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Inspire Session

Session: The Good, the Bad, and the Pretty: The role of non-native species in urban ecosystems

INS 16-2 - Can human population size affect the phylogenetic diversity of non-native plants in urban areas?

Thursday, August 18, 2022

1:30 PM – 3:00 PM EDT

Location: 520A

Presenting Author(s)

AL

Ana Carolina Lacerda de Matos

Federal University of Lavras, Brazil

Co-author(s)

BS

Bruno E. Soares

Postdoctoral researcher
University of Toronto, Scarborough
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
GH

Gustavo Heringer

Postdoctoral Fellow
Federal University of Lavras
LP

Luke Potgieter

Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Toronto Scarborough, South Africa
MC

Marc William Cadotte, PhD

Professor
University Of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
RZ

Rafael Dudeque Zenni

Professor
Federal University of Lavras

The intense flow of human population can determine the number of non-native species by creating new dispersion routes. We examined if human population size determined the richness and phylogenetic diversity (Faith’s PD, mean pairwise distance, and phylogenetic eigenvectors) of non-native plants species in 62 cities globally distributed. Twelve non-native communities were phylogenetically clustered and five were phylogenetically overdispersed. Human population size did not affect the non-native richness or the phylogenetic diversity and composition. Due to the complexity of cities, other factors should be incorporated in future analysis to obtain greater clarity on the distribution and phylogenetic diversity of non-native species.