structure of alien plant species pools from European donor habitats. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 30(12), 2354-2367. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13387

Aim Many plant species native to Europe have naturalized worldwide. We tested whether the phylogenetic structure of the species pools of European habitats is related to the proportion of species from each habitat that has naturalized outside Europe (... Read More about Phylogenetic structure of alien plant species pools from European donor habitats.

Potential alien ranges of European plants will shrink in the future, but less so for already naturalized than for not yet naturalized species (2021)
Journal Article
Pouteau, R., Biurrun, I., Brunel, C., Chytrý, M., Dawson, W., Essl, F., …van Kleunen, M. (2021). Potential alien ranges of European plants will shrink in the future, but less so for already naturalized than for not yet naturalized species. Diversity and Distributions, 27(11), 2063-2076. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.13378

Aims The rapid increase in the number of species that have naturalized beyond their native range is among the most apparent features of the Anthropocene. How alien species will respond to other processes of future global changes is an emerging concer... Read More about Potential alien ranges of European plants will shrink in the future, but less so for already naturalized than for not yet naturalized species.

Mycorrhizal types influence island biogeography of plants (2021)
Journal Article
Delavaux, C. S., Weigelt, P., Dawson, W., Essl, F., van Kleunen, M., König, C., …Bever, J. D. (2021). Mycorrhizal types influence island biogeography of plants. Communications Biology, 4(1), https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-02649-2

Plant colonization of islands may be limited by the availability of symbionts, particularly arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, which have limited dispersal ability compared to ectomycorrhizal and ericoid (EEM) as well as orchid mycorrhizal (ORC) fung... Read More about Mycorrhizal types influence island biogeography of plants.

Are Terrestrial Biological Invasions Different in the Tropics? (2021)
Journal Article
Chong, K., Corlett, R., Nunez, M., Chiu, J., Courchamp, F., Dawson, W., …Wardle, D. (2021). Are Terrestrial Biological Invasions Different in the Tropics?. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 52, 291-314. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-012021-095454

Most biological invasion literature—including syntheses and meta-analyses and the resulting theory—is reported from temperate regions, drawing only minimally from the tropics except for some island systems. The lack of attention to invasions in the t... Read More about Are Terrestrial Biological Invasions Different in the Tropics?.

Data Descriptor: Pacific Introduced Flora (PaciFLora) (2021)
Journal Article
Wohlwend, M., Craven, D., Weigelt, P., Seebens, H., Winter, M., Kreft, H., …Knight, T. (2021). Data Descriptor: Pacific Introduced Flora (PaciFLora). Biodiversity Data Journal, 9, Article e67318. https://doi.org/10.3897/bdj.9.e67318

Background The Pacific Region has the highest density of naturalised plant species worldwide, which makes it an important area for research on the ecology, evolution and biogeography of biological invasions. While different data sources on naturalise... Read More about Data Descriptor: Pacific Introduced Flora (PaciFLora).

Persistent soil seed banks promote naturalisation and invasiveness in flowering plants (2021)
Journal Article
Gioria, M., Carta, A., Baskin, C. C., Dawson, W., Essl, F., Kreft, H., …Pyšek, P. (2021). Persistent soil seed banks promote naturalisation and invasiveness in flowering plants. Ecology Letters, 24(8), https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13783

With globalisation facilitating the movement of plants and seeds beyond the native range, preventing potentially harmful introductions requires knowledge of what drives the successful establishment and spread of alien plants. Here, we examined global... Read More about Persistent soil seed banks promote naturalisation and invasiveness in flowering plants.

Effect of rhizome exposure to contrasting abiotic conditions on the performance of the invasive macrophyte Hedychium coronarium J. Koenig (Zingiberaceae) (2021)
Journal Article
Pinheiro, A. M., Silva Matos, D. M., Dawson, W., & Xavier, R. O. (2021). Effect of rhizome exposure to contrasting abiotic conditions on the performance of the invasive macrophyte Hedychium coronarium J. Koenig (Zingiberaceae). Plant Ecology, 222(3), https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-020-01112-2

Although invasive species are often better competitors than native species, broad environmental tolerance may also drive invasion success. Tolerance to abiotic heterogeneity in riparian ecosystems tends to favour the establishment of alien clonal spe... Read More about Effect of rhizome exposure to contrasting abiotic conditions on the performance of the invasive macrophyte Hedychium coronarium J. Koenig (Zingiberaceae).

Role of diversification rates and evolutionary history as a driver of plant naturalization success (2020)
Journal Article
Lenzner, B., Magallón, S., Dawson, W., Kreft, H., König, C., Pergl, J., …Essl, F. (2021). Role of diversification rates and evolutionary history as a driver of plant naturalization success. New Phytologist, 229(5), 2998 - 3008. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.17014

Human introductions of species beyond their natural ranges and subsequent establishment are defining features of global environmental change. However, naturalized plants are not uniformly distributed across phylogenetic lineages, with some families c... Read More about Role of diversification rates and evolutionary history as a driver of plant naturalization success.

Projecting the continental accumulation of alien species through to 2050 (2020)
Journal Article
Seebens, H., Bacher, S., Blackburn, T. M., Capinha, C., Dawson, W., Dullinger, S., …Essl, F. (2021). Projecting the continental accumulation of alien species through to 2050. Global Change Biology, 27(5), 970-982. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15333

Biological invasions have steadily increased over recent centuries. However, we still lack a clear expectation about future trends in alien species numbers. In particular, we do not know whether alien species will continue to accumulate in regional f... Read More about Projecting the continental accumulation of alien species through to 2050.

