Effect of Convergence Plant Selection of Wildflower Mixtures in China on the Plant Invasion

Abstract

The rapid development of urbanization and urban land-use intensification have substantially reduced biodiversity and ecosystem services. Wildflower mixtures can improve regional biodiversity and habitat heterogeneity by establishing flower-rich habitats and providing multiple ecosystem services, which were considered one of the most favorable landscape ecological restoration technologies approaches. How to design wildflower mixtures to achieve optimal eco-efficiency is currently unclear. In China, wildflower mixture is one of landscape architecture’s most popular methods for establishing herbaceous vegetation. Currently, there is a notable lack of systematic research regarding species selection, and concerns have been raised about the design approach that introduces convergent species, which may potentially become invasive. This research integrated a wildflower mixture design database currently published in China and discovered community composition and construction methods. Based on this, we compared the species composition of wildflower mixtures in China and assessed the potential invasive species. Additionally, we attempted to explore the distribution over time and space, their potential invasion risk, and the main factors influencing species selection through modeling approaches. The results highlighted that species selection of mixture converged with different spatiotemporal attributes and design intentions, despite designed wildflower mixtures in China having gradually increased in recent years. A large number of species from North America and Europe have been causing an increase in potential invasion annually. Furthermore, the research confirmed that the convergence contributes to the homogenization of urban landscape vegetation communities, which leads to biological invasion from the design level, and revealed the possibility that ineffective ecological restoration techniques may cause adverse environmental impacts.