scholarly journals Congeneric invasive versus native plants utilize similar inorganic nitrogen forms but have disparate use efficiencies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong-Wei Yu ◽  
Wei-Ming He
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Allocation ◽  
Inorganic Nitrogen ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Composition Gradient ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Chlorophyll Contents ◽  
Growth Allocation ◽  
N Use

Abstract Aims Soil inorganic nitrogen (N) has long been recognized to play an important role in plant invasions. Whilst comparing the N use strategies of multiple invasive versus native plant congeners along an entire N gradient is key to understanding plant invasion success, there are few related studies. Methods We conducted a potted experiment with six invasive and native congeneric pairs, which were subjected to 11 nitrate/ammonium (NO3  -/NH4  +) ratios (i.e. 100% NO3  - at one end and 100% NH4  + at the other end), each with low and high N levels. Each species-N combination was replicated eight times, and thus there were 2112 pots in total. We measured the following traits: the total biomass, growth advantage, biomass allocation, leaf chlorophyll content, and low-N tolerance. Important Findings Invasive and native congeners grew well at any NO3  -/NH4  + ratios, and their responses of growth, allocation, and tolerance were approximately parallel along the 11 NO3  -/NH4  + ratios across two N levels. Plant invaders grew larger and had greater chlorophyll contents, higher root biomass allocation, and stronger low-N tolerance than their congeneric natives. These findings suggest that invasive and native plant congeners may utilize similar inorganic N forms (i.e. NO3  - and NH4  +) across an entire N composition gradient and that higher N use efficiencies could favor alien plants to invade new plant communities where congeneric natives are dominants.

scholarly journals Soil fauna may buffer the negative effects of drought on alien plant invasion

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huifei Jin ◽  
Liang Chang ◽  
Mark van Kleunen ◽  
Yanjie Liu
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Production ◽  
Plant Invasion ◽  
Soil Fauna ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Native Community ◽  
Alien Plant ◽  
Grassland Species ◽  
Effects Of Drought

Assessing how climate change affects the potential invasion risk of alien plants has garnered considerable interest in ecology. Although many studies have tested the direct effects of drought on alien plant invasion, less is known about how drought affects alien plant invasion indirectly via other groups of organisms such as soil fauna. To test for such indirect effects, we grew single plant of nine naturalized alien target species in pot mesocosms with a native community of five native grassland species under four combinations of two drought (well-watered vs drought) and two soil-fauna (with vs without) treatments. We found that drought decreased the absolute and the relative biomass production of the alien target plants, and thus reduced their invasion success in the native community. Inoculation with a soil fauna increased the biomass of the native plant community and thereby decreased the relative biomass production of the alien species. The increased invasion resistance due to soil fauna tended (p = 0.09) to be stronger for plants growing under well-watered conditions than under drought. Our multispecies experiment shows for the first time that soil fauna might help native resident communities to resist alien plant invasions, but that this effect might be diminished by drought.

scholarly journals Trait differences between and within ranges of an invasive legume species

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Hoffbeck ◽  
Casey P terHorst
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Allocation ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Flowering Phenology ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Stabilizing Selection ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Legume Species ◽  
Native Range ◽  
Invasive Range ◽  
Linear Relationships

Abstract Novel ecological interactions can drive natural selection in non-native species and trait evolution may increase the likelihood of invasion. We can gain insight into the potential role of evolution in invasion success by comparing traits of successful individuals in the invasive range with the traits of individuals from the native range in order to determine which traits are most likely to allow species to overcome barriers to invasion. Here we used Medicago polymorpha , a non-native legume species from the Mediterranean that has invaded six continents around the world, to quantify differences in life history traits among genotypes collected from the native and invasive range and grown in a common greenhouse environment. We found significant differences in fruit and seed production and biomass allocation between invasive and native range genotypes. Invasive genotypes had greater fecundity, but invested more energy into belowground growth relative to native genotypes. Beyond the variation between ranges, we found additional variation among genotypes within each range in flowering phenology, total biomass, biomass allocation, and fecundity. We found non-linear relationships between some traits and fitness that were much stronger for plants from the invasive range. These trait differences between ranges suggest that stabilizing selection on biomass, resource allocation, and flowering phenology imposed during or after introduction of this species may increase invasion success.