Source pools and disharmony of the world's island floras (2020)
Journal Article
König, C., Weigelt, P., Taylor, A., Stein, A., Dawson, W., Essl, F., …Kreft, H. (2020). Source pools and disharmony of the world's island floras. Ecography, 44(1), 44-55. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.05174

Island disharmony refers to the biased representation of higher taxa on islands compared to their mainland source regions and represents a central concept in island biology. Here, we develop a generalizable framework for approximating these source re... Read More about Source pools and disharmony of the world's island floras.

Scientists' warning on invasive alien species (2020)
Journal Article
Pyšek, P., Hulme, P. E., Simberloff, D., Bacher, S., Blackburn, T. M., Carlton, J. T., …Richardson, D. M. (2020). Scientists' warning on invasive alien species. Biological Reviews, 95(6), 1511-1534. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12627

Biological invasions are a global consequence of an increasingly connected world and the rise in human population size. The numbers of invasive alien species – the subset of alien species that spread widely in areas where they are not native, affecti... Read More about Scientists' warning on invasive alien species.

Economic use of plants is key to their naturalization success (2020)
Journal Article
van Kleunen, M., Xu, X., Yang, Q., Maurel, N., Zhang, Z., Dawson, W., …Fristoe, T. S. (2020). Economic use of plants is key to their naturalization success. Nature Communications, 11(1), Article 3201. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16982-3

Humans cultivate thousands of economic plants (i.e. plants with economic value) outside their native ranges. To analyze how this contributes to naturalization success, we combine global databases on economic uses and naturalization success of the wor... Read More about Economic use of plants is key to their naturalization success.

Towards Unraveling Macroecological Patterns in Rhizosphere Microbiomes (2020)
Journal Article
Brunel, C., Pouteau, R., Dawson, W., Pester, M., Ramirez, K. S., & van Kleunen, M. (2020). Towards Unraveling Macroecological Patterns in Rhizosphere Microbiomes. Trends in Plant Science, 25(10), 1017-1029. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2020.04.015

The processes shaping rhizosphere microbial communities are currently unclear because of both a lack of knowledge about biogeographical patterns and the disconnection between plant and microbial scales.

Sequence databases have now collected a suff... Read More about Towards Unraveling Macroecological Patterns in Rhizosphere Microbiomes.

Invasive non‐native species likely to threaten biodiversity and ecosystems in the Antarctic Peninsula region (2020)
Journal Article
Hughes, K. A., Pescott, O. L., Peyton, J., Adriaens, T., Cottier‐Cook, E. J., Key, G., …Roy, H. E. (2020). Invasive non‐native species likely to threaten biodiversity and ecosystems in the Antarctic Peninsula region. Global Change Biology, 26(4), 2702-2716. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14938

The Antarctic is considered to be a pristine environment relative to other regions of the Earth, but it is increasingly vulnerable to invasions by marine, freshwater and terrestrial non‐native species. The Antarctic Peninsula region (APR), which enco... Read More about Invasive non‐native species likely to threaten biodiversity and ecosystems in the Antarctic Peninsula region.

Similar factors underlie tree abundance in forests in native and alien ranges (2019)
Journal Article
Sande, M. T., Bruelheide, H., Dawson, W., Dengler, J., Essl, F., Field, R., …Knight, T. M. (2020). Similar factors underlie tree abundance in forests in native and alien ranges. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 29(2), 281-294. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13027

Aim: Alien plant species can cause severe ecological and economic problems, and therefore attract a lot of research interest in biogeography and related fields. To identify potential future invasive species, we need to better understand the mechanism... Read More about Similar factors underlie tree abundance in forests in native and alien ranges.

Facultative mycorrhizal associations promote plant naturalization worldwide (2019)
Journal Article
Pyšek, P., Guo, W., Štajerová, K., Moora, M., Bueno, C. G., Dawson, W., …Zobel, M. (2019). Facultative mycorrhizal associations promote plant naturalization worldwide. Ecosphere, 10(11), Article e02937. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2937

Mycorrhizal symbiosis has received relatively little attention as a mechanism explaining plant naturalizations at a global scale. Here, we combined data on vascular plant species occurrences in over 840 mainland and island regions from the Global Nat... Read More about Facultative mycorrhizal associations promote plant naturalization worldwide.

Drivers of the relative richness of naturalized and invasive plant species on Earth (2019)
Journal Article
Essl, F., Dawson, W., Kreft, H., Pergl, J., Pysek, P., van Kleunen, M., …Winter, M. (2019). Drivers of the relative richness of naturalized and invasive plant species on Earth. AoB PLANTS, 11(5), Article plz051. https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plz051

Biological invasions are a defining feature of the Anthropocene, but the factors that determine the spatially uneven distribution of alien plant species are still poorly understood. Here, we present the first global analysis of the effects of biogeog... Read More about Drivers of the relative richness of naturalized and invasive plant species on Earth.

Effects of climate change and horticultural use on the spread of naturalized alien garden plants in Europe (2019)
Journal Article
Klonner, G., Wessely, J., Gattringer, A., Moser, D., Dullinger, I., Hülber, K., …Dullinger, S. (2019). Effects of climate change and horticultural use on the spread of naturalized alien garden plants in Europe. Ecography, 42(9), 1548-1557. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.04389

Climate warming is supposed to enlarge the area climatically suitable to the naturalization of alien garden plants in temperate regions. However, the effects of a changing climate on the spread of naturalized ornamentals have not been evaluated by sp... Read More about Effects of climate change and horticultural use on the spread of naturalized alien garden plants in Europe.

