Plant Community Stability over 40 Years in a Fraser River Estuary Tidal Freshwater Marsh

Abstract

Paper summary generated by OpenAI: This study investigates long-term changes in plant community stability over a 40-year period in a tidal freshwater marsh of the Fraser River Estuary, utilizing data from 1979, 1999, and 2019. The findings reveal a decrease in overall α-diversity alongside an increase in β-diversity, indicating a trend towards plant assemblage homogenization driven by invasive species such as yellow flag iris and reed canary grass. These results highlight the potential for significant biodiversity loss in the absence of direct anthropogenic disturbances and underscore the need for active management strategies to mitigate the encroachment of non-native species and preserve native biodiversity.