Scientific Area
Invasive alien flora of China: An update
ID: 613 / 240
Category: Abstract
Track: Pending
Proposed Symposium Title: Invasive alien flora of China: An update
Authors:
Qiang Hao1, Jin-Shuang Ma1
Affiliations: 1. China National Botanical Garden (North Garden), Beijing, China
Abstract:
China is the largest country in eastern Asia and contains habitats that range from cold temperate to tropical rainforest. The Chinese have a long history of plant cultivation and domestication. Although most cultivated plants in China are native species, many are non-native plants introduced throughout Chinese history for food, medicine, horticulture or ornamental purposes. The Catalogue of Alien Plants in China records a total of 14,710 alien plants. Among these, some, such as corn and potato, are used as food to meet the demands of China's large population. Non-native plants that have established populations and colonized local environments are called naturalized plants. Previous studies indicate that the number of naturalized plant species in China ranges from 861 to 933. Of those, between 126 to 402 have been designated as Invasive Alien Plants. In China, invasive plants have been detrimental to the conservation of biodiversity and native ecosystems, particularly since the 1990s. Thus, it is critical to use multidisciplinary, nation-wide approaches to investigate invasive plants in China. Here we present an analysis of 403 invasive plant species based on the Alien Invasive Flora of China and other recently published works.