Exotic plants along roads near La Paz, Bolivia

Abstract

Summary Distributions of invasive alien species ( IAS ) are well documented all over the world, and roads are considered one of the main means by which IAS spread. Bolivia is one of a few countries for which there are no such studies. For this reason, we determined the number of exotic plant species in the vicinity of roads near the city of La Paz, Bolivia. We distinguish two types of roads, paved and gravel roads, and in their vicinity, we studied the floristic composition in three regions, differing mainly in altitude: high Andes, puna grassland and dry valley. We found three exotic species in the vicinity of roads in the high Andes, five in puna grassland and 10 in the dry valley. We found 13 exotic species along gravel roads and nine along paved roads, whilst there was a trend for such species to be more abundant close to the roads than further away. Pennisetum clandestinum was the most frequently recorded exotic species in all regions and associated with both types of roads. The results indicate that exotic species are quite frequent along roads in Bolivia and present a potential threat as invasive species. Therefore, it may be necessary to take measures to prevent IAS from spreading further.