Disentangling native and alien plant diversity in coastal sand dune ecosystems worldwide

A global analysis of coastal sand dune ecosystems reveals distinct patterns and drivers for native and alien plant diversity. Native species richness increases along the sea-to-inland gradient, particularly in the Cape and Paleotropical floristic kingdoms, while alien species richness remains relatively consistent across regions but is strongly influenced by anthropogenic factors such as gross domestic product (GDP). The study, which analyzed 14,841 vegetation plots worldwide using generalized linear models (GLMs) and mixed models (GLMMs), found weak support for the invasion paradox, suggesting that spatial scale plays a minor role in native-alien richness patterns. These findings highlight the need to consider native and alien species separately when studying biodiversity, offering insights for targeted conservation and management strategies.

Tordoni, E., Bacaro, G., Weigelt, P., Cameletti, M., Janssen, J. A. M., Acosta, A. T. R., Bagella, S., Filigheddu, R., Bergmeier, E., Buckley, H. L., Ciccarelli, D., Forey, E., Hennekens, S. M., Lubke, R. A., Mahdavi, P., Peet, R. K., Peinado, M., Sciandrello, S., & Kreft, H. (2020). Disentangling native and alien plant diversity in coastal sand dune ecosystems worldwide. Journal of Vegetation Science, 32(1). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12961