Introduction: Invasions by Pinus represent major challenges for conservation and ecological restoration, especially in open ecosystems of tropical South America, such as the Brazilian neotropical savanna (Cerrado). Objective: We evaluated whether the clear-cutting and manual removal of Pinus caribaea reduce the impacts of invasion on woody plant composition, vegetation structure, and woody community diversity in the Cerrado. Methods: We assessed four conditions representing different invasion and management histories in a mosaic of savanna grassland, savanna woodland, and forest: a recently (6 years) and older (20 years) managed conditions, an unmanaged invaded, and a non-invaded reference. In each condition, we sampled the woody plant individuals (diameter at ground level >1 cm) within 10 random 10 m & times; 10 m plots. Floristic composition, vegetation structure, and diversity were evaluated using ordination, rarefaction curves, and taxonomic diversity indices. Results: Recent management promoted Cerrado recovery, with native species richness, abundance, and basal area approaching similar values observed in the non-invaded area. In contrast, the older managed area showed limited recovery even after two decades. The unmanaged invaded area exhibited the strongest negative impacts, including reduced richness and basal area of native species, and loss of savanna specialists. The non-invaded area showed the greatest distinctiveness. Conclusions: Pinus invasion produces long-lasting negative effects on Cerrado woody communities. However, clear-cutting combined with regular manual removal effectively promotes native regeneration and helps prevent further spread of P. caribaea. Protection of non-invaded savannas remains crucial for maintaining characteristic Cerrado biodiversity.

Managing pathways of species introductions is key to improve prevention, and predict the arrival of new species. We conducted a pathways assessment for invasive non-native species in Brazil considering three classes of species: (a) invasive non-native species already present; (b) contained: species introduced in Brazil with a history of invasion elsewhere, but so far not occurring in natural areas; and (c) absent from Brazil: species of potential introduction risk due to commercial relations with other countries, or close to country borders. We used a list of invasive and potentially invasive species compiled for Brazil as the basis of our assessment, with 238 plants and algae, and 319 animals, totalling 557 species. We conducted an online validation process with 126 professionals of government agencies, research agencies, universities, NGOs, and private companies. The pathways/vectors assessment using the classification adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity resulted in 700 pathways/vectors for 319 invasive non-native animal species, and 596 for 238 plant species, totalling 1296 pathways/vectors for 557 species. In aquatic habitats, ballast water and hull fouling are the prevalent pathways for invertebrates, plants and algae, while the ornamental fish trade, aquaculture, and sport fishing are the main pathways for aquatic vertebrates. In terrestrial habitats, invertebrates arrive from unintentional introductions, vertebrates are introduced intentionally, and plants are primarily introduced intentionally for ornamental purposes, shade, or other cultivation. The main pathways are a priority for policy development and for the prevention or interruption of species transits. Recommendations are provided to guide governance and policy development.

Non-native insects are often inconspicuous organisms that can negatively impact the economy, biodiversity, and public health. Field crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Gryllinae) have historically been used as a food source for livestock, pets, and humans—a practice that likely facilitated the spread of certain species into urban centers and non-native habitats. Although rarely cited as invasive, species like Gryllodes sigillatus and Gryllodes supplicans are now widely distributed across diverse environments. Based on recent fieldwork in Brazil, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Ecuador, we conducted morphological and acoustic analyses that confirmed the presence of G. sigillatus in all five countries and documented the first record of G. supplicans in Brazil. We also reassigned Gryllodes flavispina to Loxoblemmus, limiting Gryllodes to two recognized species. This prompted a reassessment of diagnostic traits and the development of global distribution models. Our findings revealed consistent acoustic and morphological differences between the species, facilitating future detection and monitoring. Biogeographic models predict a broad potential distribution and multiple zones of sympatry. Although Gryllodes species are proposed as alternative food, little is known about their ecological impacts if released or escaped into natural ecosystems. Further studies should assess the consequences of their establishment in non-native regions.

