Invasive Aquatic Plant Dynamics
Summary
Invasive aquatic plants represent a pervasive challenge to freshwater and estuarine ecosystems worldwide. Their success stems from rapid growth rates, high reproductive output and the capacity to exploit a range of dispersal pathways, both natural and human-mediated. Once established, these species can alter light regimes, nutrient cycling and dissolved-oxygen levels, leading to declines in native biodiversity, shifts in food-web dynamics and impediments to water use and navigation. Climatic shifts and increased anthropogenic nutrient inputs have further expanded the environmental envelope suitable for many invaders, enabling poleward and altitudinal range extensions. Management strategies have evolved from reactive removal to integrated frameworks encompassing prevention, early detection, rapid response and the utilisation of biological, mechanical and chemical controls. Contemporary research emphasises predictive modelling of future invasions under climate scenarios, assessment of physiological tolerances to temperature and hydrological extremes, elucidation of allelopathic interactions and exploration of sustainable uses for harvested biomass. An improved understanding of these dynamics is critical for informing risk assessments, guiding policy and safeguarding freshwater services on a global scale.
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Invasive Aquatic Plant Dynamics publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in invasive aquatic plant dynamics across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Macrophyte: An aquatic plant large enough to be seen with the naked eye, including submerged, floating and emergent forms.
Allelopathy: The release of biochemicals by one plant species that influence the growth or survival of neighbouring species.
Ecological niche modelling: A computational approach that predicts species’ potential distributions based on environmental variables and known occurrence records.
Propagule pressure: The frequency and number of individuals of a species introduced into a new area, which affects invasion success.
References
- Temperature extremes nip invasive macrophyte Cabomba caroliniana A. Gray in the bud: potential geographic distributions and risk assessment based on future climate change and anthropogenic influences. Frontiers in Plant Science (2024).
- Impact of river water and sediment properties on the chemical composition of water hyacinth and hippo grass. Environmental Challenges (2024).
- Quantifying the ecological impacts of alien aquatic macrophytes: A global meta‐analysis of effects on fish, macroinvertebrate and macrophyte assemblages. Freshwater Biology (2022).
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