Context

The patterns and causes of forest transition have been extensively studied, identifying socio-economic drivers of land use deintensification and the associated forest expansion. However, most studies do not take into account the origin of the dominant species of new forests (i.e. native or exotic), which affects biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services.

Objectives

We develop a framework integrating forest transition, forest succession and biological invasion theories to identify the socio-environmental conditions that facilitate different pathways of spontaneous forest transitions in a subtropical mountain basin.

Methods

We used Landsat images and Random forest classifier to detect land cover changes over 30 years (1988–2017). We used generalized additive models to identify socioeconomic and biophysical variables associated with expansion of native and exotic-dominated forests.

Results

Expanding native forests are scattered throughout the whole basin under a broad spectrum of socioeconomic and environmental conditions. In contrast, the new forests dominated by exotic species were aggregated around their focal introduction areas and their expansion was associated with accessibility and specific land uses (livestock or residential use).

Conclusions

Understanding the pathways of alternative forest transition involves the integration of land science, forest succession theory and invasion ecology. Land science explains the availability of sites to be reforested. The species composition of new forests depends on the availability of propagules, dispersal agents and competitive relationships between species (forest succession theory). Invasion ecology explains the role of introduction areas (which are often associated with residential use) of exotic species in the successional process.

中文翻译：

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将森林过渡，植物入侵和森林演替理论联系起来：社会经济驱动力和新的亚热带安第斯森林的组成

语境

对森林过渡的模式和原因进行了广泛的研究，确定了土地利用集约化和相关森林扩展的社会经济驱动因素。但是，大多数研究没有考虑到新森林的主要物种（即本地或外来）的起源，这会影响生物多样性和生态系统服务的提供。

目标

我们建立了一个整合森林过渡，森林演替和生物入侵理论的框架，以识别促进亚热带山区自发森林过渡的不同途径的社会环境条件。

方法

我们使用Landsat图像和随机森林分类器来检测30年（1988-2017年）内的土地覆盖变化。我们使用广义加性模型来确定与原生和外来为主的森林扩张相关的社会经济和生物物理变量。

结果

在广泛的社会经济和环境条件下，不断扩大的原生林遍布整个盆地。相反，以外来物种为主的新森林聚集在其重点引进地区附近，其扩张与可及性和特定土地利用（牲畜或住宅利用）有关。

结论

了解替代森林过渡的途径涉及土地科学，森林演替理论和入侵生态学的整合。土地科学解释了要重新造林的地点的可用性。新森林的物种组成取决于繁殖体的可用性，传播媒介和物种之间的竞争关系（森林演替理论）。入侵生态学解释了在演替过程中外来物种引进区（通常与住宅使用相关）的作用。