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Huang R, Oduor AMO, Yan Y, Yu W, Chao C, Dong L, Jin S, Li F. Nutrient enrichment, propagule pressure, and herbivory interactively influence the competitive ability of an invasive alien macrophyte Myriophyllum aquaticum. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1411767. [PMID: 38872881 PMCID: PMC11169793 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1411767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
Introduction Freshwater ecosystems are susceptible to invasion by alien macrophytes due to their connectivity and various plant dispersal vectors. These ecosystems often experience anthropogenic nutrient enrichment, favouring invasive species that efficiently exploit these resources. Propagule pressure (reflecting the quantity of introduced individuals) and habitat invasibility are key determinants of invasion success. Moreover, the enemy release hypothesis predicts that escape from natural enemies, such as herbivores, allows alien species to invest more resources to growth and reproduction rather than defense, enhancing their invasive potential. Yet, the combined impact of propagule pressure, herbivory, and nutrient enrichment on the competitive dynamics between invasive alien macrophytes and native macrophyte communities is not well understood due to a paucity of studies. Methods We conducted a full factorial mesocosm experiment to explore the individual and combined effects of herbivory, nutrient levels, propagule pressure, and competition on the invasion success of the alien macrophyte Myriophyllum aquaticum into a native macrophyte community comprising Vallisneria natans, Hydrilla verticillata, and Myriophyllum spicatum. This setup included varying M. aquaticum densities (low vs. high, simulating low and high propagule pressures), two levels of herbivory by the native snail Lymnaea stagnalis (herbivory vs no-herbivory), and two nutrient conditions (low vs. high). Myriophyllum aquaticum was also grown separately at both densities without competition from native macrophytes. Results The invasive alien macrophyte M. aquaticum produced the highest shoot and total biomass when simultaneously subjected to conditions of high-density intraspecific competition, no herbivory, and low-nutrient availability treatments. Moreover, a high propagule pressure of M. aquaticum significantly reduced the growth of the native macrophyte community in nutrient-rich conditions, but this effect was not observed in nutrient-poor conditions. Discussion These findings indicate that M. aquaticum has adaptive traits enabling it to flourish in the absence of herbivory (supporting the enemy release hypothesis) and in challenging environments such as intense intraspecific competition and low nutrient availability. Additionally, the findings demonstrate that when present in large numbers, M. aquaticum can significantly inhibit the growth of native macrophyte communities, particularly in nutrient-rich environments. Consequently, reducing the propagule pressure of M. aquaticum could help control its spread and mitigate its ecological impact. Overall, these findings emphasize that the growth and impacts of invasive alien plants can vary across different habitat conditions and is shaped by the interplay of biotic and abiotic factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ru Huang
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
- National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station of Dongting Lake Wetland Ecosystem in Hunan Province, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ayub M. O. Oduor
- Department of Applied Biology, Technical University of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Yimin Yan
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
- National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station of Dongting Lake Wetland Ecosystem in Hunan Province, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Weicheng Yu
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
- National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station of Dongting Lake Wetland Ecosystem in Hunan Province, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Chuanxin Chao
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
- National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station of Dongting Lake Wetland Ecosystem in Hunan Province, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Lei Dong
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
- National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station of Dongting Lake Wetland Ecosystem in Hunan Province, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Shaofei Jin
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
- National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station of Dongting Lake Wetland Ecosystem in Hunan Province, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Department of Geography and Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Feng Li
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
- National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station of Dongting Lake Wetland Ecosystem in Hunan Province, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Technology Innovation Center for Ecological Conservation and Restoration in Dongting Lake Basin, Ministry of Natural Resources, Changsha, Hunan, China
