A phylogenetic approach towards understanding the drivers of plant invasiveness on Robben Island, South Africa

Invasive plant species on Robben Island, South Africa, exhibit greater phylogenetic distance from native species, supporting Darwin's naturalization hypothesis. However, this pattern is also observed in randomly generated communities, suggesting that invasion success may be driven more by species traits or a combination of evolutionary history and traits rather than phylogeny alone. The study used extensive flora sampling and reconstructed phylogenies using DNA barcode regions (rbcLa and matK) to analyze native and invasive floras at two scales. These findings have implications for managing invasions and rehabilitating native diversity on the island.

Bezeng, B. S., Savolainen, V., Yessoufou, K., Papadopulos, A. S. T., Maurin, O., & van der Bank, M. (2013). A phylogenetic approach towards understanding the drivers of plant invasiveness on Robben Island, South Africa. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 172(2), 142–152. https://doi.org/10.1111/boj.12030