Changes in Alien Invasive Plants in Jigong Mountain National Nature Reserve of Henan Province from 1994 - 2014

Straddling the Henan and Hubei Provinces of China, Jigong Mountain National Nature Reserve (JMNNR) (31°46'~ 31°52' N, 114°01' ~ 114°06' E) of Xinyang has a forest ecosystem characteristic of north sub-tropical to warm temperate transitional zones. The average temperature of Xinyang has risen significantly between 1951 and 2010, accompanied by widely oscillating annual precipitation that exhibited no discernible trend. Between 1994 and 2014, the number of alien invasive plants (AIPs) increased from 49 to 60 in JMNNR, with the newly arrived species consisting of four species of Compositae, two species of Leguminosae, and one species each of Amaranthaceae, Cruciferae, Euphorbiaceae, Oxalidaceae, and Pontederiaceae. The invasive species mostly originated from America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, with those of American origin accounting for more than 50.0% of total invasive species in both 1994 and 2014. More than 95% of the invasive species in JMNNR were terrestrial. In both 1994 and 2014, annuals outnumbered biennials, which in turn outnumbered perennials. Intentional introduction has been the most damaging invasion pathway, followed by unintentional introduction and then naturalization. Of the newly invasive plants, nine reproduced via seed dispersal. To protect the biodiversity of the nature reserve, it is important to strengthen the monitoring and management of terrestrial alien herbaceous plants, especially those from the America and those that use seeds for reproduction.