Understanding how invasive species respond to distinct climatic conditions across their global distribution is essential for revealing the mechanisms underlying their ecological success. This study aimed to evaluate whether Nicotiana glauca, a widely distributed invasive shrub, conserves or shifts its realized climatic niche across different invaded regions. We compared the climatic niches of the species' native range (Argentina and Bolivia) with those of five invaded regions (North America, the Mediterranean, Northeast South America, Southern Africa, and Australia) using a PCA-env framework. Our results show clear evidence of niche shifts in the Caatinga (Northeast Brazil) and Mediterranean regions, where N. glauca occupies warmer and more thermally stable environments in the Caatinga and cooler, more thermally variable climates in the Mediterranean, both with lower mean precipitation than the native range. These contrasting patterns indicate that the species expresses different portions of its fundamental climatic niche depending on the environmental context, reflecting a high degree of climatic plasticity. The ability of N. glauca to establish and persist under such distinct climatic regimes highlights its potential to invade areas beyond predictions based solely on native-range conditions. These findings underscore the importance of considering climatic novelty and niche shifts when assessing invasion risks and developing predictive frameworks for species distribution. Compreender como esp & eacute;cies invasoras respondem a diferentes condi & ccedil;& otilde;es clim & aacute;ticas ao longo de sua distribui & ccedil;& atilde;o global & eacute; essencial para revelar os mecanismos que sustentam seu sucesso ecol & oacute;gico. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar se Nicotiana glauca, um arbusto invasor amplamente distribu & iacute;do, conserva ou modifica seu nicho clim & aacute;tico realizado em diferentes regi & otilde;es invadidas. Foram comparados os nichos clim & aacute;ticos da & aacute;rea nativa da esp & eacute;cie (Argentina e Bol & iacute;via) com aqueles de cinco regi & otilde;es invadidas (Am & eacute;rica do Norte, Mediterr & acirc;neo, Nordeste da Am & eacute;rica do Sul, & Aacute;frica Austral e Austr & aacute;lia), utilizando an & aacute;lises PCA-env. Os resultados indicam deslocamentos significativos do nicho nas regi & otilde;es da Caatinga (Nordeste do Brasil) e do Mediterr & acirc;neo, onde N. glauca ocupa ambientes mais quentes e termicamente est & aacute;veis na Caatinga e climas mais frios e com maior variabilidade t & eacute;rmica no Mediterr & acirc;neo, ambos com menor precipita & ccedil;& atilde;o m & eacute;dia em compara & ccedil;& atilde;o & agrave; & aacute;rea nativa. Esses padr & otilde;es contrastantes sugerem que a esp & eacute;cie expressa diferentes por & ccedil;& otilde;es de seu nicho clim & aacute;tico fundamental conforme o contexto ambiental, refletindo um elevado grau de plasticidade clim & aacute;tica. A capacidade de N. glauca de se estabelecer e persistir sob regimes clim & aacute;ticos distintos evidencia seu potencial de invas & atilde;o al & eacute;m das previs & otilde;es baseadas apenas em condi & ccedil;& otilde;es da & aacute;rea nativa. Esses achados refor & ccedil;am a import & acirc;ncia de considerar a novidade clim & aacute;tica e os deslocamentos de nicho na avalia & ccedil;& atilde;o de riscos de invas & atilde;o e no aprimoramento de modelos preditivos de distribui & ccedil;& atilde;o de esp & eacute;cies.

This dataset presents a comprehensive and validated compilation of 187,160 georeferenced records of 489 invasive species of fauna (Animalia), flora (Plantae), and algae (Chromista) across Brazilian terrestrial, freshwater and marine territories, including islands. The data were obtained through consultations with federal environmental agencies, national and international databases, and scientific publications. All records were reviewed and validated by experts through national and state-level consultations conducted between 2021 and 2024. This effort was carried out within the framework of the project Pró-Espécies: Estratégia Nacional para a Conservação de Espécies Ameaçadas, which aimed to support the conservation of biodiversity and the management of invasive non-native species.

