Soil Cd-contamination is widespread in China, requiring effective remediation strategies. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) exhibits Cd-resistance for phytoremediation, and earthworms prevent Cd transfer from roots to shoots. However, few studies have examined the co-inoculation effects of earthworms on Cd-phytoremediation by cotton in Northern China. Hence, we investigated the effects of Amynthas hupeiensis (anecic) and Eisenia fetida (epigeic) on the Cd-resistance of cotton genotypes 'ZM16' and 'ZM44' in uncontaminated and Cd-contaminated soil. Earthworm inoculation increased cotton growth over time, suggesting that A. hupeiensis increased root ('ZM44') and shoot ('ZM16') biomass of cotton at boll opening stage by 77% and 26% (p < 0.05), which were higher than those of E. fetida. Bioaccumulation factors (BAF(Cd)) indicated that Cd was primarily accumulated in roots. A. hupeiensis enhanced BAF(Cd) of root, leaf and boll shell of 'ZM44' by 100%, 7%, and 39% (p < 0.05). Earthworms increased Cd uptake in the shoots of 'ZM44' seedlings by 77%-99%, but had no significant effect on 'ZM16'. A. hupeiensis increased Cd-uptake by 55% of 'ZM16' at boll opening stage, but E. fetida decreased that of 'ZM44' by 40% (p < 0.05). Integrated biomarker response index version 2 (IBRv2) suggested that A. hupeiensis (IBRv2 16.53 and 17.27) improved Cd-resistance of 'ZM16' and 'ZM44' (detoxifying-related gene GhMT3, GhHMAD5, and GhRCD1, phytohormone ABA, and antioxidant enzyme GST) more than E. fetida (IBRv2 13.18 and 15.33), reflecting the distinct effects of earthworm ecological categories. This research provides insights into earthworm-assisted phytoremediation from an ecological niche partitioning perspective, highlighting enhanced Cd uptake and resistance in cotton grown in Cd-contaminated soils.

The plant hormone ethylene plays diverse roles in plant growth, development, and responses to stress. Ethylene is perceived by the membrane-bound ethylene receptors complex, and then triggers downstream components, such as EIN2, to initiate signal transduction into the nucleus, leading to the activation of ethylene-responsive genes. Over the past decades, substantial information has been accumulated regarding gene cloning, protein-protein interactions, and downstream gene expressions in the ethylene pathway. However, our understanding of mRNA post-transcriptional processing and modification of key genes in the ethylene signaling pathway remains limited. This study aims to provide evidence demonstrating the involvement of the Arabidopsis RNA helicase LOS4 in pre-mRNA splicing of the genes EIN2, CTR1 and ERS2in ethylene signaling pathway. Various genetic approaches including RNAi gene silencing, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, and amino acid mutations were employed in this study. When LOS4 was silenced or knocked down, the ethylene sensitivity of etiolated seedlings was significantly enhanced. Further investigation revealed errors in the EIN2 pre-mRNA splicing when LOS4 was knocked down. In addition, aberrant pre-mRNA splicing was observed in the ERS2 and CTR1genes in the pathway. Biochemical assays indicated that the los4-2 (E94K) mutant protein exhibited increased ATP binding and enhanced ATP hydrolytic activity. Conversely, the los4-1 (G364R) mutant had reduced substrate RNA binding and lower ATP binding activities. These findings significantly advanced our comprehension of the regulatory functions and molecular mechanisms of RNA helicase in ethylene signaling.

As an essential grain, oil, and feed crop worldwide, soybean plays a crucial role. Developing high-yielding and high-quality soybean varieties is a critical goal for breeders. The grain weight per plant and 100 -grain weight directly impact the soybean yield. This study combined genotypic data from the population with phenotypic data. Based on genome-wide association analysis (GWAS), GLM and MLM analysis models were used to locate the Gm04_21489088, Gm04_15703616, and Gm04_46466250 are loci related to soybean grain weight per plant, and find the Gm09_20334173, Gm04_39518612 and Gm04_39518624 are loci related to 100-seed weight. After performing a reference comparison, we conducted gene annotation and identified candidate genes Glyma.04G203400 and Glyma.04G125600 , potentially associated with grain weight per plant in soybeans. These genes are primarily involved in protein synthesis and cell differentiation processes. The candidate gene Glyma.09G109100 , associated with the 100 -grain weight trait, was successfully annotated. The analysis revealed that the gene primarily involves enzyme activity, suggesting its potential role in regulating grain weight. These findings offer valuable insights into the mechanism of soybean yield and serve as a critical theoretical foundation and genetic resource for cultivating new soybean germplasm with high yield. These findings are of immense significance for future research endeavors to achieve high-yielding soybean varieties.