scholarly journals Success of native and invasive plant congeners depends on inorganic nitrogen compositions and levels

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi-Mei Geng ◽  
Wei-Ming He
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Inorganic Nitrogen ◽  
Invasion Success ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Species Origin ◽  
N Level ◽  
Plant Invaders ◽  
Similar Growth

Abstract Aims Successful plant invaders usually exhibit three strategies: Jack-of-all-trades (more robust in stressful sites), Master-of-some (more responsive in favorable sites), and Jack-and-master (both robustness and responsiveness). To revisit these strategies, we examined how soil inorganic nitrogen (N) compositions and levels influence the success of native and invasive plant congeners in the context of plant communities. Methods We conducted an experiment involving three fixed factors: species origin, N composition, and N level. Here we selected 21 plant species (eight pairs of invasive and native congeners and five non-congeneric natives) to assemble plant communities, which were subject to nine N environments consisting of three N compositions (3:1, 2:2, and 1:3 NO3  -/NH4  +) and three N levels (low, medium, and high N). We determined the following metrics: total biomass, relative biomass (a proxy of species success), mortality rate, and mortality time. Important Findings Across nine N environments, native and invasive congeners exhibited similar total biomass, relative biomass, and mortality time, but invaders had a marginally lower mortality rate than natives. Similar success between native and invasive congeners was linked to their similar growth and tolerance. N compositions influenced mortality time and N levels affected the total biomass and relative biomass. Importantly, species origin, N composition, and N level interactively affected the total biomass, relative biomass, and mortality time. These findings suggest that native and invasive plant congeners may be similarly successful across different N environments, and that inorganic N compositions and levels both contribute to plant invasion success.

scholarly journals Impacts of plant invasions in native plant‐pollinator networks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Víctor Parra‐Tabla ◽  
Gerardo Arceo‐Gómez
Keyword(s):  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Plant Pollinator

Biomass allocation in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) plants grown under partial rootzone drying: enhancement of root growth

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (10) ◽  
pp. 971 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren M. Mingo ◽  
Julian C. Theobald ◽  
Mark A. Bacon ◽  
William J. Davies ◽  
Ian C. Dodd
Keyword(s):  
Lycopersicon Esculentum ◽  
Root System ◽  
Biomass Allocation ◽  
Root Biomass ◽  
Leaf Water ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Split Root ◽  
Split Root System ◽  
Partial Rootzone Drying ◽  
And Control

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants were grown in either a glasshouse (GH) or a controlled environment cabinet (CEC) to assess the effects of partial rootzone drying (PRD) on biomass allocation. Control and PRD plants received the same amounts of water. In control plants, water was equally distributed between two compartments of a split-root system. In PRD plants, only one compartment was watered while the other was allowed to dry. At the end of each drying cycle, wet and dry compartments were alternated. In the GH, total biomass did not differ between PRD and control plants after four cycles of PRD, but PRD increased root biomass by 55% as resources were partitioned away from shoot organs. In the CEC, leaf water potential did not differ between treatments at the end of either of two cycles of PRD, but stomatal conductance of PRD plants was 20% less at the end of the first cycle than at the beginning. After two cycles of PRD in the CEC, biomass did not differ between PRD and control plants, but PRD increased root biomass by 19% over the control plants. The promotion of root biomass in PRD plants was associated with the alternation of wet and dry compartments, with increased root biomass occurring in the re-watered compartment after previous exposure to soil drying. Promotion of root biomass in field-grown PRD plants may allow the root system to access resources (water and nutrients) that would otherwise be unavailable to control plants. This may contribute to the ability of PRD plants to maintain similar leaf water potentials to conventionally irrigated plants, even when smaller irrigation volumes are supplied.

scholarly journals Análisis de crecimiento de tres especies de Caesalpinia (Leguminosae) de la selva baja caducifolia de Chamela, Jalisco

2017 ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Rincón ◽  
Pilar Huante ◽  
Mariana Álvarez-Añorve
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Biomass Allocation ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Growth Period ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Tropical Deciduous Forest ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Allocation Pattern ◽  
Location Patterns ◽  
Net Assimilation

