Quick assessment of the invasiveness of non‐native plant species by using eco‐physiological parameters in T ram C him N ational P ark, V ietnam

Using eco‐physiological parameters, a quick assessment of the invasiveness of non‐native plant species was conducted in T ram C him N ational P ark, a R amsar site that is located in the M ekong R iver D elta region of V ietnam. An investigation of non‐native species and a vegetation analysis were carried out along 25 line transects and in 50 quadrats by using the B raun– B lanquet method. The researchers identified 84 non‐native plant species but only 31 species were naturalized in the wetland ecosystems. Twenty of those 31 species with a high importance value index were screened by using a parameter that was obtained from chlorophyll a fluorescence measurement, the performance index. Five species were identified as invasive and five others were predicted to be potentially invasive. The first group of five species were: M imosa pigra , P anicum repens , E ichhornia crassipes , S alvinia cucullata and L eersia hexandra, which already had been confirmed as important weeds in the national park by previous studies. From the second group, two species ( L udwigia hyssopifolia and S accharum spontaneum) already are becoming prominent species in some locations. The three remaining species ( M onochoria hastata , I sachne globosa and M arsilea quadrifolia ) are likely to become invasive in the future.