The article explores how models predicting where invasive plants are present versus where they are abundant can help assess invasion risk. By comparing these models for four invasive plants in the Western United States, researchers found that they generally agreed on which areas and species were at higher risk. However, areas suitable for presence were often larger than areas suitable for abundance, especially in uninvaded areas. This suggests that models of abundance can improve risk assessment when invasive plants are concentrated in specific environmental conditions, but models of presence may be better for species that can thrive in a wide range of environments.