Urban areas are foci for the introduction of non‐native plant species, and they often act as launching sites for invasions into the wider environment. Although interest in biological invasions in urban areas is growing rapidly, and the extent and complexity of problems associated with invasions in these systems have increased, data on the composition and numbers of non‐native plants in urbanized areas remain scattered and idiosyncratic. We assembled data from multiple sources to create the Global Urban Biological Invasions Compendium (GUBIC) for vascular plants representing 553 urban centres from 61 countries across every continent except Antarctica. The GUBIC repository includes 8140 non‐native plant species from 253 families. The number of urban centres in which these non‐native species occurred had a log‐normal distribution, with 65.2% of non‐native species occurring in fewer than 10 urban centres. Practical implications : The dataset has wider applications for urban ecology, invasion biology, macroecology, conservation, urban planning and sustainability. We hope this dataset will stimulate future research in invasion ecology related to the diversity and distributional patterns of non‐native flora across urban centres worldwide. Further, this information should aid the early detection and risk assessment of potential invasive species, inform policy development and assist in setting management priorities.

Urbanization impacts on biomass production and storage in the endangered Atlantic Forest require further investigation seeking effective methods for monitoring carbon flux. Our study compared gross primary production (GPP) and vegetation biomass increment across seasons between urban and non-urban forests of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We hypothesized higher GPP and biomass values in the urban forest and during the rainy seasons (spring and summer) compared to the non-urban forest and dry seasons (autumn and winter), respectively. We used two MODIS products which provides GPP and net primary production (NPP) to quantify the photosynthetic activity and biomass of an urban forest in Tijuca National Park (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and a non-urban forest of comparable size and climate region between the years 2004 and 2024. We observed higher values of GPP and biomass in the rainy seasons (GPP = 9.5 f 1.6 g C m-2 day- 1; biomass = 12.3 f 2.2 g C m-2 day- 1) compared to the dry seasons (GPP = 7.4 f 1.2 g C m- 2 day- 1; biomass = 9.6 f 1.6 g C m- 2 day- 1) in the 20 years. Urbanization and rainy seasons together positively influenced GPP and biomass increase, indicating a synergistic effect of urbanization and rainfall on the production dynamics. We concluded that the primary production of the Atlantic Forest fragments examined was positively influenced by rainfall and urbanization. These factors serve as significant agents in mitigating carbon emissions and enhancing ecosystem services, especially amidst rapid urbanization and climatic changes.

The globalization of trade and increased human mobility have facilitated the introduction and spread of nonnative species, posing significant threats to biodiversity and human well-being. As centers of global trade and human populations, cities are foci for the introduction, establishment, and spread of nonnative species. We present a global synthesis of urban characteristics that drive biological invasions within and across cities, focusing on four axes: ( a ) connectivity, ( b ) physical properties, ( c ) culture and socioeconomics, and ( d ) biogeography and climate. Urban characteristics such as increased connectivity within and among cities, city size and age, and wealth emerged as important drivers of nonnative species diversity and spread, while the relative importance of biogeographic and climate drivers varied considerably. Elaborating how these characteristics shape biological invasions in cities is crucial for designing and implementing strategies to mitigate the impacts of invasions on ecological systems and human well-being.

Although invasive alien species have long been recognized as a major threat to nature and people, until now there has been no comprehensive global review of the status, trends, drivers, impacts, management and governance challenges of biological invasions. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Thematic Assessment Report on Invasive Alien Species and Their Control (hereafter 'IPBES invasive alien species assessment') drew on more than 13,000 scientific publications and reports in 15 languages as well as Indigenous and local knowledge on all taxa, ecosystems and regions across the globe. Therefore, it provides unequivocal evidence of the major and growing threat of invasive alien species alongside ambitious but realistic approaches to manage biological invasions. The extent of the threat and impacts has been recognized by the 143 member states of IPBES who approved the summary for policymakers of this assessment. Here, the authors of the IPBES assessment outline the main findings of the IPBES invasive alien species assessment and highlight the urgency to act now.

