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Land Use Change and Plant Invasion: Plant Invasion Due to...
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Land Use Change and Plant Invasion: Plant Invasion Due to Changed Landscape Use, Changed Behavior and Ecological Problems of Native and Non-Native Species

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land, Biodiversity, and Human Wellbeing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 2962

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Judit Hází

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Botany, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Rottenbiller utca 50, H-1077 Budapest, Hungary
Interests: species diversity; biodiversity; conservation biology; ecosystem ecology; environmental impact assessment; invasive species; natural resource management; ecology and evolution

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human landscape transforming activity is a factor that has been known and studied for a long time. It has many aspects, both economic and ecological. Among other factors, increasing human activities are also responsible for the phenomenon of biological invasion.

Cities, roads, and areas under agricultural cultivation significantly reduce the extent of vegetation or the possibility of the propagation of the propagule. Urbanisation is known to cause changes in plant biodiversity due to fragmentation, the loss of suitable habitats, and increased pollution; abandoning cultivation is the opposite process. This is where succession can begin, as new conditions and new habitats appear that plant species can quickly explore.

However, this means creating a significantly changed plant community, where different non-native and native plants show changed behaviour. Increasing human overuse and climate change are impacting some native and non-native invasive plant species that are showing an explosive increase in their population numbers. These invasive species can eliminate food sources for wildlife, particularly if they are inedible or toxic, and can destroy animal habitats, resulting in changes in migratory patterns.

While the invasion of non-native species is the focus of attention, the details and ecological background of the "explosions" of native invader species have been poorly researched, which is why this is an important and timely research task. The interaction of exotic and native species is also a noteworthy research topic.

The theme of this SI fits into the scope of the Land journal since it seeks to bring to light the connection between human activity, landscape changes, and different aspects of biological invasion.

In this Special Issue, we encourage researchers to submit their manuscripts on the following topics:

  • How does human land use affect the functioning of plant communities?
  • What are the most important effects of land use changes on specific invader plant species?
  • What are the most important factors that can still influence the rate of spread of invasive species?
  • What “skills” or specific plant traits do invasive species possess? What strategies contribute to their success in terms of patterns of spatial spread and increasing local dominance? How do they conquer an area?
  • How can we eradicate or stop their spread? What nature conservation treatment methods are known, and how effective are they?
  • What are the economic consequences of the expansion of invader plant species?

Dr. Judit Hází
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • human impact
  • land abandonment
  • rural-urban transformation
  • invasion
  • alien species
  • exotic species
  • ecosystem services assessment, management, restoration

