Land Use Change and Plant Invasion: Plant Invasion Due to Changed Landscape Use, Changed Behavior and Ecological Problems of Native and Non-Native Species
A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land, Biodiversity, and Human Wellbeing".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 January 2025 | Viewed by 1074
Special Issue Editor
Interests: species diversity; biodiversity; conservation biology; ecosystem ecology; environmental impact assessment; invasive species; natural resource management; ecology and evolution
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Human landscape transforming activity is a factor that has been known and studied for a long time. It has many aspects, both economic and ecological. Among other factors, increasing human activities are also responsible for the phenomenon of biological invasion.
Cities, roads, and areas under agricultural cultivation significantly reduce the extent of vegetation or the possibility of the propagation of the propagule. Urbanisation is known to cause changes in plant biodiversity due to fragmentation, the loss of suitable habitats, and increased pollution; abandoning cultivation is the opposite process. This is where succession can begin, as new conditions and new habitats appear that plant species can quickly explore.
However, this means creating a significantly changed plant community, where different non-native and native plants show changed behaviour. Increasing human overuse and climate change are impacting some native and non-native invasive plant species that are showing an explosive increase in their population numbers. These invasive species can eliminate food sources for wildlife, particularly if they are inedible or toxic, and can destroy animal habitats, resulting in changes in migratory patterns.
While the invasion of non-native species is the focus of attention, the details and ecological background of the "explosions" of native invader species have been poorly researched, which is why this is an important and timely research task. The interaction of exotic and native species is also a noteworthy research topic.
The theme of this SI fits into the scope of the Land journal since it seeks to bring to light the connection between human activity, landscape changes, and different aspects of biological invasion.
In this Special Issue, we encourage researchers to submit their manuscripts on the following topics:
- How does human land use affect the functioning of plant communities?
- What are the most important effects of land use changes on specific invader plant species?
- What are the most important factors that can still influence the rate of spread of invasive species?
- What “skills” or specific plant traits do invasive species possess? What strategies contribute to their success in terms of patterns of spatial spread and increasing local dominance? How do they conquer an area?
- How can we eradicate or stop their spread? What nature conservation treatment methods are known, and how effective are they?
- What are the economic consequences of the expansion of invader plant species?
Dr. Judit Hází
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- human impact
- land abandonment
- rural-urban transformation
- invasion
- alien species
- exotic species
- ecosystem services assessment, management, restoration
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