Climatic similarities between native and invaded areas are fundamental conditions for the establishment and dissemination of invasive alien species. Preventive measures to indicate potential areas for biological invasions are crucial for managing invasion risks. This measure assumes that species maintain their environmental conditions conserved between native and invaded areas. However, some species can quickly change their fundamental niche when exposed to previously unexperienced environmental conditions. Here, we distinguish between these types of changes in the climatic niche of the Nicotiana glauca, a global invasive species, employing multivariate analyses to compare niche overlap between the native (Argentina and Bolivia) and invaded areas (North America, Mediterranean, Northeast South America, Southern Africa and Australia). We found evidence that the climatic niche occupied by N. glauca in its native area does not overlap with the invaded area in the Caatinga (Northeast Brazil) and the Mediterranean region. The niche in these invaded areas exhibits both warmer climates with lower daily and annual temperature amplitude (Caatinga) and colder, drier climates (Mediterranean). A small portion of the climatic niche in the invaded area of N. glauca in the Mediterranean region expanded compared to the climatic space of the native area, suggesting that the species occupied part of the fundamental niche restricted by dispersal barriers. However, almost the entire climatic space occupied by N. glauca in the Caatinga expanded compared to the native area, suggesting the species enlarged its climatic niche in this invaded area. Therefore, N. glauca has the capability to inhabit niches across a diverse climatic range that cannot be solely predicted based on the native distribution, owing to the evolution of niche and the occupation of a previously unknown part of the fundamental niche. Thus, we suggest that when using predictive methods to identify potential areas for invasive non-native species, both invaded and native climatic spaces should be considered.

Resumo As abelhas são importantes polinizadores que têm sido impactados negativamente por mudanças ambientais antropogênicas, tais como a urbanização. Além disso, o desenvolvimento urbano pode reduzir e degradar o habitat natural das abelhas aumentando a proporção de superfícies impermeáveis, diminuindo as áreas verdes e aumentando o número de plantas ornamentais exóticas. Entretanto, as cidades podem oferecer refúgio para as abelhas porque elas proporcionam um ambiente com uma grande variedade de recursos para alimentação e nidificação. O objetivo de nosso estudo foi avaliar a riqueza e a abundância de abelhas, seus respectivos grupos funcionais e composição comunitária ao longo de um gradiente de urbanização em 21 localidades distribuídas entre 6 cidades brasileiras de médio porte (com populações entre 80.000 e 170.000 habitantes). Também avaliamos o efeito da riqueza, número de plantas e proporção de plantas nativas. Coletamos um total de 132 espécies de abelhas. A riqueza total de abelhas diminuiu com o aumento da cobertura impermeável e aumentou com a heterogeneidade da paisagem, o que também teve um efeito positivo sobre a riqueza de abelhas que nidificam acima do solo e abelhas generalistas. Em relação aos dados de abundância, as abelhas solitárias e as abelhas que nidificam no solo foram positivamente influenciadas pelo aumento da cobertura de gramíneas. O número total de plantas nativas e exóticas coletadas influenciou positivamente a abundância total de abelhas, bem como a abundância de abelhas eusociais, que nidificam acima do solo e no solo, e generalistas. A proporção de plantas nativas influenciou positivamente a riqueza total e a abundância de abelhas especializadas. Os nossos resultados indicam que as áreas urbanas de médio porte podem albergar uma grande diversidade de espécies de abelhas, mas as espécies que nidificam no solo e as espécies especialistas podem ser mais sensíveis à urbanização e à diminuição da oferta de recursos florais.

