Utbredning och mångfald av invasiva främmande växtarter i Hällaryds skärgård och deras relation till ö-storlek, habitattyper och mänsklig påverkan : En inventering av invasiva arter i östersjöskärgården

Sammanfattning: Invasive alien plant species are a major threat to biodiversity, and they have the ability to quickly disperse to new areas and change ecosystems. Human impact is one of the main causes of spread of invasive species since most species are spread through trade and transport and through horticulture. Islands can be particularly sensitive to invasive species as they often have a lower resilience than ecosystems on the mainland. The Hällaryd archipelago is a compact island group in the Baltic Sea off Karlshamn in Blekinge, Sweden. The purpose of the study is to investigate what affects the presence of invasive species on the islands, i.e., whether the size of the island, distance from the mainland, number of habitats or whether human influence has any significant effect on the diversity of invasive species, and if there is any preference for which habitat the invasive species are found in. During the summer of 2023, 18 islands in Hällaryd archipelago were surveyed, where the distribution and diversity of invasive species were investigated. The results show that human impact has a large effect on invasive species since inhabited island had higher diversity and effective species number of invasive plants than uninhabited islands. Distance from the mainland had no effect on the presence of invasive species, but larger island had higher diversity of invasive plants, but not higher effective species numbers. Islands with more habitat types had both higher diversity and effective species numbers and there was also a preference for which habitat the species were found in. The inhabited islands had a much higher numbers of horticultural plants than the uninhabited islands which mostly had species that disperse via wind, water and through birds. The study shows that there is a large difference in the diversity and distribution of invasive plants in the Hällaryd archipelago between island types and that the people living on the islands have a large responsibility, but even the uninhabited islands need supervision and monitoring.