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Ievinsh G. Halophytic Clonal Plant Species: Important Functional Aspects for Existence in Heterogeneous Saline Habitats. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:1728. [PMID: 37111952 PMCID: PMC10144567 DOI: 10.3390/plants12081728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Plant modularity-related traits are important ecological determinants of vegetation composition, dynamics, and resilience. While simple changes in plant biomass resulting from salt treatments are usually considered a sufficient indicator for resistance vs. susceptibility to salinity, plants with a clonal growth pattern show complex responses to changes in environmental conditions. Due to physiological integration, clonal plants often have adaptive advantages in highly heterogeneous or disturbed habitats. Although halophytes native to various heterogeneous habitats have been extensively studied, no special attention has been paid to the peculiarities of salt tolerance mechanisms of clonal halophytes. Therefore, the aim of the present review is to identify probable and possible halophytic plant species belonging to different types of clonal growth and to analyze available scientific information on responses to salinity in these species. Examples, including halophytes with different types of clonal growth, will be analyzed, such as based on differences in the degree of physiological integration, ramet persistence, rate of clonal expansion, salinity-induced clonality, etc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gederts Ievinsh
- Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Latvia, 1 Jelgavas Str., LV-1004 Rīga, Latvia
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Yu DW, Duan SJ, Zhang XC, Yin DQ, Wang SJ, Chen JS, Lei NF. Effects of nutrient supply on leaf stoichiometry and relative growth rate of three stoloniferous alien plants. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0278656. [PMID: 36459510 PMCID: PMC9718409 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Different nutrient supply brings about changes in leaf stoichiometry, which may affect growth rate and primary production of plants. Invasion of alien plants is a severe threat to biodiversity and ecosystem worldwide. A pot experiment was conducted by using three stoloniferous alien plants Wedelia trilobata, Alternanther philoxeroides and Hydrocotyle vulgaris to investigate effects of nutrient supply on their leaf stoichiometry and relative growth rate. Different nitrogen or phosphorus supply was applied in the experiment (N1:1 mmol L-1, N2:4 mmol L-1, and N3:8 mmol L-1, P1:0.15 mmol L-1, P2:0.6 mmol L-1 and P3:1.2 mmol L-1). Nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in leaves of the three alien plants significantly increased with increase of nitrogen supply. With increase of phosphorus supply, nitrogen or phosphorus concentration of leaf was complex among the three alien plants. N:P ratio in leaf of the three alien plants subjected to different levels of nutrient supply was various. A positive correlation between relative growth rate and N:P ratio of the leaf is observed in W. trilobata and A. philoxeroides suffering from N-limitation. A similar pattern was not observed in Hydrocotyle vulgaris. We tentatively concluded that correlations between relative growth rate and N: P ratio of the leaf could be affected by species as well as nutrient supply. It is suggested that human activities, invasive history, local abundance of species et al maybe play an important role in the invasion of alien plants as well as relative growth rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Wei Yu
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Su-Juan Duan
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiao- Chao Zhang
- College of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, China
| | - Da-Qiu Yin
- China Huaneng Group Co., Ltd, Beijing, China
| | | | - Jin-Song Chen
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
- * E-mail: (J-SC); (N-FL)
| | - Ning-Fei Lei
- College of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, China
- * E-mail: (J-SC); (N-FL)
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Uddin MN, Robinson RW, Asaeda T. Nitrogen immobilization may reduce invasibility of nutrient enriched plant community invaded by Phragmites australis. Sci Rep 2020; 10:1601. [PMID: 32005878 PMCID: PMC6994487 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-58523-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Nutrient enrichment, particularly nitrogen, is an important determinant of plant community productivity, diversity and invasibility in a wetland ecosystem. It may contribute to increasing colonization and dominance of invasive species, such as Phragmites australis, especially during wetland restoration. Providing native species a competitive advantage over invasive species, manipulating soil nutrients (nitrogen) may be an effective strategy to control the invasive species and that management tool is essential to restore the degraded ecosystems. Therefore, we examined competition between Phragmites australis and Melaleuca ericifolia in a greenhouse setting with activated carbon (AC) treatments, followed by cutting of Phragmites shoots in nutrient-rich soils. Additionally, we evaluated the effect of AC on plant-free microcosms in the laboratory, to differentiate direct effects of AC on soil microbial functions from indirect effects. Overall, the objective was to test whether lowering nitrogen might be an effective approach for reducing Phragmites invasion in the wetland. The AC reduced Phragmites