The distribution of range sizes of native and alien plants in four European countries and the effects of residence time.
2009
Abstract
Current range sizes of native plants are larger than those of naturalized neophytes and much larger than those of casual neophytes. Residence time, the time since an invasive species arrived in the wild at a certain place, affects range sizes.
Established neophytes have smaller range size distributions than natives probably because many have not yet reached their maximum. We estimate it takes at least 150 years, possibly twice that, on average, for the maximum to be reached in areas of the order of 10^5 sqkm.
Policy needs to allow for the variation in rates of spread and particularly the long time needed to fill ranges. Most naturalized neophytes are still expanding their ranges in Europe.