Overview of Invasive Plants in Natural Areas of Brazil: A Systematic Review.

Invasive plants pose biological, structural, and economic threats to the different ecosystems where 17 they have been introduced. Historically, they exhibit high anthropogenic dispersal, whether 18 intentional or not, and proliferate synergistically with human impacts. In Brazil, invasive plants are 19 present in all biomes of the country. However, studies on the biology of invasive plants in Brazilian 20 natural areas, their impacts, and management remain insufficient. To provide an overview of plant 21 invasions in Brazil’s natural areas, a systematic review was conducted of all documents that reported 22 invasive plants in these environments. Using the world’s two largest scientific databases (Web of 23 Science and SCOPUS) and the Brazilian database (SciELO), 234 scientific documents published 24 between 1982 and 2023 were analyzed. A total of 48 botanical families were recorded, with Poaceae 25 and Fabaceae being the most represented in terms of invasive species. The main invasive plant species 26 identified were Melinis minutiflora, Urochloa eminii, Pinus elliottii, Leucaena leucocephala, 27 Prosopis juliflora, Urochloa brizantha, Cryptostegia madagascariensis, Hovenia dulcis, Urochloa 28 arrecta, and Hedychium coronarium. The Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes were the regions with 29 the highest occurrence of invasive plants. The Neotropical biogeographic region contributed the most 30 to invasive plants in the country, highlighting the need for public policies that classify plant invasions 31 based on a biogeographic rather than a geopolitical approach. The results consolidate a significant 32 amount of information that supports the prioritization of future studies in the field, not only filling 33 knowledge gaps about invasive plants in Brazil but also providing subsidies for decision-making in 34 the conservation of natural areas.