Liedtke et al.
Jonas Lembrechts
Created on November 11, 2019
More creations to inspire you
WHAT IS PRIDE?
Interactive Image
THE LEGALIZATION OF GAY MARRIAGE IN THE US
Interactive Image
THE STONEWALL RIOTS
Interactive Image
HOW TO BE AN ALLY TO TRANSGENDER AND NONBINARY PEOPLE
Interactive Image
HISTORY OF THE LGBTQ+ PRIDE FLAG
Interactive Image
HOW TO BE AN LGBTQ+ ALLY
Interactive Image
AN INTRODUCTION TO LGBTQ+ TERMS
Interactive Image
Transcript
READ MORE
Are mountain trails conduits for plant invasions
(click the points to find out!)
The extreme, rocky, volcanic areas at high elevation are mostly invader-free. The few non-natives making it to the top are a subset of the non-native species community in the valleys.
Figure: non-native richness as a function of elevation (scaled) in the Chilean national parks
Native, undisturbed forests - in this region often consisting of Araucaria's or 'monkey puzzle trees' - turns out to be most resistant against non-native plant invasion, offering potential for conservation.
Livestock and pack animals, like these horses in Mendoza, Argentina, were shown to spread non-native plant species. How did we show this? By correlating non-native plant species occurrences with animal dung!
The impact of mountain trails on the spread of non-native species was less strong than of mountain roads, as roadsides contrast more clearly with the surrounding vegetation than trailsides
Figure: non-native richness as a function of distance to the trail, showing a small effect only
The lowland plant communities host a wide diversity of non-native plant species, often from European origin.
We showed that hiking trails in Andean national parks promote the upward expansion of non-native plant species.
To answer this question, we went to the Andes in central Chile, where we visited 5 national parks in an ancient volcanic area. In this beautiful setting, we looked at patterns of plant invasions along mountain trails.