Exotic invasive plant accumulates native soil pathogens which inhibit native plants

Since honeybees (Apis mellifera) were introduced to North America in the 1600’s, their influence has been profound and widespread. As pollinators, honeybees are extremely valuable economically and are vital to crop pollination. However, their presence has affected native ecosystems, including the plains ecosystem in Colorado. Using recruitment and other unique foraging characteristics, honeybees may be out-competing native pollinators for nectar and pollen resources. Our study was designed to determine if A. mellifera has a preference for exotic or native plants. We observed patches of exotic plants and patches of native plants and recorded the type of bee (exotic or native) that visited each flowering head. We also examined data from Kearns and Oliveras (unpublished), which illustrates that invasive plant species are also popular with native bees, and may draw vital pollinators away from native plants. Our results indicate that honeybees prefer to visit exotic invasive plant species to native plants. Consequently, honeybees may contribute to the spread of exotic plant species and the decline of native plant species, reducing biodiversity. Thus, native plants are doubly jeopardized. The invasion of exotic flora and fauna into native ecosystems on the plains of Colorado is part of a worldwide phenomenon of species invasion, and researchers must continue to investigate interspecies relationships to minimize the potential negative effects of invasive species.

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Biomass structure of exotic invasive plant Galinsona parviflora

Frontiers of Biology in China ◽

10.1007/s11515-008-0051-9 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 328-331

Author(s):

Shuyan Qi ◽

Wenduo Xu ◽

Yan Wen

Keyword(s):

Invasive Plant ◽

Biomass Structure ◽

Exotic Invasive

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Effects of warming and nitrogen on above- and below-ground herbivory of an exotic invasive plant and its native congener

Biological Invasions ◽

10.1007/s10530-015-0918-z ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 17 (10) ◽

pp. 2881-2892 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Xinmin Lu ◽

Evan Siemann ◽

Hui Wei ◽

Xu Shao ◽

Jianqing Ding

Keyword(s):

Invasive Plant ◽

Exotic Invasive ◽

Below Ground

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The exotic invasive plant Vincetoxicum rossicum is a strong competitor even outside its current realized climatic temperature range

NeoBiota ◽

10.3897/neobiota.16.4012 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 16 ◽

pp. 1-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Pedro Antunes ◽

Laurа Sanderson

Keyword(s):

Invasive Plant ◽

Temperature Range ◽

Climatic Temperature ◽

Vincetoxicum Rossicum ◽

Exotic Invasive

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Developing minimal-input techniques for invasive plant management: perimeter treatments enlarge native grass patches

Invasive Plant Science and Management ◽

10.1017/inp.2020.9 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 108-113

Author(s):

Scott R. Abella ◽

Lindsay P. Chiquoine ◽

Jeremy M. Moss ◽

Eric D. Lassance ◽

Charles D. Schelz

Keyword(s):

Native Species ◽

Invasive Plant ◽

Native Plants ◽

Perennial Grass ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Plant Management ◽

Native Grasses ◽

Native Grass ◽

Invasive Plant Management ◽

Wide Ring

AbstractThere is a continual need for invasive plant science to develop approaches for cost-effectively benefiting native over nonnative species in dynamic management and biophysical contexts, including within predominantly nonnative plant landscapes containing only small patches of native plants. Our objective was to test the effectiveness of a minimal-input strategy for enlarging native species patches within a nonnative plant matrix. In Pecos National Historical Park, New Mexico, USA, we identified 40 native perennial grass patches within a matrix of the nonnative annual forb kochia [Bassia scoparia (L.) A.J. Scott]. We mechanically cut B. scoparia in a 2-m-wide ring surrounding the perimeters of half the native grass patches (with the other half as uncut controls) and measured change in native grass patch size (relative to pretreatment) for 3 yr. Native grass patches around which B. scoparia was cut grew quickly the first posttreatment year and by the third year had increased in size four times more than control patches. Treated native grass patches expanded by an average of 25 m2, from 4 m2 in October 2015 before treatment to 29 m2 in October 2018. The experiment occurred during a dry period, conditions that should favor B. scoparia and contraction of the native grasses, suggesting that the observed increase in native grasses occurred despite suboptimal climatic conditions. Strategically treating around native patches to enlarge them over time showed promise as a minimal-input technique for increasing the proportion of the landscape dominated by native plants.

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The influence of warming and biotic interactions on the potential for range expansion of native and nonnative species

AoB Plants ◽

10.1093/aobpla/plaa040 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

Author(s):

Betsy von Holle ◽

Sören E Weber ◽

David M Nickerson

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Range Expansion ◽

Species Interactions ◽

Native Species ◽

Invasive Plant ◽

Soil Microbes ◽

Enemy Release ◽

Native Plant ◽

Soil Pathogens ◽

Microbe Interactions

Abstract Plant species ranges are expected to shift in response to climate change, however, it is unclear how species interactions will affect range shifts. Because of the potential for enemy release of invasive nonnative plant species from species-specific soil pathogens, invasive plants may be able to shift ranges more readily than native plant species. Additionally, changing climatic conditions may alter soil microbial functioning, affecting plant–microbe interactions. We evaluated the effects of site, plant–soil microbe interactions, altered climate, and their interactions on the growth and germination of three congeneric shrub species, two native to southern and central Florida (Eugenia foetida and E. axillaris), and one nonnative invasive from south America (E. uniflora). We measured germination and biomass for these plant species in growth chambers grown under live and sterile soils from two sites within their current range, and one site in their expected range, simulating current (2010) and predicted future (2050) spring growing season temperatures in the new range. Soil microbes (microscopic bacteria, fungi, viruses and other organisms) had a net negative effect on the invasive plant, E. uniflora, across all sites and temperature treatments. This negative response to soil microbes suggests that E. uniflora’s invasive success and potential for range expansion are due to other contributing factors, e.g. higher germination and growth relative to native Eugenia. The effect of soil microbes on the native species depended on the geographic provenance of the microbes, and this may influence range expansion of these native species.

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A Canadian range extension for Wormslug (Boettgerilla pallens; Gastropoda: Stylommatophora: Boettgerillidae)

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v132i3.1993 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 132 (3) ◽

pp. 264-267

Author(s):

Paul M. Catling ◽

Brenda Kostiuk

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

North America ◽

Acer Saccharum ◽

Sugar Maple ◽

Native Plants ◽

Soil Surface ◽

Eastern United States ◽

Native Soil ◽

Invasive Spread ◽

First Time

The introduced Wormslug (Boettgerilla pallens Simroth, 1912) is reported from Quebec, Canada, for the first time, from two closely situated localities in Gatineau Park. It was previously reported from the Vancouver area of British Columbia and, very recently, from Newfoundland. Within the Americas, the species has been reported from northern California, Mexico, and Colombia, and, because it is easily overlooked, likely occurs elsewhere in North America, especially in the eastern United States. In Quebec, it was found in a natural Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum Marshall) woodland and an ornamental garden. Wormslug likely reached both sites with shrub plantings from commercial nurseries, probably quite recently, because the invasive spread of the species, worldwide, has occurred mostly during the last few decades. Although the woodland where it occurred is dominated by native plants, the gastropod fauna there is mainly introduced. Identification, characteristics, and ecology of Wormslug are discussed. The potential for impact on native soil and soil surface organisms, including native terrestrial slugs and snails, is noted.

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