Domestic gardens play a dominant role in selecting alien species with adaptive strategies that facilitate naturalization (2019)
Journal Article
Guo, W.-Y., van Kleunen, M., Pierce, S., Dawson, W., Essl, F., Kreft, H., Maurel, N., Pergl, J., Seebens, H., Weigelt, P., Winter, M., & Pyšek, P. (2019). Domestic gardens play a dominant role in selecting alien species with adaptive strategies that facilitate naturalization. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 28(5), 628-639. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12882

Aim: Horticulture has been recognized as the main pathway of plant invasions worldwide. The selection of ornamental garden plants is not random, and certain plant characteristics related to adaptive plant strategies are preferred by horticulture and... Read More about Domestic gardens play a dominant role in selecting alien species with adaptive strategies that facilitate naturalization.

Autofertility and self-compatibility moderately benefit island colonization of plants (2018)
Journal Article
Razanajatovo, M., van Kleunen, M., Kreft, H., Dawson, W., Essl, F., Pergl, J., …Weigelt, P. (2018). Autofertility and self-compatibility moderately benefit island colonization of plants. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 28(3), 341-352. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12854

Aim: The current geographical distribution of species largely reflects colonization success after natural long‐distance dispersal or introduction by humans. Plants with selfing ability should have an advantage when establishing on islands where mates... Read More about Autofertility and self-compatibility moderately benefit island colonization of plants.

Introduced garden plants are strong competitors of native and alien residents under simulated climate change (2018)
Journal Article
Haeuser, E., Dawson, W., & van Kleunen, M. (2019). Introduced garden plants are strong competitors of native and alien residents under simulated climate change. Journal of Ecology, 107(3), 1328-1342. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13101

Most invasive plants have been originally introduced for horticultural purposes. Still, most alien garden plants have not naturalized yet, probably due in part to inadequate climatic conditions. Climate change may alter this, but few experimental stu... Read More about Introduced garden plants are strong competitors of native and alien residents under simulated climate change.

The Global Naturalized Alien Flora (GloNAF) Database (2018)
Journal Article
van Kleunen, M., Pyšek, P., Dawson, W., Essl, F., Kreft, H., Pergl, J., …Winter, M. (2019). The Global Naturalized Alien Flora (GloNAF) Database. Ecology, 100(1), Article e02542. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2542

This dataset provides the Global Naturalized Alien Flora (GloNAF) database, version 1.2. GloNAF represents a data compendium on the occurrence and identity of naturalized alien vascular plant taxa across geographic regions (e.g. countries, states, pr... Read More about The Global Naturalized Alien Flora (GloNAF) Database.

Remoteness promotes biological invasions on islands worldwide (2018)
Journal Article
Moser, D., Lenzner, B., Weigelt, P., Dawson, W., Kreft, H., Pergl, J., …Essl, F. (2018). Remoteness promotes biological invasions on islands worldwide. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(37), 9270-9275. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1804179115

One of the best-known general patterns in island biogeography is the species–isolation relationship (SIR), a decrease in the number of native species with increasing island isolation that is linked to lower rates of natural dispersal and colonization... Read More about Remoteness promotes biological invasions on islands worldwide.

Non-linear effects of phylogenetic distance on early-stage establishment of experimentally introduced plants in grassland communities (2018)
Journal Article
Malecore, E., Dawson, W., Kempel, A., Müller, G., & van Kleunen, M. (2018). Non-linear effects of phylogenetic distance on early-stage establishment of experimentally introduced plants in grassland communities. Journal of Ecology, 107(2), 781-793. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13059

The phylogenetic distance of an introduced plant species to a resident native community may play a role in determining its establishment success. While Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis predicts a positive relationship, the preadaptation hypothesis... Read More about Non-linear effects of phylogenetic distance on early-stage establishment of experimentally introduced plants in grassland communities.

European ornamental garden flora as an invasion debt under climate change (2018)
Journal Article
Haeuser, E., Dawson, W., Thuiller, W., Dullinger, S., Block, S., Bossdorf, O., …van Kleunen, M. (2018). European ornamental garden flora as an invasion debt under climate change. Journal of Applied Ecology, 55(5), 2386-2395. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13197

1) Most naturalized and invasive alien plant species were originally introduced to regions for horticultural purposes. However, many regions now face an invasion debt from ornamental alien species, which have not yet naturalized. In this regard, clim... Read More about European ornamental garden flora as an invasion debt under climate change.

The role of adaptive strategies in plant naturalization (2018)
Journal Article
Guo, W., van Kleunen, M., Winter, M., Weigelt, P., Stein, A., Pierce, S., …Pyšek, P. (2018). The role of adaptive strategies in plant naturalization. Ecology Letters, 21(9), 1380-1389. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13104

Determining the factors associated with the naturalization of alien species is a central theme in ecology. Here, we tested the usefulness of a metric for quantifying Grime's seminal concept of adaptive strategies – competitors, stress‐tolerators and... Read More about The role of adaptive strategies in plant naturalization.

The ecology and evolution of alien plants (2018)
Journal Article
van Kleunen, M., Bossdorf, O., & Dawson, W. (2018). The ecology and evolution of alien plants. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 49(1), 25-47. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-110617-062654

We review the state of the art of alien plant research with emphasis on conceptual advances and knowledge gains on general patterns and drivers, biotic interactions, and evolution. Major advances include the identification of different invasion stage... Read More about The ecology and evolution of alien plants.

The changing role of ornamental horticulture in alien plant invasions (2018)
Journal Article
van Kleunen, M., Essl, F., Pergl, J., Brundu, G., Carboni, M., Dullinger, S., …Dehnen-Schmutz, K. (2018). The changing role of ornamental horticulture in alien plant invasions. Biological Reviews, 93(3), 1421-1437. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12402

The number of alien plants escaping from cultivation into native ecosystems is increasing steadily. We provide an overview of the historical, contemporary and potential future roles of ornamental horticulture in plant invasions. We show that currentl... Read More about The changing role of ornamental horticulture in alien plant invasions.

