A latitudinal gradient in Darwin’s naturalization conundrum at the global scale for flowering plants

Nature Communications, vol. 14, pp. 6244

Abstract

Darwin's naturalization conundrum describes two seemingly contradictory hypotheses regarding whether alien species closely or distantly related to native species should be more likely to naturalize in regional floras. Both expectations have accumulated empirical support, and whether such apparent inconsistency can be reconciled at the global scale is unclear. Here, using 219,520 native and 9,531 naturalized alien plant species across 487 globally distributed regions, we found a latitudinal gradient in Darwin's naturalization conundrum. Naturalized alien plant species are more closely related to native species at higher latitudes than they are at lower latitudes, indicating a greater influence of preadaptation in harsher climates. Human landscape modification resulted in even steeper latitudinal clines by selecting aliens distantly related to natives in warmer and drier regions. Our results demonstrate that joint consideration of climatic and anthropogenic conditions is critical to reconciling Darwin's naturalization conundrum.

Authors 14

1. Shuya Fan

   East China Normal University

   Affiliation as printed

   Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Institute of Eco-Chongming, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China

2. Qiang Yang

   University of Konstanz · German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research · Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg

   Affiliation as printed

   Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, 78464, Germany

   German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, 04103, Germany

   Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), 06108, Germany

3. Shaopeng Li corresponding

   East China Normal University

   Affiliation as printed

   Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Institute of Eco-Chongming, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China. spli@des.ecnu.edu.cn

   Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Institute of Eco-Chongming, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China

4. Trevor S. Fristoe

   University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras · University of Konstanz

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico - Río Piedras, San Juan, 00925, Puerto Rico

   Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, 78464, Germany

5. Marc W. Cadotte

   University of Toronto · University of Toronto Scarborough

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada

6. Franz Essl

   University of Vienna

   Affiliation as printed

   Division of Bioinvasions, Global Change & Macroecology, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, 1030, Austria

7. Holger Kreft

   Campus-Institut Data Science (CIDAS) · University of Göttingen

   Affiliation as printed

   Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany

   Campus-Institut Data Science, Göttingen, 37077, Germany

   Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany

8. Jan Pergl

   Czech Academy of Sciences · Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany

   Affiliation as printed

   Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, Department of Invasion Ecology, Průhonice, CZ-25243, Czech Republic

9. Petr Pyšek

   Czech Academy of Sciences · Charles University · Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany

   Affiliation as printed

   Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, Department of Invasion Ecology, Průhonice, CZ-25243, Czech Republic

   Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, CZ-12844, Czech Republic

10. Patrick Weigelt

    Campus-Institut Data Science (CIDAS) · University of Göttingen

    Affiliation as printed

    Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, 37077, Germany

    Campus-Institut Data Science, Göttingen, 37077, Germany

11. John Kartesz
    Affiliation as printed

    Biota of North America Program (BONAP), Chapel Hill, 27516, NC, USA

12. Misako Nishino
    Affiliation as printed

    Biota of North America Program (BONAP), Chapel Hill, 27516, NC, USA

13. Jan J. Wieringa Aachen Naturalis Biodiversity Center

    Naturalis Biodiversity Center

    Affiliation as printed

    Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, Darwinweg 2, 2333 CR Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands

14. Mark van Kleunen

    University of Konstanz · Taizhou University · Taizhou University

    Affiliation as printed

    Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, 78464, Germany

    Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation, Taizhou University, Taizhou, 318000, China