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Martín-Forés I, Guerin GR, Lewis D, Gallagher RV, Vilà M, Catford JA, Pauchard A, Sparrow B. The Alien Flora of Australia (AFA), a unified Australian national dataset on plant invasion. Sci Data 2023; 10:834. [PMID: 38012232 PMCID: PMC10682373 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02746-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Biological invasions are a major threat to Australia. Information on alien flora in Australia is collated independently by different jurisdictions, which has led to inconsistencies at the national level, hampering efficient management. To harmonise different information sources, we present the Alien Flora of Australia (AFA), a nationally unified dataset. To create the AFA, we developed an R script that compares existing data sources (the Australian Plant Census and state and territory censuses), identifies mismatches among them and integrates the information into unified invasion statuses at the national scale. The AFA follows the taxonomy and nomenclature adopted for the Australian Plant Census, introduction status and impact of plants known to occur in Australia. The up-to-date information presented in this dataset can aid early warning of alien species invasions, facilitate decision-making at different levels, and biosecurity at national scale. The associated script is ready to be implemented into new versions of the AFA with updated releases of any of the data sources, streamlining future efforts to track of alien flora across Australia.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Martín-Forés
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia.
- Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia.
| | - G R Guerin
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
- Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
| | - D Lewis
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
- Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
| | - R V Gallagher
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, 2753, New South Wales, Australia
| | - M Vilà
- Doñana Biological Station - Spanish National Research Council (EBD-CSIC), 41092, Sevilla, Spain
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of Sevilla, 41012, Sevilla, Spain
| | - J A Catford
- Department of Geography, King's College London, London, WC2B 4BG, UK
- School of Agriculture, Food & Ecosystem Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic, 3010, Australia
| | - A Pauchard
- Faculty of Forestry Sciences, University of Concepcion, Concepcion, Chile
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), Concepción, Chile
| | - B Sparrow
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
- Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
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Abstract
Suggitt et al. reply to the concerns raised by Le Roux et al. on their original manuscript.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Suggitt
- Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK; Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
| | - Duncan G Lister
- Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
| | - Chris D Thomas
- Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK; Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity, Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
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