Global rise in emerging alien species results from increased accessibility of new source pools (2018)
Journal Article
Seebens, H., Blackburn, T. M., Dyer, E. E., Genovesi, P., Hulme, P. E., Jeschke, J. M., …Essl, F. (2018). Global rise in emerging alien species results from increased accessibility of new source pools. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(10), E2264-E2273. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1719429115

Our ability to predict the identity of future invasive alien species is largely based upon knowledge of prior invasion history. Emerging alien species—those never encountered as aliens before—therefore pose a significant challenge to biosecurity inte... Read More about Global rise in emerging alien species results from increased accessibility of new source pools.

Naturalization of European plants on other continents: The role of donor habitats (2017)
Journal Article
Kalusová, V., Chytrý, M., van Kleunen, M., Mucina, L., Dawson, W., Essl, F., …Pyšek, P. (2017). Naturalization of European plants on other continents: The role of donor habitats. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(52), 13756-13761. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1705487114

The success of European plant species as aliens worldwide is thought to reflect their association with human-disturbed environments. However, an explicit test including all human-made, seminatural and natural habitat types of Europe, and their contri... Read More about Naturalization of European plants on other continents: The role of donor habitats.

Naturalization of ornamental plant species in public green spaces and private gardens (2017)
Journal Article
Mayer, K., Haeuser, E., Dawson, W., Essl, F., Kreft, H., Pergl, J., …van Kleunen, M. (2017). Naturalization of ornamental plant species in public green spaces and private gardens. Biological Invasions, 19(12), 3613-3627. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-017-1594-y

Ornamental horticulture is the most important pathway for alien plant introductions worldwide, and consequently, invasive spread of introduced plants often begins in urban areas. Although most introduced ornamental garden-plant species are locally no... Read More about Naturalization of ornamental plant species in public green spaces and private gardens.

Naturalized alien flora of the world (2017)
Journal Article
Pyšek, P., Pergl, J., Essl, F., Lenzner, B., Dawson, W., Kreft, H., …Kleunen, M. V. (2017). Naturalized alien flora of the world. Preslia, 89(3), 203-274. https://doi.org/10.23855/preslia.2017.203

Using the recently built Global Naturalized Alien Flora (GloNAF) database, containing data on the distribution of naturalized alien plants in 483 mainland and 361 island regions of the world, we describe patterns in diversity and geographic distribut... Read More about Naturalized alien flora of the world.

Global hotspots and correlates of alien species richness across taxonomic groups (2017)
Journal Article
Dawson, W., Moser, D., van Kleunen, M., Kreft, H., Pergl, J., Pysek, P., …Essl, F. (2017). Global hotspots and correlates of alien species richness across taxonomic groups. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 1, Article 0186. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0186

Human-mediated transport beyond biogeographic barriers has led to the introduction and establishment of alien species in new regions worldwide. However, we lack a global picture of established alien species richness for multiple taxonomic groups. Her... Read More about Global hotspots and correlates of alien species richness across taxonomic groups.

Will climate change increase hybridization risk between potential plant invaders and their congeners in Europe? (2017)
Journal Article
Klonner, G., Dullinger, I., Wessely, J., Bossdorf, O., Carboni, M., Dawson, W., …Dullinger, S. (2017). Will climate change increase hybridization risk between potential plant invaders and their congeners in Europe?. Diversity and Distributions, 23(8), 934-943. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12578

Aim: Interspecific hybridization can promote invasiveness of alien species. In many regions of the world, public and domestic gardens contain a huge pool of non-native plants. Climate change may relax constraints on their naturalization and hence fac... Read More about Will climate change increase hybridization risk between potential plant invaders and their congeners in Europe?.

A small number of low-abundance bacteria dominate plant species-specific responses during rhizosphere colonisation (2017)
Journal Article
Dawson, W., Hör, J., van Kleunen, M., & Pester, M. (2017). A small number of low-abundance bacteria dominate plant species-specific responses during rhizosphere colonisation. Frontiers in Microbiology, 8, Article 975. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2017.00975

Plant growth can be affected by soil bacteria. In turn, plants are known to influence soil bacteria through rhizodeposits and changes in abiotic conditions. We aimed to quantify the phylotype richness and relative abundance of rhizosphere bacteria th... Read More about A small number of low-abundance bacteria dominate plant species-specific responses during rhizosphere colonisation.

The effects of climate warming and disturbance on the colonization potential of ornamental alien plant species (2017)
Journal Article
Haeuser, E., Dawson, W., & van Kleunen, M. (2017). The effects of climate warming and disturbance on the colonization potential of ornamental alien plant species. Journal of Ecology, 105(6), 1698-1708. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12798

1.A large number of alien plant species have been introduced as ornamental garden plants to Europe, but relatively few have become invasive. Low climatic suitability may be limiting the current invasion potential of many alien ornamental species. How... Read More about The effects of climate warming and disturbance on the colonization potential of ornamental alien plant species.

No saturation in the accumulation of alien species worldwide (2017)
Journal Article
Seebens, H., Blackburn, T., Dyer, E., Genovesi, P., Hulme, P., Jeschke, J., …Essl, F. (2017). No saturation in the accumulation of alien species worldwide. Nature Communications, 8, Article 14435. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms14435

Although research on human-mediated exchanges of species has substantially intensified during the last centuries, we know surprisingly little about temporal dynamics of alien species accumulations across regions and taxa. Using a novel database of 45... Read More about No saturation in the accumulation of alien species worldwide.

Plants capable of selfing are more likely to become naturalized (2016)
Journal Article
Razanajatovo, M., Maurel, N., Dawson, W., Essl, F., Kreft, H., Pergl, J., …van Kleunen, M. (2016). Plants capable of selfing are more likely to become naturalized. Nature Communications, 7, Article 13313. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms13313

Many plant species have established self-sustaining populations outside their natural range because of human activities. Plants with selfing ability should be more likely to establish outside their historical range because they can reproduce from a s... Read More about Plants capable of selfing are more likely to become naturalized.

