Received: 25 April 2019 | Revised: 9 July 2020 | Accepted: 11 July 2020 DOI: 10.1111/avsc.12518 RESEARCH ARTICLE Applied Vegetation Science Long-term trends in the distribution, abundance and impact of native “injurious” weeds Lindsay C. Maskell1 | Peter Henrys1 | Oliver L. Pescott2 | Simon M. Smart1 1Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Bailrigg, UK Abstract 2Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Questions: How can we quantify changes in the distribution and abundance of injuri- Wallingford, UK ous weed species (Senecio jacobaea, Cirsium vulgare, Cirsium arvense, Rumex obtusi- Correspondence folius, Rumex crispus and Urtica dioica), over long time periods at wide geographical Lindsay C. Maskell, Centre for Ecology and scales? What impact do these species have on plant communities? To what extent are Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, LA1 4AP, UK. changes driven by anthropogenically induced drivers such as disturbance, eutrophi- Email:
[email protected] cation and management? Funding information Location: Great Britain. The Countryside Survey of 2007 was funded Methods: Data from national surveys were used to assess changes in the frequency by a partnership of nine government-funded bodies led by the Natural Environment and abundance of selected weed species between 1978 and 2007. This involved Research Council (NERC) and Defra. Defra novel method development to create indices of change, and to relate changes in dis- funded further work on the analysis of injurious weeds (project WC1042). The tribution and abundance of these species to plant community diversity and inferred research was supported in part by the changes in resource availability, disturbance and management. UK-SCaPE program delivering National Capability (NE/R016429/1) funded by the Results: Three of the six weed species became more widespread in GB over this Natural Environment Research Council.