Urbanization is among the main drivers of global biodiversity changes. Urban areas are increasing faster, particularly in global biodiversity hotspots. Therefore, more evidence is needed on how urban gradients drive plant traits and interactions with herbivores in neotropical regions. Here, we investigated how urbanization intensity and habitat permeability affect metrics (species richness, composition and vegetation cover), functional traits, and herbivory of plant communities, focusing on spontaneous native and non-native species in a neotropical city in Brazil. Non-native species represented 64.6 % of the occurrences, and habitat permeability had a stronger influence on plant communities than urbanization intensity. The intensity of urbanization decreased the species richness and increased the specific leaf area in native and non-natives plants. Habitat permeability also affected species composition. Permeable habitats had higher vegetation cover, herbivory, and height of the non-native communities. Life forms as geophyte for non-natives, chamaephyte, and hemicryptophyte for natives, and zoochoric dispersal syndrome were more frequent in permeable habitats. Impermeable habitats had higher frequencies of therophyte life form, and autochoric dispersal syndrome for native species. The higher vegetation cover, the lower direct interference from humans, and the permeability of habitats allowed more different functional traits within plant community and more interactions between plants and herbivores along the urbanization intensity gradient. The permeability of urban habitats, in a medium-sized neotropical city, has greater influence on the variation of the plant community than the intensity of urbanization. This highlights the importance of the presence of permeable areas in supporting plant biodiversity within highly paved urban gradients.

Biological invasions are one of the major threats to biodiversity and good quality of life, resulting from the translocation of species by human action. There are more than 500 alien species currently invading ecosystems in Brazil, particularly plants and fishes, while little is known about invasive microorganisms. Although invasive alien species are present in all ecosystems in the country, most have been recorded in habitats with greater human interference, such as urban and peri-urban areas, farmland, dams, reservoirs, ports, and canals. Historically, the southern and southeastern regions of Brazil have had more invasive alien species, but there has been an increase in the number of invasive alien species in the central -western and northern regions in recent decades. The ornamental trade of plants and fishes as well as the illegal pet trade of wild mammals and reptiles are some of the main pathways for invasive species introduction and spread in Brazil. Breeding and cultivation systems that allow escape to natural areas are a relevant route of species introductions in freshwater ecosystems, while unintentional introductions from shipping and infrastructure are of extreme concern in marine ecosystems. The negative impacts of invasive alien species on the biota mainly include changes in community structure and local decrease in native species richness, mediated by predation, competition, and ecosystem changes. Most negative impacts are recorded for intentionally introduced species, such as fishes and plants, but unintentional introductions have led to impacts on good quality of life, with associated costs and impacts on human health. The management of biological invasions faces challenges that need to be overcome, such as the lack of public knowledge about the impact of invasive alien species, the popular appeal of charismatic invasive species or those used by humans, and the use of controversial control techniques. However, successful experiences of eradication and control in terrestrial and marine ecosystems have been recorded, some of them involving public engagement in management actions. Recognizing the issue as a cross -cutting public policy and developing ongoing governance experiences are fundamental goals for the management of invasive alien species in Brazil.

Invasive non-native species (invasive species, henceforth) across all taxonomic groups are spreading globally, with numbers projected to continue growing in the future. It is difficult for governments and managers to handle this issue when the identity of invasive species or the areas of occurrence of biological invasions are not known. Here, we provide an updated list of invasive animals, plants and algae in Brazil that is fully integrated and based on the same criteria and lexicon to define invasive species across all plant and animal taxa and habitats. We list 444 invasive non-native species: 254 animals, 188 plants and 2 algae. Some of the invasive species have been present in Brazil since the beginning of the European colonization in the 1500 s, but the majority of first records in Brazil were made in the last century, with copious first records after the year 2000. The list of invasive species presented here represents the most comprehensive attempt thus far to catalog all invasive non-native species at a continental-scale for a megadiverse country. Brazil has published a national strategy with the objective of improving mechanisms and partnerships for invasive non-native species prevention, early detection and rapid response. We believe that the current list of invasive species will provide technical and scientific support for the implementation of effective measures in the management of biological invasions.