Does greater specific leaf area plasticity help plants to maintain a high performance when shaded? (2016)
Journal Article
Liu, Y., Dawson, W., Prati, D., Haeuser, E., Feng, Y., & van Kleunen, M. (2016). Does greater specific leaf area plasticity help plants to maintain a high performance when shaded?. Annals of Botany, 118(7), 1329-1336. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcw180

Background and Aims It is frequently assumed that phenotypic plasticity can be very advantageous for plants, because it may increase environmental tolerance (fitness homeostasis). This should, however, only hold for plastic responses that are adaptiv... Read More about Does greater specific leaf area plasticity help plants to maintain a high performance when shaded?.

Climate change will increase naturalization risk from garden plants in Europe (2016)
Journal Article
Dullinger, I., Wessely, J., Bossdorf, O., Dawson, W., Essl, F., Gattringer, A., …Dullinger, S. (2017). Climate change will increase naturalization risk from garden plants in Europe. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 26(1), 43-53. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12512

Aim: Plant invasions often follow initial introduction with a considerable delay. The current non-native flora of a region may hence contain species that are not yet naturalized but may become so in the future, especially if climate change lifts limi... Read More about Climate change will increase naturalization risk from garden plants in Europe.

Identifying the role of soil microbes in plant invasions (2016)
Journal Article
Dawson, W., & Schrama, M. (2016). Identifying the role of soil microbes in plant invasions. Journal of Ecology, 104(5), 1211-1218. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12619

Understanding how invasions by exotic plant species occur has been and still is a fundamental goal in the field of invasion ecology. Recently, research focus has shifted to below-ground mechanisms of invasion, which has provided valuable insights int... Read More about Identifying the role of soil microbes in plant invasions.

Alien and native plant establishment in grassland communities is more strongly affected by disturbance than above- and below-ground enemies (2016)
Journal Article
Müller, G., Horstmeyer, L., Rönneburg, T., van Kleunen, M., & Dawson, W. (2016). Alien and native plant establishment in grassland communities is more strongly affected by disturbance than above- and below-ground enemies. Journal of Ecology, 104(5), 1233-1242. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12601

Summary Understanding the factors that drive commonness and rarity of plant species and whether these factors differ for alien and native species are key questions in ecology. If a species is to become common in a community, incoming propagules must... Read More about Alien and native plant establishment in grassland communities is more strongly affected by disturbance than above- and below-ground enemies.

Commonness and rarity of alien and native plant species - the relative roles of intraspecific competition and plant - soil feedback (2016)
Journal Article
Mueller, G., van Kleunen, M., & Dawson, W. (2016). Commonness and rarity of alien and native plant species - the relative roles of intraspecific competition and plant - soil feedback. Oikos, 125(10), 1458-1466. https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.02770

The success of invasive alien and common native species may be explained by the same underlying mechanisms. Differences in intraspecific competition as well as differences in plant–soil feedback have been put forward as potential determinants of plan... Read More about Commonness and rarity of alien and native plant species - the relative roles of intraspecific competition and plant - soil feedback.

Global trade will accelerate plant invasions in emerging economies under climate change (2015)
Journal Article
Seebens, H., Essl, F., Dawson, W., Fuentes, N., Moser, D., Pergl, J., …Blasius, B. (2015). Global trade will accelerate plant invasions in emerging economies under climate change. Global Change Biology, 21(11), 4128-4140. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13021

Trade plays a key role in the spread of alien species and has arguably contributed to the recent enormous acceleration of biological invasions, thus homogenizing biotas worldwide. Combining data on 60-year trends of bilateral trade, as well as on bio... Read More about Global trade will accelerate plant invasions in emerging economies under climate change.

Niche dynamics of alien species do not differ among sexual and apomictic flowering plants (2015)
Journal Article
Dellinger, A., Essl, F., Hojsgaard, D., Kirchheimer, B., Klatt, S., Dawson, W., …Dullinger, S. (2016). Niche dynamics of alien species do not differ among sexual and apomictic flowering plants. New Phytologist, 209(3), 1313-1323. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.13694

Biological invasions can be associated with shifts of the species’ climatic niches but the incidence of such shifts is under debate. The reproductive system might be a key factor controlling such shifts because it influences a species’ evolutionary f... Read More about Niche dynamics of alien species do not differ among sexual and apomictic flowering plants.

Release from belowground enemies and shifts in root traits as interrelated drivers of alien plant invasion success: a hypothesis (2015)
Journal Article
Dawson, W. (2015). Release from belowground enemies and shifts in root traits as interrelated drivers of alien plant invasion success: a hypothesis. Ecology and Evolution, 5(20), 4505-4516. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1725

Our understanding of the interrelated mechanisms driving plant invasions, such as the interplay between enemy release and resource-acquisition traits, is biased by an aboveground perspective. To address this bias, I hypothesize that plant release fro... Read More about Release from belowground enemies and shifts in root traits as interrelated drivers of alien plant invasion success: a hypothesis.

Global exchange and accumulation of non - native plants (2015)
Journal Article
van Kleunen, M., Dawson, W., Essl, F., Pergl, J., Winter, M., Weber, E., …Pyšek, P. (2015). Global exchange and accumulation of non - native plants. Nature, 525(7567), 100-103. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14910

All around the globe, humans have greatly altered the abiotic and biotic environment with ever-increasing speed. One defining feature of the Anthropocene epoch1, 2 is the erosion of biogeographical barriers by human-mediated dispersal of species into... Read More about Global exchange and accumulation of non - native plants.

