News Finding: It therefore seems likely that factors other than plant invasions are the main causes of vegetation change."
Paper Finding: In contrast, if cover changes of native species are larger than those of the non-natives, it implies that other environmental drivers feature more strongly than biological invasions in altering the composition of communities.
News Context: Co-author Dr Palmer said: "Our research has shown that non-native plants are less widespread than native species, and are not increasing any more than native plants. It therefore seems likely that factors other than plant invasions are the main causes of vegetation change." The study found that locations with high diversity of non-native species also support high diversity of native species, suggesting that high diversities of native and non-native plant species are compatible with one another.
Paper Context: First, non-native plant species that were established in the past should be continuing to increase more than native species. In contrast, if cover changes of native species are larger than those of the non-natives, it implies that other environmental drivers feature more strongly than biological invasions in altering the composition of communities. although individual non-native species may fail to cause exclusion, this may be achieved through an increasing diversity of aliens, leading to the prediction that changes in native diversity will be negatively correlated with changes in the number of non-native species.