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 4513 KiB  
Article
The Usability of Citizen Science Data for Research on Invasive Plant Species in Urban Cores and Fringes: A Hungarian Case Study
by Georgina Veronika Visztra and Péter Szilassi
Land 2025, 14(7), 1389; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14071389 - 2 Jul 2025
Viewed by 487
Abstract
Citizen science data are easily accessible, which has led to their wide use for scientific data collection such as mapping invasive plant species. However, the crowd-sourced nature of citizen science data has led to criticism over the quality of the data owing to [...] Read more.
Citizen science data are easily accessible, which has led to their wide use for scientific data collection such as mapping invasive plant species. However, the crowd-sourced nature of citizen science data has led to criticism over the quality of the data owing to the fragmented spatial distribution of the data collection points. Despite inherent limitations, an increasing collection of research indicates that, when appropriately corrected for data quality issues, the data collected by volunteers can serve as a reliable source for identifying and analysing biodiversity patterns. Prior to utilising citizen science data, it is essential to identify its inherent flaws and limitations to develop appropriate strategies for its effective application. One viable approach to validating such data is to compare it with datasets collected by experts, particularly in urban areas where volunteer participation is high. In our comparative analyses, we evaluated the usability of citizen science data (Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)) for mapping the occurrence density of five invasive plant species (Ailanthus altissima, Asclepias syriaca, Elaeagnus angustifolia, Robinia pseudoacacia, and Solidago spp.) in urban cores and fringes in Hungary by comparison to maps obtained from spatially homogeneous data (EUROSTAT Land Use and Coverage Area Frame Survey (LUCAS)) collected by experts. The results showed that the volunteers collected valuable data on Ailanthus altissima, which is specific to urban areas, but they underestimated Robinia pseudoacacia, which is often planted for economic benefits. In addition, the volunteers collected much more data closer to urban cores. These results suggest that citizen science data may be suitable for mapping urbanophilic species in urban environments. Our research contributes to the assessment and scientific applicability of volunteer-collected data for mapping the distribution of invasive plant species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Change and Plant Invasion: Plant Invasion Due to Changed Landscape Use, Changed Behavior and Ecological Problems of Native and Non-Native Species)
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19 pages, 1884 KiB  
Article
Effects of Bothriochloa ischaemum on the Diversity of Pannonian Sandy Grasslands
by Szilárd Szentes, Károly Penksza, Eszter Saláta-Falusi, László Sipos, Veronika Kozma-Bognár, Richárd Hoffmann and Zsombor Wagenhoffer
Land 2025, 14(5), 1107; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14051107 - 20 May 2025
Viewed by 440
Abstract
Changes in land use and agricultural practices have altered the resilience of plant communities and can lead to the emergence of invasive species. One of these is the perennial grass species Bothriochloa ischaemum (L.) Kleng., whose diversity-reducing effects are known from several studies. [...] Read more.
Changes in land use and agricultural practices have altered the resilience of plant communities and can lead to the emergence of invasive species. One of these is the perennial grass species Bothriochloa ischaemum (L.) Kleng., whose diversity-reducing effects are known from several studies. Our exploratory questions were as follows: How does the presence of B. ischaemum affect the diversity and ratio of the species of sandy grasslands? To what extent does this diversity change depend on site characteristics? The supporting studies were carried out in five low-lying sand dune slacks and six relatively higher areas in the upper-intermediate part of the dunes and on an abandoned old field located in the Hungarian Great Plain in the Carpathian Basin. The cover of vascular plant species was recorded in all sampling sites in twelve 2 by 2 m plots, and the dataset was analysed using agglomerative cluster analyses and a non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis test. Five significantly different groups were identified, separating the vegetation types of the sides of the sand dunes, the vegetation types of the dune slack and the old field, and a Stipa borysthenica Kolkov ex Prokudin-dominated vegetation type. Our results suggest that B. ischaemum is only present as small tussocks on the drier, more exposed sides of dunes, with 3.9–24.2% average coverage; is less able to outcompete Festuca vaginata Waldst. et Kit. ex Willd. and S. borysthenica; and is only able to form large tussocks mainly in the lower dune slacks, with 45.6–79.5% average coverage. Here, in the wetter areas, it achieves high cover with a considerable accumulation of litter, and it becomes a dominant species in this association. The diversity-reducing effect of B. ischaemum on old-field grasslands depends on the age of the site and on the stability of the vegetation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Change and Plant Invasion: Plant Invasion Due to Changed Landscape Use, Changed Behavior and Ecological Problems of Native and Non-Native Species)
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12 pages, 3787 KiB  
Article
The Multifaceted Botanical Impact of the Invasive Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.) in a Protected Sandy Grassland in Central Europe
by Sarolta Meinhardt, Dénes Saláta, Eszter Tormáné Kovács, Örs Ábrám, Edina Morvai, Orsolya Szirmai and Szilárd Czóbel
Land 2024, 13(10), 1594; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13101594 - 30 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1199
Abstract
Asclepias syriaca L.is a perennial broad-leaved species native to North America. It has become established in many regions of Europe, and has spread with increasing rapidity in recent decades. Its reproductive behaviour allows this species to proliferate rapidly. The selected grasslands are located [...] Read more.
Asclepias syriaca L.is a perennial broad-leaved species native to North America. It has become established in many regions of Europe, and has spread with increasing rapidity in recent decades. Its reproductive behaviour allows this species to proliferate rapidly. The selected grasslands are located in the Carpathian Basin in Hungary, in the area of Kiskunság National Park, near Lake Kolon. In the framework of the research, in two consecutive years (2021 and 2022), and in two different seasons (spring and autumn), we examined the percentage cover of vascular plant species in the stands degraded by A. syriaca and the natural control (without A. syriaca), and their seasonal and interannual dynamics. Between the A. syriaca-degraded and natural control stands, there was no significant difference in the number of species in the spring and autumn of any of the examined years. Surprisingly, in the spring, the degraded stands were somewhat richer in vascular plant species. In autumn, the control stands had more vascular plant species, but to a lesser extent. The Shannon diversity was higher in the A. syriaca-dominated stands than in the control in all recording periods. Simpson diversity showed a similar pattern to Shannon diversity, with one exception in spring 2022. In the case of the social behaviour type, it can be clearly seen that the alien competitor (AC) species dominated in spring and autumn in both years in the stand dominated by A. syriaca. In the natural control stand, specialists (S) and competitors (C) dominated in both years and in both seasons. The negative effect of the invasive species on the number and diversity of species was presumably significantly reduced by the significant drying of the study area experienced in recent years. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Land Use Change and Plant Invasion: Plant Invasion Due to Changed Landscape Use, Changed Behavior and Ecological Problems of Native and Non-Native Species)
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