Soybean is an important grain, oil and feed crop, which plays an important role in ensuring national food security. However, soil salinization hinders and destroys the normal physiological metabolism of soybean, resulting in the abnormal growth or death of soybean. The XTH gene can modify the plant cell wall and participate in the response and adaptation of plants to negative stress. To elucidate the role of the overexpressed GmXTH1 gene under NaCl-induced stress in soybean, we determined the germination rate, the germination potential, the germination index, seedling SOD activity, POD activity, the MDA content and the MDA content during the germination stage of the overexpressed lines of the GmXTH1 gene, the OEAs (OEA1, OEA2 and OEA3), the interference expression line IEA2, the control mutant M18, the CAT content and the chlorophyll content. The relative expression of the GmXTH1 gene in the material OEA1 and the contents of Na+ and K+ in the roots after stress were also determined. The results showed that OEAs exhibited enhanced germination indices, including the germination rate and germination potential, and were less sensitive to stress compared with the mutant M18. In contrast, the inhibitory effect of NaCl was more pronounced in the line with a disturbed expression of GmXTH1 (IEA2). The OEAs exhibited more enzyme activities and a lower MDA content, indicating reduced oxidative stress, and maintained higher chlorophyll levels, suggesting improved photosynthetic capacity. Relative expression analysis showed that the GmXTH1 gene was rapidly up-regulated in response to NaCl, peaking at 4 h after treatment, and subsequently declining. This temporal expression pattern correlated with the enhanced salt tolerance observed in OEA1. Notably, OEA1 accumulated more Na+ and maintained higher K+ levels, indicating effective ionic homeostasis under stress. Collectively, these results suggest that the overexpression of the GmXTH1 gene may positively regulate plant responses to salt stress by modulating the antioxidant defense and ion transport mechanisms.

Hazardous pollutants released into the real environment mostly own long-lasting cumulative characteristics and have progressively negative impacts on organisms, which are always neglected in laboratory toxicological tests. Here in this study, the different ecotoxicity of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) on earthworm Eisenia fetida was compared via various endpoints and transcriptional sequencing between the 28-day progressively repeated (from 60 to 80, final 100 mg/kg) and one-step (directly to 100 mg/kg) exposure. The results showed that earthworms under progressively repeated exposure showed significantly less biomass loss and reproductive inhibition, as well as lower Ag bioaccumulation (15.6 mg/kg) compared with one-step exposure (17.9 mg/kg). The increases in enzyme activities (superoxide enzyme and catalase) and gene expression (metallothionein) also implied higher antioxidant and genetic toxicity in one-step exposed earthworms compared with those from progressively repeated exposure. Furthermore, the transcriptomic analysis identified 582 and 854 differentially expressed genes in the treatments of one-step and repeated exposure respectively compared with the control group. The results of pathway annotation and classification suggested similar enrichments of damage induction but different in toxic stress responses, whereas earthworms from repeated exposure possessed more detoxification-related pathways like translation and multicellular organismal processes. This study innovatively took into account the impacts of processive exposure occurring in the real environment and elucidated distinctions of toxicity and adaptation caused by different exposure patterns, which provided the theoretical basis for real risk identification under the framework and guidance of traditional toxicology, also the implication for the improvement of eco-toxicological risk assessment.

