Effects of the invasive alien plant Lupinus polyphyllus on the plant communities in road verges of high nature value

The aim of this publication was to explore the effects of the invasive alien plant Lupinus polyphyllus on the plant communities in road verges of high nature value (artrika vägkanter). The linked data was collected in 24 road verges, half of which were located in the county of Uppland. The other half were located in the counties of Värmland and Örebro. The 24 road verges were selected from the Swedish National Road Database (NVDB). In these sites, two types of 1 × 1 m plots were established. The first type was placed such that the dominating species was the invasive L. polyphyllus, and the second was placed as close as possible to the first one but such that the invasive was absent. This was done to ensure that the plant communities were as similar as possible before invasion. A plant inventory, including density and identity, of all plant species except for the true grasses (Poaceae) in the plots was performed. The litter depth was also recorded. The study is a part of the research program TRIIAS (https://triekol.se/triiasOpens in a new tab).