Freely accessible, the database gives helpful contextual data and identifies key gaps in European invasive-plant analysis.

A staff of consultants has created the primary database of subject research on the impacts of invasive vegetation on native species, communities and ecosystems in Europe.

The dataset contains 266 peer-reviewed publications reporting 4,259 subject research on 104 invasive species throughout 29 European nations. It’s the first harmonised database of its sort at continental scale, and is freely accessible to the scientific group for future research. Notably, one third of the research targeted on simply 5 species that invade a number of central European nations.

Revealed in NeoBiota, the undertaking was primarily funded by means of the European Regional Growth Fund (SUMHAL, LIFEWATCH, POPE). It was executed by researchers from the Spanish institutes, Estación Biológica de Doñana, Universidad de Sevilla, Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología and Universidad de Alcalá, in addition to the College of Fribourg, Switzerland.

The great database signifies that invasive vegetation impression different vegetation, animals and microbes, all trophic ranges (herbivores, parasites, vegetation, pollinators, predators, omnivores, decomposers and symbionts) and quite a few ecosystem processes.

Greater than half of the research have been carried out in temperate and boreal forests and woodlands and temperate grasslands. Main data gaps are present in Baltic and Balkan nations, in desert and semi-arid shrublands, subtropical forests and excessive mountains.

Prof. Montserrat Vilà, coordinator of this job, highlights that the database gives data on whether or not the invasive species enhance, lower or have a impartial impact on the ecological variable of research. This enables investigation into the circumstances by which the invader has contrasting results.

The database shall be up to date as new subject research on the ecological impacts of invasive species are printed. “We hope for more studies on species that are still locally rare and with restricted distribution,” Prof. Montserrat Vilà says, “this database is of interest for academic, management and policy-related purposes.”

The PLANTIMPACTSEUROPE database will be accessed at: https://figshare.com/s/0a890d22bf5632fe5cb5

Analysis article:

Vilà M, Trillo A, Castro-Díez P, Gallardo B, Bacher S (2024) Subject research of the ecological impacts of invasive vegetation in Europe. NeoBiota 90: 139-159. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.90.112368

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