Protected areas are key to global biodiversity conservation efforts. Yet, most protected areas globally face threats of biological invasions either by invasive non-native species established within the protected area or by the imminent establishment of invasive non-native species established in the surrounding landscapes. In face of growing biological invasions, protected area managers must be able to set prevention and control priorities for invasive non-native species management. In this study, we developed a new methodological approach to identify which protected areas should be prioritized for prevention and early detection and which should be prioritized for control of biological invasions. Our methodological approach analyzes the occurrence of invasive species within and around the protected areas and weights the influence of multiple existing pathways to calculate the probability of introduction of invasive species and colonization pressure for each protected area. We evaluated our priority setting model in 280 terrestrial and 42 marine protected areas in Brazil. For the terrestrial protected areas, 84 were classified as priority for prevention and early detection and 124 were classified as priority for control of biological invasions. For the marine protected areas, 25 were classified as priority for prevention and early detection and seven were classified as priority for control of biological invasions. Human population density and percentage of pasture cover surrounding the protected area were the most important factors for priority setting in terrestrial protected areas whereas number of aquiculture activities, density of waterways, distance to ports, distance to oil platforms, and distance from sinking points were the most important factors for priority setting in marine protected areas. In conclusion, the framework presented here provides an objective methodology for managers and stakeholders to decide where to invest their limited resources available for management of biological invasions in protected areas.

Biological invasions pose a major threat to biodiversity conservation in protected areas, with roads, tracks, and trails being the main pathways for the spread of non-native species. This study aimed to assess the distribution patterns of non-native and native plant species in relation to elevational gradient, public use intensity, and disturbance by roads and trails in a protected tropical mountain forest in southeastern Brazil. Specifically, we recorded plant species along this gradient and tested whether the richness of native and non-native species differed with elevation. Additionally, we investigated whether the high-altitude non-native species community was a subset of lower-elevation communities and whether non-native species richness was linked to anthropogenic disturbances and public use intensity. Our findings revealed that native and non-native species richness varied along the elevational gradient. Native species exhibited a hump-shaped pattern, with richness peaking at mid-elevations. In contrast, non-native species did not show a clear trend along the altitudinal gradient. Notably, higher non-native species richness was observed in roadside and trailside plots. The non-native species communities at higher altitudes were not simply subsets of those found at lower elevations. Thus, while the richness and composition of native species appeared to be driven by environmental factors along the elevational gradient, the presence of non-native species was more closely associated with anthropogenic disturbances. In summary, our results indicate that non-native plants, although widespread along trails and roads, establish primarily in the most disturbed areas. Therefore, roads, trails, and human and vehicular traffic are key determinants of biological invasions in this mountainous protected area.

Urbanization is one of the most intense forms of landscape change, and it is likely to increase in the coming years. Although there is a consensus that urbanization has drastic effects on biodiversity, recent discussions on the conservation of urban plant-pollinator interactions have not properly included biodiverse tropical regions. Here, we investigate how the structure of plant-pollinator networks changes along the urbanization gradient. We examined changes in structure of 21 plant-pollinator networks along six urbanization gradients. We also accessed the centrality of Apis mellifera (an exotic bee) and Trigona spinipes (a native bee), both generalist species, highly abundant and tolerant to urban environments. Finally, we identified important species of plants in urban pollination networks. We found that connectance and interaction evenness increases with urbanization, probably due to the loss of bee species. Complementary specialization (H2’) and modularity were not affected by the urban landscape. Closeness centrality of A. mellifera increased with increasing impermeable cover reinforcing the hypothesis that invasive and super-generalist species are generally more central in more urbanized areas. In contrast, eigenvector centrality of T. spinipes decreased with the increase in urbanization, suggesting a decrease in the importance of this species for the network as urban areas get denser. Our results support to understand the effects of urbanization on mutualistic networks in tropical environments and can contribute to the protection of native biodiversity against urban expansion. Implications for insect conservation: Our results show that plant-bee interactions networks become simplified as urbanization increases. We also show that the invasive non-native bee Apis mellifera dominate urban plant-bee interactions in neotropical cities. To improve insect conservation in cities, it is recommended to plant native plant species and manage invasive non-native species.