Reproduction is a significant biological process for organisms responding to environmental stresses, however, little is known about the reproductive strategies of invertebrates under long-term exposure to contaminations. In this study, earthworm Metaphire californica (Kinberg, 1867) from contaminated fields with an increased metal gradient were collected to investigate their reproductive responses. The results showed heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Zn, and Pb) induced histological damage to earthworms' seminal vesicles, including tissue disorders and cavities, and decreases in mature spermatozoa. Sperm morphology analysis indicated deformity rates were up to13.2% (e.g. head swollen or missing) for worms from the most contaminated site, which coincided with DNA damages. Furthermore, the computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) system was employed for the evaluation of sperm kinetic traits. Results suggested earthworms exposed to higher contamination showed a lower sperm viability rate but faster sperm velocity after re-exposure with Cd solution (like the curvilinear velocity and straight-line velocity paraments) compared with those from relatively clean sites. The activities of lactate dehydrogenase and sorbitol dehydrogenase showed the highest 32.5% and 12.5% up-regulation respectively with the increased metal gradient. In conclusion, this study elucidated the earthworm reproductive toxicity, underlying reproductive compensation, metal stress-induced damages, and adaptive responses caused by heavy metal exposure, while also providing the possibility of sperm trait analysis (CASA) for related earthworm toxicological studies.

Environmental stressors are persistent but most toxicological studies always evaluate the risk via short-term acute toxicity, while continuous toxicity and biological resistance across generations are relatively unknown. Here, earthworm Eisenia fetida was laboratory-reared and exposed to historically contaminated soils with an increasing metal gradient (CK, LM and HM), to investigate cross-generation toxicity and resistance of F1 and F2 worms. The results elucidated that biomass and juvenile hatching rate of F2 E. fetida showed maximum decreases of 20.8% and 38.5% than those of F1, which indicated severer toxicity of earthworm offspring. However, metal bioaccumulation in F2 E. fetida showed maximum increases of 150%, 49.2%, 19.7% and 25.5% than F1 for Cd, Cu, Zn and Pb, respectively. F2 E. fetida suffered less oxidative stress because the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), glutathione (GSH), and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents were basically lower than that of F1. Meanwhile, the detoxification genes of metallothionein and heat shock protein 70 in F2 E. fetida showed maximum of 296% and 78.9% up-regulations, respectively, which suggested greater metal resistance of F2 E. fetida. This study confirmed the cross-generation toxicity and resistance of earthworms, which provides novel insights to reveal specific contaminant risks from longer lifecycles. CAPSULE: Earthworms under cross-generation exposure can develop metal resistance despite suffering worse toxicity effects.

Stellera chamaejasme is one of most common poisonous plant species in degraded grasslands of China. S. chamaejasme could dominate the community in some severely degraded grasslands, which is a serious threat to the sustainable development of animal husbandry in natural grasslands. In this study, S. chamaejasme population was divided into 10 age classes according to the number of branches. We investigated the age structure of S. chamaejasme population and population dynamic indices, and quantified the survival status of S. chamaejasme population by compiling a static life table, drawing a survival curve, conducting survival analysis. The age structure of S. chamaejasme population in the study area was growth type. The number of individuals in Ⅰ age class was sufficient but with relatively low survival rate. The population structure of S. chamaejasme was fitted the growing type. The development process of population was fluctuating. The number of individuals would drop sharply in Ⅱ and Ⅷ, indicating that these two age classes were the bottleneck period in the development of S. chamaejasme population. The survival curves of S. chamaejasme population was the Deevey-Ⅱ type. The results of survival analysis showed that the population had a sharp decrease in the early stage and was stable in the later stage, which was because the value of fx and λx of S. chamaejasme in Ⅰ or Ⅱ age class were the highest. In conclusion, sufficient young individuals (Ⅰ) was the basis for the expansion of S. chamaejasme population in the degraded typical steppe. The low transformation rate of young individuals to adults might be one of the reasons explaining why S. chamaejasme population could not expand rapidly in the early stage of grassland degradation. Therefore, it was suggested to intervene early when the number of S. chamaejasme was limited.

Cucumber is an important vegetable, which provides essential minerals, vitamins and nutrients for human body and is widely cultivated in China on account of its delicious taste, short nutritional cycle and high economic benefits. To comprehensively evaluate the sustainability of the cucumber production systems under two planting patterns (the protected cucumber production system and the field cucumber production system), and to provide constructive suggestions for an efficient and sustainable development of the production systems, the emergy evaluation method was utilized to analyze the composition and metabolism of the emergy flows in the production systems based on 2016 provincial data from China. The results show that the mean value of natural resources input of the field cucumber production system (13.59E+14 sej/ha) was significantly higher than that of the protected cucumber production system (5.92E+14 sej/ha). However, the mean values of the purchased resources input, total emergy input and total energy output had the contrary trend. The extent to which the cucumber production systems under two planting patterns are dependent on the environment is different. The field cucumber production system uses more natural resources and the degree of utilization of natural resources is geographically distributed. More natural resources are utilized in the south of China where natural conditions are better. However, the protected cucumber production system uses more purchased resources, especially the nonrenewable resources, and has the characteristics of high input, high output but low production efficiency. Improving the efficiency of resources utilization, using more clean energy and improving the degree of mechanization will contribute to a cleaner, more efficient and sustainable development of the cucumber production system.

