The paper provides the first estimate of
the role of abiotic and anthropogenic variables driving
both alien plant species richness and composition
covering the whole region of the European Alps. To
establish and spread in a new area, alien plants must be
able to tolerate the prevailing climatic conditions. We
therefore tested the hypothesis that climatic requirements
modified by bioclimatic origin and elevational
distribution influence the distribution of alien plants in
the Alps. Despite most alien plant species showing a relatively restricted distribution in the Alps, some
regions, however, were already more strongly
invaded. Most of these species were adapted to
warmer conditions, probably constrained by climatic
factors. Environmental heterogeneity was the most
important predictor of alien plant species richness,
followed by anthropogenic disturbance. Due to the
political/artificial delineation of the administrative
districts in the Alps (i.e., ignoring ecological conditions)
we did not find a direct influence of climatic
constraints on alien distribution. Anyway, northern
Holarctic alien species showed a broader climatic
tolerance and the capability to grow across a wide
environmental range. Our results also reveal a strong influence of human pressure on warmer tropical
species, despite their low adaptability to anthropogenic
habitats. To this aim, managers would profit
from early warnings to prevent future invasions.
Considering bioclimatic origin, our study can aid in
identifying potentially invasive species in a more
regional setting
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