Testing Darwin’s Naturalization Hypothesis using Generalized Linear Models

Naturalization is the process of introduction and establishment of an exotic or nonnative species. Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis states that if a nonnative plant species is introduced into an environment with few native congeners, the nonnative species will have a greater chance of being naturalized. To test this hypothesis we compiled a Kentucky plant database containing approximately 800 species and selected particular traits of the plants to fit models to determine what affected the probability of successful naturalization. To analyze the database the statistical program R was administered using a generalized linear model. Results of our analyses will be discussed