Invasive species are one of the world’s leading threats to biological diversity. The introduction and spread of non-native invasive species cause tremendous ecological and economic harm on a local, regional, and international scale. As such, there is great interest in determining the most cost-effective conservation actions to minimize the ecological and economic impacts on ecosystems. Given that land managers typically have limited funds, it is important to be able to prioritize management efforts (both in terms of time and money). But where should research and conservation efforts be directed? In 2016, the regional Capital-Mohawk PRISM Conservation Committee created a spatial model to help land managers prioritize their efforts so that they can focus their limited resources on high quality areas that are likely to be invaded by invasive species, but no field validation of the accuracy of the model was done. In 2017, we sampled vegetation in 20 m x 50 m forest plots at 16 forest tracts in and around the capital region of New York State. For each site, we calculated measurements of floristic quality, species richness, and the proportion of native to non-native plants to assess ecological significance and risk of invasive species spread.
Results/Conclusions
In general, the model predictions were supported by our field data. Sites with low ecological significance were more variable in percent non-native species and indicators of site quality (mean C, Floristic Quality Index (FQI)). Sites with high ecological significance had less variability in percent non-native species and indicators of site quality, indicating that they may be more resilient to invasion by non-native species. Overall, results indicate support for the model.