Authors
Watkinson, A. D., Carscadden, C., Rooney, R. C.
Abstract
Invasive species are a leading driver of biodiversity loss globally, with invasive plants increasingly threatening wetland ecosystems and the species that depend on them. Southern Ontario's Carolinian Zone is a biodiversity hotspot that supports 79% of Ontario's non-fish Species at Risk (SAR). From our analysis, 54% of these rely on wetland and semi-aquatic habitats, reflecting the strategic importance of wetland protection and management in SAR conservation. These habitats are highly fragmented and vulnerable to invasion by non-native plants. Understanding where SAR and invasive plants overlap within the Carolinian Zone is essential to prioritize monitoring, control, and recovery efforts. We conducted a spatial co-occurrence analysis for non-fish SAR that depend on wetland or semi-aquatic habitat and invasive wetland plant species. Thirty-three species were identified as current (n = 26) or imminent (n = 7) invasion threats in Ontario's Carolinian. Spatial overlap between SAR and invasive plants was highest in coastal marshes and shallow open water habitats along Lake Erie where invasive plants are a well-recognized threat. It also identified urban areas (e.g., Toronto, Windsor, London, Niagara, etc.) with surprisingly high occurrence and richness of SAR. Demonstrated co-occurrence of SAR and invasive wetland plants in these areas means that invasive plant management in urban wetlands should contribute to SAR recovery plans. SAR such as marsh-nesting birds, reptiles, and wetland plants exhibited both the greatest exposure to invasive wetland plants and the greatest vulnerability to their impact mechanisms, such as habitat modifications and resource competition. Spatial analysis can improve conservation outcomes by pinpointing where invasive plant threats most severely intersect with vulnerable species at risk, informing timely and site-specific management interventions.
Preprint server:
bioRxiv
The authors list and abstract were imported from bioRxiv on 12 Nov 2025.
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