Glossary


Glossary terms are highlighted throughout the website. Place the mouse cursor over the term to view its definition.

Area of highly suitable habitat The area (km2) of the region where habitat suitability is greater than or equal to the fixed logistic probability value of 0.5.
Area of suitable habitat The area (km2) of a region where habitat suitability is above or equal to the base threshold under the current and future scenario(s). The base threshold is the threshold at which the fixed sensitivity of 90% is reached, meaning that 90% of a species' observations are included in the suitable habitat while the area is minimised (also called a 10% omission rate).
Current conditions The baseline climate for the period 1950-2000 at 5 arc minute resolution. Based on raw data (maximum temperature, minimum temperature, precipitation) provided on the WorldClim website.
Exotic species An introduced, non-native species.
Family name Family names for this project were sourced from the Angiosperm Phylogeny Website (APGIII).
Future conditions Projections for future time periods 2035 and 2065 based on RCP 8.5 emission scenario.
Future habitat suitability The future habitat suitability for 2035 and 2065 and the two RCPs are the average consensus of seven Global Climate Model (GCM) projections. Building consensus across multiple GCMs integrates the idiosyncrasies inherent to the different methods for producing future climate projections.
Gridded observations per 100,000 km2 The number of 8 km x 8 km grid cells with recorded species presence standardised to observations per unit area.
Growth form Species were classified into the following categories: tree, shrub, herb, vine, succulent or graminoid, or a combination.
Habitat suitability of observations The average habitat suitability where the recorded observations occur under the current and future scenario(s).
Habitat type Habitat types recorded in the species' non-native range globally.
IBRA7 Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia version 7: classifies Australia's landscapes into large geographically distinct bioregions based on common climate, geology, landform, native vegetation and species information.
Invasive plant Exotic naturalised plant that has spread beyond the site(s) of original introduction. Many invasive plants become environmental or agricultural weeds.
LGA Local Government Areas: classifies council areas within Australia.
LLS NSW Local Land Service regions were defined in 2013 as collations of NSW Local Government Areas. These replace the NRM regions within NSW.
Longevity Classifies species as either annual, biennial, perennial or a combination.
National Environment Alert List Naturalised plant species in the early stages of establishment that have been identified as having the potential to significantly threaten biodiversity. These plants currently have limited distributions in Australia, pose a serious threat to the environment, and successfully respond to eradication and containment procedures [National Environmental Alert List resources]
Naturalised species Species that have successfully established self-sustaining populations outside their native range without cultivation or human intervention.
New South Wales' Noxious Weeds Plants declared noxious in New South Wales under the Australian Noxious Weeds Act of 1993 [Noxious weed resources]
NRM Natural Resource Management regions are based on catchments or bioregions. There are 56 regions covering all of Australia.
RAMSAR Wetlands of international importance based on an intergovernmental treaty that identifies wetlands of international significance.
Rating Using the methods described under the screening tool methodology, naturalised species were rated as having low, medium or high potential for population establishment and expansion now and in the future. The rating is a way of evaluating which species should undergo further assessment for weed risk potential.
RCP Future climate conditions are based on Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs): greenhouse gas trajectories adopted by the IPCC for its Fifth Assessment Report. For this research we used both RCPs 4.5 and 8.5.
RCP 4.5 Future climate conditions are based on Representative Concentration Pathways. RCP 4.5 is an emission pathway that represents a stabilisation scenario where total radiative forcing stabilises before 2100.
RCP 8.5 Future climate conditions are based on Representative Concentration Pathways. RCP 8.5 is an emission pathway that is characterised by increasing greenhouse gas emissions over time.
Screening tool A point-based screening tool that rates species according to their current and future population establishment and expansion.
Seed dispersal morphology Adaptations on the seeds of plants that facilitate dispersal. These include wings, hairs, pappuses for wind dispersal, fleshy fruits & arils for vertebrate dispersal, spines & burrs for external dispersal by animals, flotation devices for water dispersal and elaiosomes for dispersal by ants.
Sleeper weeds Plants that appear non-threatening for years but may rapidly spread following disturbances such as flood, fire, drought, climate change, and changes to land and water management. These plants pose a potential threat to people, industry and the environment. Agricultural sleeper weeds have the potential to cause major impacts on agricultural productivity [Sleeper weed resources]
Species Species names were checked with the Australian Plant Census (APC). For species which either the taxon in APC had not yet been treated or there were no matching taxon names, the genus and species used have been accepted by either the Plant List and/or the USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).
Species distribution modelling A recognised method for building spatial projections of suitable habitat based on correlations between known occurrences of species and environmental variables.
Species records Locations where a species has been observed and the latitude and longitude of the locations have been recorded on the Atlas of Living Australia or the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Species targeted for eradication Plant species that have been identified for national eradication. Extensive community engagement is used to survey and control these weeds. These weeds have been identified by the National Resource Management Ministerial Council's National Cost-Sharing Eradication programs [Targeted species resources]
WoNS shortlist (pre-2012) These species were short-listed as Weeds of National Significance under the National Weeds Strategy in 1999.
WoNS; Weeds of National Significance Weeds of National Significance (WoNS) are introduced plant species that have been identified under the National Weeds Strategy as invasive, based on their invasiveness, potential for spread and environmental, social and economic impacts [WoNS resources]
World's Worst Invasive Alien Species Plant species included in the list of 100 invasive species recognized as major global threats to biodiversity or human activities (link to URL needed here). The list is part of the Global Invasive Species Database published by the Invasive Species Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission [100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species]
WRA Weed risk assessment is a tool used to assess proposed plant species introductions to a new region for their risk of weediness.
WRM Weed risk management is a tool developed to assist weed managers to determine priorities for weed management.