Background Patchy vegetation is a very common phenomenon due to long-term overgrazing in degraded steppe grasslands, which results in substantial uncertainty associated with soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics because of changes in the amount of litter accumulation and nutrition input into soil. Methods We investigated soil C and N stocks beneath three types of monodominant species patches according to community dominance. Stipa krylovii patches, Artemisia frigida patches, and Potentilla acaulis patches represent better to worse vegetation conditions in a grassland in northern China. Results The results revealed that the soil C stock (0–40 cm) changed significantly, from 84.7 to 95.7 Mg ha−1, and that the soil organic carbon content (0–10 cm) and microbial biomass carbon (0–10 and 10–20 cm) varied remarkably among the different monodominant species communities (P < 0.05). However, soil total nitrogen and microbial biomass nitrogen showed no significant differences among different plant patches in the top 0–20 cm of topsoil. The soil C stocks under the P. acaulis and S. krylovii patches were greater than that under the A. frigida patch. Our study implies that accurate estimates of soil C and N storage in degenerated grassland require integrated analyses of the concurrent effects of differences in plant community composition.

Ecological stoichiometry affects the processes and functions of ecosystems, but the similarities and differences of stoichiometric characteristics among diverse agropastoral ecosystems under the same climatic conditions remain unclear. In this study, plant and soil stoichiometric characteristics of different agroecosystems, namely natural grassland (free-grazing and mowed grassland), artificial grassland (oat, Chinese leymus and corn silage), field crops (naked oats, flax and wheat) and commercial crops (cabbage and potatoes), were investigated in Guyuan County, China. Results showed total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and N:P ratios in plant tissue varied significantly among ecosystem types (P < 0.05). In general, the mean soil organic carbon, TN and TP content in the 0–0.3 m soil layer in potatoes (8.01, 1.05 and 0.33 g kg–1 respectively) were significantly lower than in other agroecosystems (P < 0.05). The mean C:N ratios of the 0–0.3 m soil layer did not differ significantly among the agroecosystems (P > 0.05). However, the C:P ratio was lower in potato than cabbage sites (24.64 vs 33.17), and was lower at both these sites than in other agroecosystems (P < 0.05). With regard to N:P ratios, only the potato ecosystem had lower values than in other ecosystems (P < 0.05), which did not differ significantly (P > 0.05). Above all, N is more likely to be limiting than P for biomass production in local agroecosystems. Soil C:P and N:P ratios decreased significantly with an increase in the utilisation intensity (from natural grassland to commercial crop). The findings of this study suggest that restoring, preserving and increasing soil organic carbon (especially for cabbage and potatoes), scientifically adjusting the application of N and P fertiliser and enhancing subsidies for low-loss soil nutrient systems, such as grassland, rather than commercial crops will help improve and sustain agroecosystems.

Earthworms have the ability to take up heavy metals in soil and partition them in different subcellular compartments. In this study, we used a structural equation model (SEM) to investigate the two-step causal relationship between environmental availability (EA) and environmental bioavailability (EB) of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Zn, and Pb), as reflected by their levels in soil fractions and in earthworms from field-contaminated areas in Southern China. In the SEM, the correlation between EA and EB reflected the bioavailability of Cd, Zn, and Pb. For Cd, the causal relationship between the latent variables EA and EB was reflected by DTPA fractions in soil as well as by earthworm internal and subcellular cytosol fractions. The extractable and oxidizable fractions of Zn in soil influenced Zn concentrations in the cytosol and debris. The DTPA and reducible Pb fractions were bioavailable to earthworm internal Pb concentrations and those in cytosol fractions. These results implied that the DTPA, extractable, oxidizable, or reducible fractions of different metals could be the bioavailable sources to earthworm internal metals and partitioned in their subcellular compartments.