Testing the Plant Growth-Defense Hypothesis Belowground: Do Faster-Growing Herbaceous Plant Species Suffer More Negative Effects from Soil Biota than Slower-Growing Ones? (2015)
Journal Article
Lemmermeyer, S., Lörcher, L., van Kleunen, M., & Dawson, W. (2015). Testing the Plant Growth-Defense Hypothesis Belowground: Do Faster-Growing Herbaceous Plant Species Suffer More Negative Effects from Soil Biota than Slower-Growing Ones?. The American Naturalist, 186(2), 264-271. https://doi.org/10.1086/682005

According to the growth-defense hypothesis in ecology, faster-growing plant species should suffer more from herbivores and pathogens than slower-growing species. Tests of this hypothesis have focused on aboveground plant tissues, herbivores, and path... Read More about Testing the Plant Growth-Defense Hypothesis Belowground: Do Faster-Growing Herbaceous Plant Species Suffer More Negative Effects from Soil Biota than Slower-Growing Ones?.

No consistent legacy effects of invasion by Giant Goldenrod (Solidago gigantea) via soil biota on native plant growth (2015)
Journal Article
König, J., van Kleunen, M., & Dawson, W. (2016). No consistent legacy effects of invasion by Giant Goldenrod (Solidago gigantea) via soil biota on native plant growth. Journal of Plant Ecology, 9(3), 320–327. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtv054

Aims Changes in soil microbial communities after occupation by invasive alien plants can represent legacy effects of invasion that may limit recolonization and establishment of native plant species in soils previously occupied by the invader. In this... Read More about No consistent legacy effects of invasion by Giant Goldenrod (Solidago gigantea) via soil biota on native plant growth.

Challenging the view that invasive non-native plants are not a significant threat to the floristic diversity of Great Britain (2015)
Journal Article
Hulme, P., Pauchard, A., Pysek, P., Vila, M., Alba, C., Blackburn, T., …Winter, M. (2015). Challenging the view that invasive non-native plants are not a significant threat to the floristic diversity of Great Britain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(23), E2988 - E2989. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1506517112

Conservation scientists and practitioners have long recognized that not all non-native species pose a threat to biodiversity, yet some ecologists still fail to grasp this message (1). The conclusions drawn by Thomas and Palmer (2) that non-native pla... Read More about Challenging the view that invasive non-native plants are not a significant threat to the floristic diversity of Great Britain.

Characteristics of successful alien plants. (2015)
Journal Article
van Kleunen, M., Dawson, W., & Maurel, N. (2015). Characteristics of successful alien plants. Molecular Ecology, 24(9), 1954-1968. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.13013

Herbert Baker arguably initiated the search for species characteristics determining alien plant invasion success, with his formulation of the ‘ideal weed’. Today, a profusion of studies has tested a myriad of traits for their importance in explaining... Read More about Characteristics of successful alien plants..

Herbaceous plant species invading natural areas tend to have stronger adaptive root foraging than other naturalized species (2015)
Journal Article
Keser, L., Visser, E., Dawson, W., Song, Y., Yu, F., Fischer, M., …van Kleunen, M. (2015). Herbaceous plant species invading natural areas tend to have stronger adaptive root foraging than other naturalized species. Frontiers in Plant Science, 6, Article 273. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2015.00273

Although plastic root-foraging responses are thought to be adaptive, as they may optimize nutrient capture of plants, this has rarely been tested. We investigated whether nutrient-foraging responses are adaptive, and whether they pre-adapt alien spec... Read More about Herbaceous plant species invading natural areas tend to have stronger adaptive root foraging than other naturalized species.

Consistent effects of disturbance and forest edges on the invasion of a continental rainforest by alien plants (2015)
Journal Article
Dawson, W., Burslem, D., & Hulme, P. (2015). Consistent effects of disturbance and forest edges on the invasion of a continental rainforest by alien plants. Biotropica, 47(1), 27-37. https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.12183

Continental tropical forests are thought to be resistant to alien plant invasion due to a lack of disturbance, or low propagule pressure from introduced species. We assessed the importance of disturbance and edge effects by surveying areas of submont... Read More about Consistent effects of disturbance and forest edges on the invasion of a continental rainforest by alien plants.

Little evidence for release from herbivores as a driver of plant invasiveness from a multi-species herbivore-removal experiment (2014)
Journal Article
Dawson, W., Bottini, A., Fischer, M., van Kleunen, M., & Knop, E. (2014). Little evidence for release from herbivores as a driver of plant invasiveness from a multi-species herbivore-removal experiment. Oikos, 123(12), 1509-1518. https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.01485

Enemy release is frequently posed as a main driver of invasiveness of alien species. However, an experimental multi-species test examining performance and herbivory of invasive alien, non-invasive alien and native plant species in the presence and ab... Read More about Little evidence for release from herbivores as a driver of plant invasiveness from a multi-species herbivore-removal experiment.

Invasion by Solidago species has limited impacts on soil seed bank communities. (2014)
Journal Article
Kundel, D., van Kleunen, M., & Dawson, W. (2014). Invasion by Solidago species has limited impacts on soil seed bank communities. Basic and Applied Ecology, 15(7), 573-580. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2014.08.009

Increasing attention in invasion biology is being paid to measuring and understanding the impacts of invasive species. For plant invasions, however, the impact of invasion on soil seed bank communities has been under-studied. At six sites in southern... Read More about Invasion by Solidago species has limited impacts on soil seed bank communities..

Invasive clonal plant species have a greater root - foraging plasticity than non - invasive ones. (2014)
Journal Article
Keser, L., Dawson, W., Song, Y., Yu, F., Fischer, M., Dong, M., & van Kleunen, M. (2014). Invasive clonal plant species have a greater root - foraging plasticity than non - invasive ones. Oecologia, 174, 1055-1064. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-013-2829-y

Clonality is frequently positively correlated with plant invasiveness, but which aspects of clonality make some clonal species more invasive than others is not known. Due to their spreading growth form, clonal plants are likely to experience spatial... Read More about Invasive clonal plant species have a greater root - foraging plasticity than non - invasive ones..