total biomass more significantly in repeated cut regime (57%) of Phragmites shoots compared to uncut regime (39%). Conversely, it increased Melaleuca total biomass by 41% and 68% in uncut and repeated cut regimes, respectively. Additionally, AC decreased more total nitrogen in above-ground biomass (41 to 55%) and non-structural carbohydrate in rhizome (21 to 65%) of Phragmites, and less total nitrogen reduction in above-ground biomass (25 to 24%) of Melaleuca in repeated cut compared to uncut regime. The significant negative correlation between Phragmites and Melaleuca total biomass was observed, and noticed that Phragmites acquired less biomass comparatively than Melaleuca in AC-untreated versus AC-treated pots across the cutting frequency. AC also caused significant changes to microbial community functions across Phragmites populations, namely nitrogen mineralization, nitrification, nitrogen microbial biomass and dehydrogenase activity (P ≤ 0.05) that may potentially explain changes in plant growth competition between Phragmites and Melaleuca. The overall effects on plant growth, however, may be partially microbially mediated, which was demonstrated through soil microbial functions. Results support the idea that reducing community vulnerability to invasion through nutrient (nitrogen) manipulations by AC with reducing biomass of invasive species may provide an effective strategy for invasive species management and ecosystem restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Nazim Uddin
- Institute for Sustainable Industries & Liveable Cities, College of Engineering & Science, Victoria University, Melbourne, Victoria, 8001, Australia.
- Department of Environmental Science & Technology, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-Ku, Saitama, 338-8570, Japan.
| | - Randall William Robinson
- Institute for Sustainable Industries & Liveable Cities, College of Engineering & Science, Victoria University, Melbourne, Victoria, 8001, Australia
| | - Takashi Asaeda
- Department of Environmental Science & Technology, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-Ku, Saitama, 338-8570, Japan
- Institute for Studies of the Global Environment, Sophia University, 7-1 Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, 102-8554, Japan
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Xiao T, Yu H, Song YB, Jiang YP, Zeng B, Dong M. Nutrient enhancement of allelopathic effects of exotic invasive on native plant species. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0206165. [PMID: 30673697 PMCID: PMC6343864 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Many ecosystems may suffer from both nutrient enrichment and exotic plant invasions simultaneously. Much has been known that nutrient inputs can promote growth and expansion of exotic invasive plants in wetlands, and that allelopathic effects of the exotic invasive plants can inhibit the growth of coexisting native plants, contributing to their invasion success. Thus, we hypothesized that allelopathic effects of exotics on natives in invaded ecosystems can be enhanced by nutrient enrichment. To test this hypothesis, we conducted two greenhouse hydroponic experiments. One is the monoculture experiment in which a widespread exotic invasive perennial Alternanthera philoxeroides and a native perennial Ludwigia peploides subsp. stipulacea in monoculture were subjected to five levels of nutrient supply. The other is the mixture experiment in which the two species in mixture were subjected to five levels of nutrient supply, each with and without activated carbon addition. Both A. philoxeroides and L. peploides grew better under higher level of nutrient availability in monoculture experiment. In the mixture experiment, A. philoxeroides formed less total and root biomass while L. peploides formed more in response to activated carbon addition and all of the responses had larger degree at higher level of nutrient availability, indicating A. philoxeroides had significant allelopathic effects on L. peploides and the effects was significantly enhanced by nutrient enrichment. Such results support our hypothesis and reveal a novel mechanism for exotic plant invasion in eutrophicated and invaded wetlands, i.e. nutrient enhancement of allelopathic effects of exotics on natives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), Chongqing Key Laboratory of Plant Ecology and Resources in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Hangzhou City for Ecosystem Protection and Restoration, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hua Yu
- Key Laboratory of Hangzhou City for Ecosystem Protection and Restoration, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yao-Bin Song
- Key Laboratory of Hangzhou City for Ecosystem Protection and Restoration, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yue-Ping Jiang
- Hangzhou Xixi National Wetland Park Research Center for Ecological Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Bo Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), Chongqing Key Laboratory of Plant Ecology and Resources in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- * E-mail: (BJ); (MD)
| | - Ming Dong
- Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), Chongqing Key Laboratory of Plant Ecology and Resources in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Hangzhou City for Ecosystem Protection and Restoration, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
- * E-mail: (BJ); (MD)
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