Several studies have pointed out the need to consider multiple factors in order to understand invasive species impacts. However, most approaches focus on the invasion process and on the invasive species identity not on the impact and vulnerability of the recipient community. A primary limiting factor for assessing characteristics of recipient ecosystems that influence vulnerability has been the lack of consistent data collected across a range of ecosystems and scales. Fortunately, this data limitation has been overcome recently. The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) provides consistently collected, community-level plant surveys across a range of U.S. ecoregions.
Results/Conclusions
We leveraged the data associated with nested NEON plots to assess how local, landscape, and regional characteristics of recipient communities influence the accumulation of native species (species-area relationships) in un-invaded and invaded communities. We assessed the geographic features associated with vulnerability to invasive species impact. This approach allowed us to identify and quantify the relative contributions of local, landscape, and regional spatial context on vulnerability to plant invasions. Results indicate these factors are not always additive in their impact, as interacting effects are common and context depended. It is the interactions of these processes across scales that ultimately determine the vulnerability of native communities to invasive species impacts. The outcomes from this work can be now directly apply in the management and conservation of particular natural communities.