Abstract: By integrating the data of alien plant species in Shaanxi Province, we analyzed the species composition, origination, and geographical distribution of alien plant species and the correlations between the number of invasive plant species and potential influencing factors (e.g., GDP). The results showed that there were 415 generalized alien plant species in Shaanxi Province, belonging to 68 families and 268 genera, including 132 invasive species and 283 noninvasive species. The habitat types with the highest occupation by alien plants were cropland and wasteland (accounting for 70% habitats). Alien species mainly came from Eurasia and America, with species originated from these two continents accounting for 29.23% and 28.83% of all the alien species in Shaanxi Province, respectively. The spatial distribution of alien species in the province was uneven, with more alien species in the south and less in the north. There were significantly positive correlations between the percentage of tertiary sector in GDP and the number of invasive plant species (R²=0.42, P=0.04), between GDP per capita per unit area and the proportion of invasive plants in all alien plants (R²=0.60, P=0.01), and between the GDP per capita per unit area and the number of invasive alien plants per unit area (R²=0.41, P=0.04). These results indicate that anthropogenic activities facilitate the introduction and invasion processes of alien plants. Our results suggest that the risk of introduction and invasion of alien plants in Shaanxi Province is unexpectedly high, and that it is critically needed to construct a biological prevention and control system for the invasion of alien plants.

Key words: alien plant, invasive plant, distribution pattern, human activity, Shaanxi Province.