The objective of this study is to assess the biomass allocation pattern s and growth characteristics of three species of Caesalpinia (Leguminosae) from the highly diverse and seasonal Chamela tropical deciduous forest , where the plant growth period is restricted to the rainy season. The studied species, although they are phylogenetically related, presented different biomass al location patterns and RGR during growth, in order to carry out a differential exploitation of resources and to promote their coexistence. There were differences in relative growth rate (RGR), root to shoot ratio (R/ S), net assimilation rate (E), biomass allocation patterns and total biomass and leaf area attained among the studied species. Caesalpinia eriostachys and C. platyloba showed similar growth patterns between them but contrasting with those of C. sclerocarpa. This suggests a temporal uncuopling of their maximum resource demand. RGR was determined to a greater extent by parameters related with E than by parameters related with the specific leaf area (SLA).

Springs ecosystems: vulnerable ecological islands where environmental conditions, life history traits, and human disturbance facilitate non-native plant invasions

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 2963-2981 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kayleigh G. Nielson ◽  
Karen M. Gill ◽  
Abraham E. Springer ◽  
Jeri D. Ledbetter ◽  
Lawrence E. Stevens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Human Disturbance ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Native Plant

scholarly journals Hiking trails as conduits for the spread of non-native species in mountain areas

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1121-1134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Liedtke ◽  
Agustina Barros ◽  
Franz Essl ◽  
Jonas J. Lembrechts ◽  
Ronja E. M. Wedegärtner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Control Plant ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Central Chile ◽  
Hiking Trails ◽  
Local Plant ◽  
Southern Central ◽  
Recreational Use

AbstractRoadsides are major pathways of plant invasions in mountain regions. However, the increasing importance of tourism may also turn hiking trails into conduits of non-native plant spread to remote mountain landscapes. Here, we evaluated the importance of such trails for plant invasion in five protected mountain areas of southern central Chile. We therefore sampled native and non-native species along 17 trails and in the adjacent undisturbed vegetation. We analyzed whether the number and cover of non-native species in local plant assemblages is related to distance to trail and a number of additional variables that characterize the abiotic and biotic environment as well as the usage of the trail. We found that non-native species at higher elevations are a subset of the lowland source pool and that their number and cover decreases with increasing elevation and with distance to trails, although this latter variable only explained 4–8% of the variation in the data. In addition, non-native richness and cover were positively correlated with signs of livestock presence but negatively with the presence of intact forest vegetation. These results suggest that, at least in the region studied, hiking trails have indeed fostered non-native species spread to higher elevations, although less efficiently than roadsides. As a corollary, appropriate planning and management of trails could become increasingly important to control plant invasions into mountains in a world which is warming and where visitation and recreational use of mountainous areas is expected to increase.

scholarly journals Biochar Application in Combination with Inorganic Nitrogen Improves Maize Grain Yield, Nitrogen Uptake, and Use Efficiency in Temperate Soils

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1241
Author(s):  
Peter Omara ◽  
Lawrence Aula ◽  
Fikayo B. Oyebiyi ◽  
Elizabeth M. Eickhoff ◽  
Jonathan Carpenter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Inorganic Nitrogen ◽  
Block Design ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
Significant Response ◽  
Silty Clay ◽  
Temperate Soils ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
N Use

Biochar (B) has shown promise in improving crop productivity. However, its interaction with inorganic nitrogen (N) in temperate soils is not well-studied. The objective of this paper was to compare the effect of fertilizer N-biochar-combinations (NBC) and N fertilizer (NF) on maize (Zea mays L.) grain yield, N uptake, and N use efficiency (NUE). Trials were conducted in 2018 and 2019 at Efaw and Lake Carl Blackwell (LCB) in Oklahoma, USA. A randomized complete block design with three replications and ten treatments consisting of 50, 100, and 150 kg N ha−1 and 5, 10, and 15 Mg B ha−1 was used. At LCB, yield, N uptake, and NUE under NBC increased by 25%, 28%, and 46%, respectively compared to NF. At Efaw, yield, N uptake, and NUE decreased under NBC by 5%, 7%, and 19%, respectively, compared to NF. Generally, results showed a significant response to NBC at ≥10 Mg B ha−1. While results were inconsistent across locations, the significant response to NBC was evident at LCB with sandy loam soil but not Efaw with silty clay loam. Biochar application with inorganic N could improve N use and the yield of maize cultivated on sandy soils with poor physical and chemical properties.

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