Will alien plant invaders be advantaged under future climates?

Alien plants have successfully invaded a wide variety of habitats around the globe. There has been considerable research attention, policy, and management action directed at alien invasive plants due to their significant negative impact on terrestrial biodiversity, agricultural systems, and human health (Bridges, 1994; Pimentel et al., 2005; Pyšek & Richardson, 2010). There is now increasing focus on how alien invasive plants may be affected by climate change, including changes in agricultural weed assemblages (McDonald et al., 2009); responses of allergenic plants that impact human health (Ziska et al., 2003; Shea et al., 2008); and potential impacts of changes in the distribution, abundance, and impact of alien invasive plants on terrestrial biodiversity (Hellmann et al., 2008; Beaumont et al., 2009; Bradley et al., 2010; Gallagher et al., 2010; Bellard et al., 2013).