Protected‐Area Boundaries as Filters of Plant Invasions |
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Authors: | LLEWELLYN C. FOXCROFT VOJTĚCH JAROŠÍK PETR PYŠEK DAVID M. RICHARDSON MATHIEU ROUGET |
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Affiliation: | 1. Conservation Services, South African National Parks, Skukuza 1350, South Africa, email llewellynf@sanparks.org;2. Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa;3. Department of Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, Charles University in Prague, Vini?ná 7, CZ 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic;4. Institute of Botany, Department of Invasion Ecology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Pr?honice, CZ 252 43, Czech Republic;5. Department of Plant Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa |
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Abstract: | Abstract: Human land uses surrounding protected areas provide propagules for colonization of these areas by non‐native species, and corridors between protected‐area networks and drainage systems of rivers provide pathways for long‐distance dispersal of non‐native species. Nevertheless, the influence of protected‐area boundaries on colonization of protected areas by invasive non‐native species is unknown. We drew on a spatially explicit data set of more than 27,000 non‐native plant presence records for South Africa's Kruger National Park to examine the role of boundaries in preventing colonization of protected areas by non‐native species. The number of records of non‐native invasive plants declined rapidly beyond 1500 m inside the park; thus, we believe that the park boundary limited the spread of non‐native plants. The number of non‐native invasive plants inside the park was a function of the amount of water runoff, density of major roads, and the presence of natural vegetation outside the park. Of the types of human‐induced disturbance, only the density of major roads outside the protected area significantly increased the number of non‐native plant records. Our findings suggest that the probability of incursion of invasive plants into protected areas can be quantified reliably. |
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Keywords: | barriers to invasion Kruger National Park non‐native invasive species overland water flow protected‐area boundary barreras contra invasió n especies invasoras no nativas flujo de agua superficial lí mite de á rea protegida Parque Nacional Kruger |
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