Accumulation of copper (II) ions in plant leads to the excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) which attributes to the depletion of the antioxidants in the cell and destruction to antioxidant enzymes. The antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase has been used as biomarkers to reflect metal-induced oxidative stress. However, the underlying toxic mechanisms of the copper ions(II)-induced oxidative damage to plants remain unknown. In the work, a detailed molecular interaction of copper (II) ions with Arabidopsis thaliana glutathione peroxidase 6 (AtGPX6) in relation with poisonous effects of exposure to heavy metal was investigated by multiple spectroscopic techniques. The intrinsic fluorescence of AtGPX6 was quenched upon the addition of copper (II) ions by the combination of static and dynamic quenching mechanisms accompanied by complex formation and conformational changes. A single binding site was revealed for AtGPX6 towards copper ions. The binding process was hydrophobic effect accompanied by positive entropy change and enthalpy change. The secondary structure of AtGPX6 was changed by the addition of copper ions investigated by synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy and circular dichroism spectroscopy, resulting in loosened and deconstructed protein skeleton and increased hydrophobicity around the Trp residues. This study helps to illuminate the detailed interactions between copper ions and plant glutathione peroxidase and elucidate the destructive mechanism to antioxidative defense system caused by heavy metal exposure at molecular level.

Earthworms have the ability to accumulate of heavy metals, however, there was few studies that addressed the metals in earthworm at subcellular levels in fields. The distributions of metals (Cd, Cu, Zn, and Pb) in subcellular fractions (cytosol, debris, and granules) of earthworm Metaphire californica were investigated. The relationship between soil metals and earthworms were analyzed to explain its high plasticity to inhabit in situ contaminated soil of Hunan Province, south China. The concentration of Cd in subcellular compartments showed the same pattern as Cu in the order of cytosol > debris > granules. The distribution of Zn and Pb in earthworms indicated a similar propensity for different subcellular fractions that ranked as granules > debris > cytosol for Zn, and granules > cytosol > debris for Pb. The internal metal concentrations in earthworms increased with the soil metals (p<0.05). Significant positive correlations were found between soil Cd and Cd concentrations in cytosol and debris (p<0.01). Moreover, the soil Pb concentration significantly influenced the Pb concentrations in cytosol and debris (p<0.01), similar to that of Cd. The soil Cu concentrations was only associated with the Cu in granules (p<0.05). Soil Zn concentrations correlated with the Zn concentrations in each subcellular fraction (p<0.05). Our results provide insights into the variations of metals partitioning in earthworms at subcellular levels and the relationships of soil metals, which could be one of the detoxification strategies to adapt the long-term contaminated environment.

The establishment, reproduction, dispersal, and distribution of alien plants are affected by various factors during the transition from being newly introduced in a habitat to being invasive. In the agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China, comprising farmlands and natural grasslands, the biological characteristics of alien plant species were the key intrinsic factors (propagation characteristics and competitive ability), followed by such extrinsic factors as human interference and environmental heterogeneity. Among biological characteristics, the life form may be an important and useful indicator of the invasive ability of a species, and the risk of invasion is greater from alien species that are poisonous, inedible, and have traits that facilitate wide dispersal. Farmlands may serve as initial shelters for alien species, from which they spread into neighbouring habitats, whereas natural grassland may act as a barrier to plant invasions. Management practices detrimental to grasslands, including overgrazing, reclamation, and road construction, often facilitate the invasions; therefore, counter measures such as reseeding and a ban on grazing need special attention. Environmental factors including precipitation, nutrients, prevailing winds, fires, and topography may be other factors that promote or block the process of invasion. In studying ways of preventing or controlling such invasions, alien plants with short life cycle, prolific seed production, and strong competitiveness, deserve particular attention and so do human activities that may damage the environment and fragile habitats.

