Ecological impacts of alien and native plants on vegetation: does origin matter?
| Name: | Ecological impacts of alien and native plants on vegetation: does origin matter? |
|---|---|
| Researchers: |
Pergl Jan (researcher) Vojík Martin (member in research team) Man Matěj (member in research team) Hejda Martin (member in research team) Vítková Michaela (member in research team) Petřík Petr (member in research team) Moravcová Lenka (member in research team) Perglová Irena (member in research team) Sádlo Jiří (member in research team) Kutlvašr Josef (member in research team) Pyšek Petr (member in research team) |
| Provider: | Grantová agentura ČR |
| Number: | GA17-19025S |
| Realization from: | 2017 |
| Realization to: | 2019 |
| Summary: | Ongoing debates sometimes questioned whether introduced alien invasive species impose a greater threat to biodiversity than native species that are spreading in transformed current landscapes. Curiously, no one has ever measured for a range of species whether the effects (impacts) these two groups have on biodiversity differ. This project will measure the impacts of invasive alien and native dominant plant species in the Czech Republic on plant communities (their species composition, and diversity) and soil ecosystem (chemical properties, activity of soil biota). The difference between the two groups will make it possible to express the net impact of invasive species, the only valid measure of their real effect that is nevertheless rarely employed and that can only be quantified if the local impact of natives is accounted for. We will combine field methods to measure impact at the local scale of individual sites with recording the abundance and distribution of the species in the country, by which we will quantify and compare the real magnitude of impacts of native and invasive dominants at the regional scale. |