Understanding the factors contributing to the introduction and spread of invasive species is crucial to help develop management strategies to control and eradicate them in sensitive areas. Our goals were to investigate (1) the association between habitat suitability of fountain grass (Cenchrus setaceus), human footprint, and environmental variables; (2) the biogeographical distribution of habitat suitability of fountain grass, an aggressive invasive species that has altered native ecosystems across multiple continents; (3) what kind of habitats are most likely to be invaded by fountain grass; and (4) the potential impact of climate change on the range of fountain grass. We showed that areas with the highest suitability are in desertic and xeric areas of the Mediterranean, and dry tropical, and subtropical bioclimates. The global biogeographic pattern of the suitability of fountain grass generally increases from the equator toward subtropical areas and then decreases at the north and south portions of the globe. Areas with the highest suitability occur along broad ecotonal zones between deserts and Mediterranean regions. Models indicated human footprint and annual mean temperature most contributed to explaining the global suitability patterns of fountain grass. Climate change analysis showed a high potential contraction of the potential range of fountain grass in the Mediterranean and tropical areas of the southwest USA, northern Mexico, northeast Brazil, and South Africa. Results also indicated a potential moderate expansion of its range, mainly in tropical areas of the southwest USA and East Africa. Our results give support for the tenet that anthropogenic factors and climate dynamics might be a strong explanation of the spatial distribution of fountain grass over broad-extent areas. Managers and stakeholders may apply our results to identify high-priority areas that can be used to prevent future invasions into areas of high suitability.

了解有助于引入和传播入侵物种的因素，对于帮助制定管理策略以在敏感地区控制和根除它们至关重要。我们的目标是调查（1）喷泉草（Cenchrus setaceus）的栖息地适宜性之间的关联），人的足迹和环境变量；（2）喷泉草的栖息地适宜性的生物地理分布，喷泉草是一种侵略性入侵物种，已经改变了多大洲的原生生态系统；（3）最有可能被喷泉草入侵的生境是什么？（4）气候变化对喷泉草范围的潜在影响。我们表明，最适合的地区是地中海的沙漠和干旱地区，以及干燥的热带和亚热带生物气候。喷泉草适宜性的全球生物地理格局通常从赤道向亚热带地区增加，然后在地球的北部和南部减小。最合适的区域出现在沙漠和地中海地区之间的广泛经济区域。模型表明，人类足迹和年平均温度最有助于解释喷泉草的全球适宜性模式。气候变化分析表明，在美国西南部，墨西哥北部，巴西东北部和南非的地中海和热带地区，源泉的潜在范围高度收缩。结果还表明其范围可能会适度扩大，主要在美国西南部和东非的热带地区。我们的研究结果支持这样的信条，即人为因素和气候动力学可能是广泛范围内喷泉草的空间分布的有力解释。经理和利益相关者可能会运用我们的结果来确定优先重点领域，这些领域可用于防止将来入侵到高度适合的领域。