The more the merrier: Multi-species experiments in ecology (2014)
Journal Article
van Kleunen, M., Dawson, W., Bossdorf, O., & Fischer, M. (2014). The more the merrier: Multi-species experiments in ecology. Basic and Applied Ecology, 15(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2013.10.006

A major objective in ecology is to find general patterns, and to establish the rules and underlying mechanisms that generate those patterns. Nevertheless, most of our current insights in ecology are based on case studies of a single or few species, w... Read More about The more the merrier: Multi-species experiments in ecology.

Aliens in the Arc: Are invasive trees a threat to the montane forests of East Africa? (2013)
Book Chapter
Hulme, P., Burslem, D., Dawson, W., Edward, E., Richard, J., & Trevelyan, R. (2013). Aliens in the Arc: Are invasive trees a threat to the montane forests of East Africa?. In L. Foxcroft, P. Pyšek, D. Richardson, & P. Genovesi (Eds.), Plant Invasions in Protected Areas: Patterns, Problems and Challenges (145-165). Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7750-7_8

Although plant invasions are often regarded as a significant threat to global biodiversity, current understanding of the vulnerability of tropical forests to invasion or the factors that lead to alien species becoming invasive in the tropics remains... Read More about Aliens in the Arc: Are invasive trees a threat to the montane forests of East Africa?.

Correlations between global and regional measures of invasiveness vary with region size (2013)
Journal Article
Dawson, W., Keser, L., Winter, M., Pyšek, P., Kartesz, J., Nishino, M., …van Kleunen, M. (2013). Correlations between global and regional measures of invasiveness vary with region size. NeoBiota, 16, 59-80. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.16.4351

We aimedto assess the utility of the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW) as an indicator of plant invasiveness, by relating it to invasiveness at smaller scales. We correlated two global measures of invasiveness for alien plant species taken from the GC... Read More about Correlations between global and regional measures of invasiveness vary with region size.

Enemy damage of exotic plant species is similar to that of natives and increases with productivity. (2013)
Journal Article
Dostál, P., Allan, E., Dawson, W., van Kleunen, M., Bartish, I., & Fischer, M. (2013). Enemy damage of exotic plant species is similar to that of natives and increases with productivity. Journal of Ecology, 101(2), 388-399. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12037

In their colonized ranges, exotic plants may be released from some of the herbivores or pathogens of their home ranges but these can be replaced by novel enemies. It is of basic and practical interest to understand which characteristics of invaded co... Read More about Enemy damage of exotic plant species is similar to that of natives and increases with productivity..

United we stand, divided we fall: a meta-analysis of experiments on clonal integration and its relationship to invasiveness. (2013)
Journal Article
Song, Y., Yu, F., Keser, L., Dawson, W., Fischer, M., Dong, M., & van Kleunen, M. (2013). United we stand, divided we fall: a meta-analysis of experiments on clonal integration and its relationship to invasiveness. Oecologia, 171(2), 317-327. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-012-2430-9

Many ecosystems are dominated by clonal plants. Among the most distinctive characteristics of clonal plants is their potential for clonal integration (i.e. the translocation of resources between interconnected ramets), suggesting that integration may... Read More about United we stand, divided we fall: a meta-analysis of experiments on clonal integration and its relationship to invasiveness..

Central European plant species from more productive habitats are more invasive at a global scale. (2013)
Journal Article
Dostál, P., Dawson, W., van Kleunen, M., Keser, L., & Fischer, M. (2013). Central European plant species from more productive habitats are more invasive at a global scale. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 22(1), 64-72. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1466-8238.2011.00754.x

Aim  Accumulating evidence indicates that species may be pre-adapted for invasion success in new ranges. In the light of increasing global nutrient accumulation, an important candidate pre-adaptation for invasiveness is the ability to grow in nutrien... Read More about Central European plant species from more productive habitats are more invasive at a global scale..

A conceptual framework for prioritization of invasive alien species for management according to their impact (2012)
Journal Article
Kumschick, S., Bacher, S., Dawson, W., Heikkilä, J., Sendek, A., Pluess, T., …Kuehn, I. (2012). A conceptual framework for prioritization of invasive alien species for management according to their impact. NeoBiota, 15, 69-100. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.15.3323

The number of invasive alien species is increasing and so are the impacts these species cause to the environment and economies. Nevertheless, resources for management are limited, which makes prioritization unavoidable. We present a prioritization fr... Read More about A conceptual framework for prioritization of invasive alien species for management according to their impact.

Common and rare plant species respond differently to fertilisation and competition, whether they are alien or native. (2012)
Journal Article
Dawson, W., Fischer, M., & van Kleunen, M. (2012). Common and rare plant species respond differently to fertilisation and competition, whether they are alien or native. Ecology Letters, 15(8), 873-880. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01811.x

Plant traits associated with alien invasiveness may also distinguish rare from common native species. To test this, we grew 23 native (9 common, 14 rare) and 18 alien (8 common, 10 rare) herbaceous species in Switzerland from six plant families under... Read More about Common and rare plant species respond differently to fertilisation and competition, whether they are alien or native..

Alien plant species with a wider global distribution are better able to capitalize on increased resource availability (2012)
Journal Article
Dawson, W., Rohr, R., van Kleunen, M., & Fischer, M. (2012). Alien plant species with a wider global distribution are better able to capitalize on increased resource availability. New Phytologist, 194(3), 859-867. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2012.04104.x

A high ability of alien plant species to capitalize on increases in resource availability has been suggested as an explanation for being globally successful. Here, we tested this hypothesis meta-analytically using existing data from experiments manip... Read More about Alien plant species with a wider global distribution are better able to capitalize on increased resource availability.