Standardised terminology in science is important for clarity of interpretation and communication. In invasion science - a dynamic and rapidly evolving discipline - the proliferation of technical terminology has lacked a standardised framework for its development. The result is a convoluted and inconsistent usage of terminology, with various discrepancies in descriptions of damage and interventions. A standardised framework is therefore needed for a clear, universally applicable, and consistent terminology to promote more effective communication across researchers, stakeholders, and policymakers. Inconsistencies in terminology stem from the exponential increase in scientific publications on the patterns and processes of biological invasions authored by experts from various disciplines and countries since the 1990s, as well as publications by legislators and policymakers focusing on practical applications, regulations, and management of resources. Aligning and standardising terminology across stakeholders remains a challenge in invasion science. Here, we review and evaluate the multiple terms used in invasion science (e.g. 'non-native', 'alien', 'invasive' or 'invader', 'exotic', 'non-indigenous', 'naturalised', 'pest') to propose a more simplified and standardised terminology. The streamlined framework we propose and translate into 28 other languages is based on the terms (i) 'non-native', denoting species transported beyond their natural biogeographic range, (ii) 'established non-native', i.e. those non-native species that have established self-sustaining populations in their new location(s) in the wild, and (iii) 'invasive non-native' - populations of established non-native species that have recently spread or are spreading rapidly in their invaded range actively or passively with or without human mediation. We also highlight the importance of conceptualising 'spread' for classifying invasiveness and 'impact' for management. Finally, we propose a protocol for classifying populations based on (i) dispersal mechanism, (ii) species origin, (iii) population status, and (iv) impact. Collectively and without introducing new terminology, the framework that we present aims to facilitate effective communication and collaboration in invasion science and management of non-native species.

Urbanization is a major form of landscape alteration characterized by the extent of impervious structures. For urban vegetation, dispersal is key for allowing plants to reach and occupy spaces that offer conditions for germination. Here, we investigated (i) the effect of urbanization intensity on the variation in plant height, quantity, size and weight of fruits and seeds of spontaneous plants; (ii) the presence of variation in the traits for species with different dispersive syndromes and invasion status; and (iii) the effect of urbanization on the proportion of species with different dispersive syndromes. We collected plants from the herbaceous and shrub strata in different intensities of urbanization, in Lavras-MG, Brazil. Data were analyzed using generalized linear mixed-effect models. A total of 88 plant species were identified. We observed a decrease in the values of the functional traits with increasing urbanization intensity. Plant height decreased with increased urbanization. Anemochorous plants showed a decrease in fruit size, and zoochoric plants showed a decrease in fruit and seed weight. There was a reduction in the number and size of fruits of native plants and in the number of seeds of naturalized exotic plants. There was no variation in the proportion of species by dispersive syndromes. The tendency of smaller dispersive structures illustrates the filtering of functional traits caused by urbanization.

Language barriers can impede the dissemination of research findings, restrict collaboration and exclude non-English-speaking researchers from the global scientific community. To overcome this challenge, we explore the potential of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) text generators to assist non-anglophone researchers in producing high-quality academic texts for publication in scientific journals, with a focus on the field of ecological research. These tools can produce grammatically correct, coherent and contextually appropriate text, improving scientific communication quality. Improving scientific communication is vital in Ecology, where research findings can have important implications for the environment and public policy. GenAI text generators can generate summaries of research findings, abstracts and social media posts promoting research findings. Nonetheless, researchers must exercise caution and use these tools together with human review and editing to ensure accuracy and clarity. As natural language processing and machine learning continue to evolve, the use of GenAI text generators in scientific communication is poised to become increasingly important.