High salinity and macronutrient deficiencies are two important limitations of coastal saline soils. The present study focused on the changes in electrical conductivity (EC), and the redistribution of water soluble carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), and absorbable phosphorus (P) during the reclamation of coastal saline soil using different amendments. Eight soil treatments were tested: cotton straw powder (J), domestic sewage sludge (W), sewage sludge + cotton residue (J + W), beach sand (S), cotton straw powder + beach sand (J + S), domestic sewage sludge + beach sand (W + S), domestic sewage sludge + cotton residue + beach sand (J + NAT + S), and a control treatment (CK). Triplicate soil samples for each treatment were initially treated once with underground saltwater (with or without bacterial manure). After the first month of incubation, irrigation was conducted weekly. EC measurements in different soil layers showed that sewage sludge was the best amendment for reducing soil EC, while cotton straw powder had no significant effect. Concentrations of N and C increased with soil depth, while the highest P concentration was observed in the uppermost soil. Soil amended with organic matter showed the highest P concentrations, and P availability increased with the application of all amendments except sand, which had no significant effect. The compound treatments had more positive impacts on N availability than did single amendments; however, their effects on P concentration were minimal. The results indicated that sewage sludge was the most effective amendment for reclaiming coastal saline soil and improving the availability of macronutrients. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Biochar pyrolyzed from corn stalks at 300 °C/500 °C and arbuscular mycorrhizae (AMF) were examined independently and in combination as possible treatments for soil remediation contaminated with Cd, Cr, Ni, Cu, Pb, Zn after 35 years following land application of sewage sludge in the 1970s. The results showed that biochar significantly decreased the heavy metal concentrations and their bioavailability for plants, and both biochars had similar such effects. AMF inoculation of corn plants had little effect on heavy metal bioavailability in either control or biochar amended soil, and no interaction between biochar and AMF was observed. Changes in DTPA extractable metals following biochar addition to soil were correlated with metal uptake by plants, whereas pore water metal concentrations were not predictive indicators. This research demonstrates positive benefits from biochar application for contaminated soil remediation, but remain ambiguous with regard to the benefits of simultaneous AMF inoculation on reduction of heavy metal bioavailability.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) plays an important role in the radiative balance of the earth's atmosphere. Most studies have primarily focused on the growing season. However, few reports are available on CO2 emissions in the Inner Mongolian desert steppe ecosystem during the spring thaw period. To assess the responses of soil-atmosphere CO2 exchange to different stocking rates in the desert steppe, we conducted this study during the winter-spring transition period. The experiment was conducted with four treatments defined along a grazing gradient of un-grazing (UG), light grazing (LG), moderate grazing (MG) and heavy grazing (HG) with three replications of each treatment in the desert steppe of Inner Mongolia during the spring thaw period in 2010 and 2011. Soil CO2 fluxes were measured using Picarro G1301 (an automatic cavity ring-down spectrophotometer) in twelve grazing areas. Our results indicate that mean CO2 emission during the spring thaw period was 8.23 mg CO2-C m(-2) h(-1). Average CO2 fluxes over the two years during the spring thaw period were 10.59 mg CO2-C m(-2) h(-1) (UG), 8.10 mg CO2-C m(-2) h(-1) (LG), 7.89 mg CO2-C m(-2) h(-1) (MG) and 6.35 mg CO2-C m(-2) h(-1) (HG). Cumulative CO2 emission amounted to 118.51 kg C ha(-1) during the spring thaw period (March-April) on average over two years. In this study, grazing practice significantly reduced CO2 emission during the spring thaw period in the desert steppe. Our results are in accordance with other findings suggesting that emissions of CO2 are regulated significantly by soil temperature during the spring thaw period in this area. The significant empirical relationships provide a simple way to estimate regional amounts of CO2 emission from desert steppe during the spring thaw period. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Two risk assessment protocols were adopted to assess the risks posed by alien plants that naturalized or non-naturalized in the agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China (AGENC). In this study the Risk Assessment for Central Europe method revealed that more than two-thirds of the 19 naturalized and four-fifths of the 17 non-naturalized alien plants presented high or moderate risk, and all 36 alien plants were considered to be rejected for their potential agricultural and environmental risks under the Australian Weed Risk Assessment system. On the characteristics of plant invasions, more attention should be given to disturbed habitats rather than these relative natural or closed ecosystems, and also be prudent and careful of the alien plants that are introduced as useful plants from North or South America and unintentional introduction from Europe. Moreover, annuals needed special attention: three-quarters of the alien plants were annual species, only a few were biennial (8.3%), perennial (11.1%), liana and tree plants (2.8%). Plant invasions are not extremely serious in the AGENC, but there are several alien plants that have naturalized and spread themselves in the region. However, attention should be given in the future to predicting and preventing plant invasions in this fragile region.