1
|
Suding KN, Collins CG, Hallett LM, Larios L, Brigham LM, Dudney J, Farrer EC, Larson JE, Shackelford N, Spasojevic MJ. Biodiversity in changing environments: An external-driver internal-topology framework to guide intervention. Ecology 2024; 105:e4322. [PMID: 39014865 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
Accompanying the climate crisis is the more enigmatic biodiversity crisis. Rapid reorganization of biodiversity due to global environmental change has defied prediction and tested the basic tenets of conservation and restoration. Conceptual and practical innovation is needed to support decision making in the face of these unprecedented shifts. Critical questions include: How can we generalize biodiversity change at the community level? When are systems able to reorganize and maintain integrity, and when does abiotic change result in collapse or restructuring? How does this understanding provide a template to guide when and how to intervene in conservation and restoration? To this end, we frame changes in community organization as the modulation of external abiotic drivers on the internal topology of species interactions, using plant-plant interactions in terrestrial communities as a starting point. We then explore how this framing can help translate available data on species abundance and trait distributions to corresponding decisions in management. Given the expectation that community response and reorganization are highly complex, the external-driver internal-topology (EDIT) framework offers a way to capture general patterns of biodiversity that can help guide resilience and adaptation in changing environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katharine N Suding
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Courtney G Collins
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
- Biodiversity Research Centre, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Lauren M Hallett
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
- Department of Biology and Environmental Studies Program, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Loralee Larios
- Department of Botany & Plant Sciences, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Laurel M Brigham
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Joan Dudney
- Environmental Studies Program, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Emily C Farrer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Julie E Larson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
- USDA Agricultural Research Service, Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, Burns, Oregon, USA
| | - Nancy Shackelford
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
- School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Marko J Spasojevic
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Sun Y, Ren ZK, Müller-Schärer H, Callaway RM, van Kleunen M, Huang W. Increasing and fluctuating resource availability enhances invasional meltdown. Ecology 2024:e4387. [PMID: 39016245 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
Exotic plant invaders can promote others via direct or indirect facilitation, known as "invasional meltdown." Increased soil nutrients can also promote invaders by increasing their competitive impacts, but how this might affect meltdown is unknown. In a mesocosm experiment, we evaluated how eight exotic plant species and eight Eurasian native species responded individually to increasing densities of the invasive plant Conyza canadensis, while varying the supply and fluctuations of nutrients. We found that increasing density of C. canadensis intensified competitive suppression of natives but intensified facilitation of other exotics. Higher and fluctuating nutrients exacerbated the competitive effects on natives and facilitative effects on exotics. Overall, these results show a pronounced advantage of exotics over native target species with increased relative density of C. canadensis under high nutrient availability and fluctuation. We integrate these results with the observation that exotic species commonly drive increases in soil resources to suggest the Resource-driven Invasional Meltdown and Inhibition of Natives hypothesis in which biotic acceleration of resource availability promotes other exotic species over native species, leading to invasional meltdown.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yan Sun
- College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhi-Kun Ren
- College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Heinz Müller-Schärer
- College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Ragan M Callaway
- Division of Biological Sciences and Wildlife Biology, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA
| | - Mark van Kleunen
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation, Taizhou University, Taizhou, China
| | - Wei Huang
- Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Wang X, Guo X, Ding W, Du N, Guo W, Pang J. Precipitation pattern alters the effects of nitrogen deposition on the growth of alien species Robinia pseudoacacia. Heliyon 2023; 9:e21822. [PMID: 38034734 PMCID: PMC10685202 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Aims Nitrogen (N) supply and precipitation pattern (amount and frequency) both affect plant growth. However, N deposition is increasing and precipitation regimes are changing in the context of global change. An experiment was conducted to access how the growth of Robinia pseudoacacia, a widely distributed and cultivated N2-fixing alien species, is affected by both the pattern of precipitation and N supplies. Methods Seedlings were grown in a glasshouse at four different N levels combined with different precipitation regimes, including three precipitation amounts, and two precipitation frequencies. After treatment for 75 days, plant height, biomass allocation, leaf and soil nutrient concentrations were measured. Results Plants under high precipitation frequency had greater biomass compared with plants lower precipitation frequency, despite receiving the same amount of precipitation. Higher N supply reduced biomass allocation to nodules. Under low precipitation level, nodule growth and N2 fixation of R. pseudoacacia was more inhibited by high N deposition compared with plants under higher precipitation level. Even slightly N deposition under higher precipitation inhibited N2 fixation but it was insufficient to meet the N needs of the plants. Conclusions Even at low levels, N deposition might inhibit N2 fixation of plants but low N in soil cannot meet the N requirements of plants, and caused N2 fixation limitation in plants during seedling stage. There was likely a transition from N2 fixation to acquisition of N from soil directly with root when N supply was increased.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Wang
