Advances in Invasive Plant Ecology

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 1086

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Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Interests: valorization of organic residues through composting and vermicomposting; plant physiology; plant response to abiotic stress; invasive plant species; sustainable management of organic residues
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Invasive alien species are among the top five drivers of global environmental disruption, with escalating impacts at ecological, economic, and human-health levels. To address this growing challenge, the European Commission adopted Regulation No. 1143/2014, emphasizing the need for targeted management measures for widespread invasive species. The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 reinforces this priority, setting an ambitious goal to reduce the spread of invasive species by 50% by 2030. However, removing invasive species from non-native habitats and restoring ecosystems are essential steps for reversing biodiversity loss, but these efforts are challenging and resource-intensive. The interaction between global change factors—such as altered temperatures, precipitation patterns, and salinity, as well as increased CO2 levels—and invasive species introduces complex, multidimensional effects on ecosystems, further complicating management strategies.

This Special Issue welcomes submissions of reviews, research articles, or short communications that advance our knowledge of invasive plant ecology.

Dr. Maria Cristina Morais
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • invasive species
  • plant invasions at the landscape scale
  • habitat resistance for invasion
  • invasion control
  • plant invasions
  • modelling approaches for plant invasiveness and distribution

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 1692 KB  
Article
Evaluation of Habitat Suitability and Assessment of the Invasion Risk of Water Hyacinth [Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms] in Global Freshwater Ecosystems
by Prabhat Adhikari, Pradeep Adhikari, Anil Poudel, Yong Ho Lee and Sun Hee Hong
Plants 2026, 15(8), 1279; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15081279 - 21 Apr 2026
Viewed by 433
Abstract
Aquatic ecosystems worldwide are increasingly threatened by invasive species, with water hyacinth [Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms] being among the most destructive aquatic weeds. Despite numerous regional studies, a global assessment integrating climatic and hydrological drivers remains lacking. Here, we assessed current and [...] Read more.
Aquatic ecosystems worldwide are increasingly threatened by invasive species, with water hyacinth [Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms] being among the most destructive aquatic weeds. Despite numerous regional studies, a global assessment integrating climatic and hydrological drivers remains lacking. Here, we assessed current and future invasion risks across 55,945 freshwater lakes using the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model. Climatic variables and key aquatic parameters, including biological oxygen demand (BOD), water depth, and discharge, were incorporated under two shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5). Annual mean temperature, annual precipitation, and BOD were the strongest predictors of habitat suitability. Under current conditions, 5524 lakes, primarily in tropical and subtropical regions, were identified as being suitable habitats, with medium-sized lakes exhibiting the highest proportional suitability (16.54%). Although small lakes were most frequently classified as suitable due to their abundance, larger lakes showed higher suitability intensity. Future projections indicated marked habitat expansion, especially under SSP5-8.5, with suitable lake surface area increasing to 18.12% by 2061–2080. Moreover, 543 currently unsuitable lakes, including Lake Erie, Lake Huron, and Lake Ontario, were projected to face elevated invasion risk, particularly in Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and North America. This global, lake-specific assessment supports early warning, targeted management, and climate-responsive policy planning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Invasive Plant Ecology)
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19 pages, 1255 KB  
Article
Can Paulownia Siebold & Zucc. Become an Invasive Species via Its Seeds?
by Jiří Kadlec, Kateřina Novosadová, Kateřina Macháčková, Petr Sýkora and Radek Pokorný
Plants 2026, 15(7), 989; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15070989 - 24 Mar 2026
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Abstract
Paulownia plantations are established in large numbers worldwide for their high production of quality wood. Paulownia tomentosa is considered an invasive plant in many countries; however, other species, and mainly their hybrids that grow in plantations, are classified neither as invasive nor non-invasive [...] Read more.
Paulownia plantations are established in large numbers worldwide for their high production of quality wood. Paulownia tomentosa is considered an invasive plant in many countries; however, other species, and mainly their hybrids that grow in plantations, are classified neither as invasive nor non-invasive plants, although the risk of spontaneous spreading of its seeds can be very great. In April and September 2022, we conducted a germination experiment where we used three species and six hybrids of Paulownia. The germination rates of all selected species and hybrids were very high, especially if the seeds were left at a temperature of +4 °C—almost 90% (April) and around 60% (September). When the seeds were exposed to below-zero temperatures (i.e., −15 °C), the germination rates were still high and, moreover, those of Hybrids were higher than those of Species. Therefore, all species of Paulownia, and mainly the hybrids, have the potential to be invasive. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Invasive Plant Ecology)
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