The Impacts of Urbanization on the Spatial Patterns of Alien Plants in Yunnan

Urbanization is one of the most concerned trends in the world. But until now, the impacts of urbanization on the spatial patterns of alien plants remain little known. In this paper, the impacts of urbanization on the spatial patterns of alien plants in Yunnan were investigated. The results indicated that urban population, transportation mileage and their density all significantly correlated with spatial pattern of species diversity of alien plants. There were significant correlations between proportions of alien plants among all plant species and transportation density, urban population density. Step-wised regression analysis showed that transportation density played stronger roles in the spreading of alien species. Urbanization may not only shape the spatial patterns of alien plant diversity but also that of local plant composition. With the explosive development of urbanization in the study area, we should premeditate the potential of spreading or invasion of alien plants.