Species richness of both native and invasive.pdf

Species richness of both native and invasive aquatic plants influenced by environmental conditions and human activity Robert S. Capers, Roslyn Selsky, Gregory J. Bugbee, and Jason C. White Abstract: Invasive plants alter community structure, threatening ecosystem function and biodiversity, but little information is available on whether invasive species richness responds to environmental conditions in the same way that richness of native plants does. We surveyed submerged and floating-leaved plants in 99 Connecticut (northeast USA) lakes and ponds, collecting quantitative data on abundance and frequency. We used multiple linear and logistic regression to determine which environmental conditions were correlated with species richness of invasive and native plants. Independent variables included lake area, maximum depth, pH, alkalinity, conductivity, phosphorus concentration, productivity, and dominance (the proportional abundance of the most abundant and frequently found species), plus two estimates of human activity. Species richness of both native and invasive richness was correlated with alkalinity and human activity. Native richness also increased with water clarity, lake area, and productivity; invasive species richness also rose with pH. We found no evidence that richness of one group affected richness of the other. We also investigated patterns of dominance and found that native plants were as likely to become dominant as invasive species. Dominance occurred overwhelmingly in shallow lakes with high productivity. Key words: abiotic conditions, biodiversity, community structure, dominance, lakes, macrophyte. Re?sume? : Les plantes envahissantes modifient la structure des communaute?s en menac?ant les fonctions des e?cosyste?mes et leur biodiversite?, mais on conna??t peu de chose a? savoir si la richesse en espe?ces envahissantes re?agit aux conditions du milieu de la me?me fac?on que la richesse en plantes indige?nes. Les auteurs ont suivi les plantes submerge?e