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Alien and Native Dominants Exercise Similar Effects on the Species Richness in Synanthropic Plant Communities of the Western Caucasus

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Abstract

It remains unclear whether the effect exercised by alien dominants on the species richness in plant communities is on average stronger than the effect exercised by native dominants. To clear up this point, 20 synanthropic plant communities dominated by species of different biogeographical origins were surveyed in the Belaya River valley, Western Caucasus (190–680 m above sea level). For each of the studied communities, aboveground biomass samples were collected on 25–30 plots 0.25 m2 in size with different shares of dominants; the collected samples were subsequently sorted by species and weighed. Analysis of the field data made it possible to draw the following conclusions: (1) samples with high shares of alien and native dominants differ statistically insignificantly in the average number of species; (2) on average, the relationship between the degree of dominance of alien species and the species richness is as strong as the relationship between the degree of dominance of native species and the species richness; (3) in most cases, the relationship between these parameters can be satisfactorily explained by the “energy–diversity” hypothesis; and (4) the proportion of synanthropic plant species in communities with high shares of alien and native dominants is not higher than that in communities with low shares of these dominants. Overall, the results indicate that alien and native dominants exercise similar and mostly nonselective effects on accompanying species in plant communities.

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Funding

This study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, projects no. 16-04-00228 and no. 20-04-00364.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Maykop State Technological University, 385000, Maykop, Russia

    V. V. Akatov & N. M. Sazonets

  2. Caucasus Nature Reserve, 385000, Maykop, Russia

    T. V. Akatova & T. G. Eskina

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  1. V. V. Akatov
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  2. T. V. Akatova
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  3. T. G. Eskina
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Correspondence to V. V. Akatov.

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Translated by L. Emeliyanov

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Akatov, V.V., Akatova, T.V., Eskina, T.G. et al. Alien and Native Dominants Exercise Similar Effects on the Species Richness in Synanthropic Plant Communities of the Western Caucasus. Russ J Biol Invasions 13, 271–283 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S207511172203002X

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