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Invasive Milk Thistle ( Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.) Causes Habitat Homogenization and Affects the Spatial Distribution of Vegetation in the Semi-Arid Regions of Northern Pakistan

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  • Nasrullah Khan

    (Department of Botany, University of Malakand Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 18800, Pakistan)

  • Rafi Ullah

    (Department of Botany, University of Malakand Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 18800, Pakistan)

  • Kishwar Ali

    (College of General Education, University of Doha for Science and Technology/College of the North Atlantic, Qatar Doha 24449, Qatar)

  • David Aaron Jones

    (College of Health Sciences, University of Doha for Science and Technology/College of the North, Doha 24449, Qatar)

  • Muhammad Ezaz Hasan Khan

    (College of General Education, University of Doha for Science and Technology/College of the North Atlantic, Qatar Doha 24449, Qatar)

Abstract

Global biodiversity management is of concern due to invasive plant species that dramatically disturb the native communities causing biological homogenization. Therefore, the present research investigated the impacts of Silybum marianum , an aggressive invasive alien species, on communities’ diversity and environmental variables in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Phytosociological characteristics and diversity indices of the communities were sampled in seventy-five sites using the quadrate method. These sites were categorized based on invasion intensities, i.e., fully invaded sites with a 100% importance value index of the selected species, severely invaded sites with >60% of IVI, and partially invaded sites with >30% of the chosen species. The community composition significantly changes with changes in invasion intensity. Similarly, S. marianum invasion has a pronounced impact on the community’s diversity showing significant differences among the three categorized groups ( p < 0.05). The canonical correspondence analysis revealed 29.9% variance where soil texture, nutrients, and elevations were influential variables in maintaining the community’s structure and composition. The study concludes that S. marianum dominated well-established communities in the existing soil and environmental variables; therefore, it was found to be influential in disturbing the native communities and may severely harm the crop plant and agricultural system in the future.

Suggested Citation

  • Nasrullah Khan & Rafi Ullah & Kishwar Ali & David Aaron Jones & Muhammad Ezaz Hasan Khan, 2022. "Invasive Milk Thistle ( Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.) Causes Habitat Homogenization and Affects the Spatial Distribution of Vegetation in the Semi-Arid Regions of Northern Pakistan," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-14, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:12:y:2022:i:5:p:687-:d:813843
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ashfaq Ahmad Shah & Jingzhong Ye & Muhammad Abid & Raza Ullah, 2017. "Determinants of flood risk mitigation strategies at household level: a case of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, Pakistan," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 88(1), pages 415-430, August.
    2. Parviz Moradi & Farhad Aghajanloo & Ahmad Moosavi & Hossein Hosseini Monfared & Jafar Khalafi & Mehdi Taghiloo & Tooraj Khoshzaman & Mohammad Shojaee & Andrea Mastinu, 2021. "Anthropic Effects on the Biodiversity of the Habitats of Ferula gummosa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-13, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Kirill A. Zhichkin & Vladimir V. Nosov & Lyudmila N. Zhichkina, 2023. "Agricultural Insurance, Risk Management and Sustainable Development," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-3, June.

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