Patterns of Phylogenetic Relatedness of Non-native Plants Across the Introduction-naturalization-invasion Continuum in China

Human activities have caused the exchange of species among different parts of the world. When introduced species become naturalized and invasive, they may cause great negative impacts on the environment and human societies, and pose significant threats to biodiversity and ecosystem structure. Knowledge on phylogenetic relatedness between native and non-native species and among non-native species at different stages of species invasion may help for better understanding the drivers of species invasion. Here, I analyze a comprehensive data set including both native and non-native angiosperm species in China to determine phylogenetic relatedness of introduced species across a full invasion continuum (from introduction through naturalization to invasion). This study found that (1) introduced plants are a phylogenetically clustered subset of overall (i.e. native plus non-native) angiosperm flora, (2) naturalized plants are a phylogenetically clustered subset of introduced plants, and (3) invasive plants are a phylogenetically clustered subset of naturalized plants. These patterns hold regardless of spatial scales examined (i.e. national versus provincial scale) and whether basal- or tip-weighted metric of phylogenetic relatedness is considered. These findings are consistent with Darwin's preadaptation hypothesis.