The comparative importance of species traits and introduction characteristics in tropical plant invasions. (2011)
Journal Article
Dawson, W., Burslem, D., & Hulme, P. (2011). The comparative importance of species traits and introduction characteristics in tropical plant invasions. Diversity and Distributions, 17(6), 1111-1121. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-4642.2011.00796.x

Aim  We used alien plant species introduced to a botanic garden to investigate the relative importance of species traits (leaf traits, dispersal syndrome) and introduction characteristics (propagule pressure, residence time and distance to forest) in... Read More about The comparative importance of species traits and introduction characteristics in tropical plant invasions..

Maximum relative growth rate of common UK plant species is positively associated with their global invasiveness. (2011)
Journal Article
Dawson, W., Fischer, M., & van Kleunen, M. (2011). Maximum relative growth rate of common UK plant species is positively associated with their global invasiveness. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 20(2), 299-306. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1466-8238.2010.00599.x

Aim  An emerging consensus in invasion ecology is that faster-growing alien plant species tend to be more invasive than slower-growing species. However, phylogenetic non-independence and the precision of growth-rate measures often remain unaccounted... Read More about Maximum relative growth rate of common UK plant species is positively associated with their global invasiveness..

Guidance for addressing the Australian Weed Risk Assessment questions. (2010)
Journal Article
Gordon, D., Mitterdorfer, B., Pheloung, P., Ansari, S., Buddenhagen, C., Chimera, C., …Williams, P. (2010). Guidance for addressing the Australian Weed Risk Assessment questions. Plant protection quarterly, 25(2), 56-74

This paper provides guidance on how to address the 49 questions of the Australian Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) system. The WRA was developed in Australia in 1999, and has since been widely adapted for different regions. As interest in implementation an... Read More about Guidance for addressing the Australian Weed Risk Assessment questions..

Are invaders different? A conceptual framework of comparative approaches for assessing determinants of invasiveness (2010)
Journal Article
van Kleunen, M., Dawson, W., Schlaepfer, D., Jeschke, J., & Fischer, M. (2010). Are invaders different? A conceptual framework of comparative approaches for assessing determinants of invasiveness. Ecology Letters, 13(8), 947-958. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2010.01503.x

What determines invasiveness of alien organisms is among the most interesting and urgent questions in ecology. In attempts to answer this question, researchers compare invasive alien species either to native species or to non-invasive alien species,... Read More about Are invaders different? A conceptual framework of comparative approaches for assessing determinants of invasiveness.

The role of enemy release, tolerance and resistance in plant invasions: linking damage to performance. (2010)
Journal Article
Chun, Y., van Kleunen, M., & Dawson, W. (2010). The role of enemy release, tolerance and resistance in plant invasions: linking damage to performance. Ecology Letters, 13(8), 937-946. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2010.01498.x

An explanation for successful invasion is that invasive alien species sustain less pressure from natural enemies than co-occurring native species. Using meta-analysis, we examined whether invasive species: (1) incur less damage, (2) exhibit better pe... Read More about The role of enemy release, tolerance and resistance in plant invasions: linking damage to performance..

The suitability of weed risk assessment as a conservation tool to identify invasive plant threats in East African rain-forests. (2009)
Journal Article
Dawson, W., Burslem, D., & Hulme, P. (2009). The suitability of weed risk assessment as a conservation tool to identify invasive plant threats in East African rain-forests. Biological Conservation, 142(5), 1018-1024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2009.01.013

We tested the ability of an international Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) protocol to predict invasion status of 230 alien plant species introduced via a botanical garden to tropical rainforest in Tanzania. The reliability and accuracy of WRA in discrimin... Read More about The suitability of weed risk assessment as a conservation tool to identify invasive plant threats in East African rain-forests..

Factors explaining alien plant invasion success in a tropical ecosystem differ at each stage of invasion. (2009)
Journal Article
Dawson, W., Burslem, D., & Hulme, P. (2009). Factors explaining alien plant invasion success in a tropical ecosystem differ at each stage of invasion. Journal of Ecology, 97(4), 657-665. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2009.01519.x

1 Understanding why some alien plant species become invasive when others fail is a fundamental goal in invasion ecology. We used detailed historical planting records of alien plant species introduced to Amani Botanical Garden, Tanzania and contempora... Read More about Factors explaining alien plant invasion success in a tropical ecosystem differ at each stage of invasion..

Herbivory is related to taxonomic isolation, but not to invasiveness of tropical alien plants (2009)
Journal Article
Dawson, W., Burslem, D., & Hulme, P. (2009). Herbivory is related to taxonomic isolation, but not to invasiveness of tropical alien plants. Diversity and Distributions, 15(1), 141-147. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-4642.2008.00527.x

Aim  The enemy release hypothesis is often invoked to explain why some alien plant species become invasive. Here, we investigated relationships between invasiveness, taxonomic isolation and leaf herbivory for tropical alien plant species introduced t... Read More about Herbivory is related to taxonomic isolation, but not to invasiveness of tropical alien plants.

Assessing the risks of plant invasions arising from collections in tropical botanical gardens. (2008)
Journal Article
Dawson, W., Mndolwa, A., Burslem, D., & Hulme, P. (2008). Assessing the risks of plant invasions arising from collections in tropical botanical gardens. Biodiversity and Conservation, 17(8), 1979-1995. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-008-9345-0

Tropical botanical gardens have played an important role in the distribution, naturalisation and spread of non-native plants worldwide. Appropriate guidance relating to risk assessments of established botanical garden collections is often scarce. Thi... Read More about Assessing the risks of plant invasions arising from collections in tropical botanical gardens..