3.1 Effects of P. kansuensis invasion on community structure
Pedicularis kansuensis invasion slightly reduced the species
richness of the community compared to the non-invaded area (–3.07%,
Fig. 1A), but it increased overall canopy cover (+16.99%, Fig. 1B)
(excluding P. kansuensis ). Our study found that P.
kansuensis invasion significantly reduced the species importance of the
common species in the community compared to the non-invaded areas
(–44.22%, Fig. 1C). In addition, there was also a significant decrease
in the importance value of the unique species (–31.26%, Fig. 1D). That
is to say, P. kansuensis invasion increased community coverage,
but decreased the species diversity of the community and the importance
of the other species. As a result, P. kansuensis invasion
affected the ability of the community to maintain a stable ecosystem. In
other words, only the communities with low diversity were conducive to
the invasion of P. kansuensis .