Invasive alien plants as graded bioindicators of urbanisation : response patterns along an urban–rural gradient

Abstract

Invasive alien plant (IAP) species are a defining feature of urban floras worldwide, yet their ecological role as indicators of environmental transformation remains underexplored. Most studies of biological invasions in cities rely on floristic inventories and distribution censuses, documenting which species are present rather than asking what their distribution patterns reveal about the environments they occupy. This study proposes a shift in perspective: rather than cataloguing invasive aliens as a conservation problem, we use them as graded bioindicators of urbanisation intensity along an urban– rural gradient. [excerpt]