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Gonglu, Qingdao, 266237, China
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, 6009, Australia
- The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, 6009, Australia
| | - Xiao Guo
- College of Landscape Architecture and Forestry, Qingdao Agricultural University, 700 Changcheng Road, Qingdao, 266109, China
| | - Wenli Ding
- School of Grassland Sciences, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Ning Du
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Gonglu, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Weihua Guo
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Gonglu, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Jiayin Pang
- The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, 6009, Australia
- School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, 6009, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Song G, Hui R, Yang H, Wang B, Li X. Biocrusts mediate the plant community composition of dryland restoration ecosystems. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 844:157135. [PMID: 35809721 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Degradation and expansion are current threats associated with drylands. During natural or artificial restoration, dryland ecosystems tend to contain a unique community, namely, biocrusts. Studies have shown that biocrusts serve multiple functions and have the potential to accelerate or inhibit degradation. However, the mechanisms by which biocrusts mediate dryland plant community structure and composition remain largely unknown. In this study, we performed a series of pot experiments under greenhouse conditions at three disturbance levels (strong, moderate and no disturbance) and at three rainfall gradients (- 50 %, normal, + 50 %) for different biocrust types. Our objective was to examine how biocrusts influence the introduction and establishment of different functional forms of plant species during the different succession stages of dryland recovery. Our results showed that biocrusts have significantly different effects on the seed germination and survival of the tested plant species. Although strong disturbances to the biocrusts and increasing rainfall alleviated the inhibitory effects of biocrusts on the perennial herb (S. glareosa) and subshrub (C. latens) species, these factors could only promote the temporary survival of these two plants in the revegetated area. These results indicate that biocrusts in revegetated systems play important sieving functions during plant species establishment. Additionally, the survival of S. viridis, a plant species with small seeds adapted to the current habitat, was promoted in the community, but two plant species that are currently unsuitable, S. glareosa and C. latens, were filtered out by the biocrusts. Our conclusions suggest that biocrusts play an ecological filtering role in plant species introduction and establishment in revegetated ecosystems and demonstrate the scientific significance of biocrusts in maintaining the health and stability of dryland ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guang Song
- Shapotou Desert Research and Experimental Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions of Gansu Province, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Rong Hui
- Shapotou Desert Research and Experimental Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions of Gansu Province, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Haotian Yang
- Shapotou Desert Research and Experimental Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions of Gansu Province, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Bingyao Wang
- Shapotou Desert Research and Experimental Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions of Gansu Province, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Xinrong Li
- Shapotou Desert Research and Experimental Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions of Gansu Province, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Kharivha T, Ruwanza S, Thondhlana G. Effects of Elevated Temperature and High and Low Rainfall on the Germination and Growth of the Invasive Alien Plant Acacia mearnsii. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:2633. [PMID: 36235501 PMCID: PMC9571736 DOI: 10.3390/plants11192633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The impact of climate change on the germination and growth of invasive alien plants varies depending on the plant species and invasion process. We experimentally assessed the responses of the invasive alien plant Acacia mearnsii to future climate change scenarios-namely, elevated temperature as well as high and low rainfall. Acacia mearnsii was grown at an elevated air temperature (+2 °C), high rainfall (6 mm per day), and low rainfall (1.5 mm per day), and its germination and growth performance were measured over five months. We further examined changes in soil nutrients to assess if the above-mentioned climate change scenarios affected soils. Both elevated temperature and high rainfall did not influence A. mearnsii germination and seedling growth. In contrast, we observed reductions in A. mearnsii germination and growth in the low rainfall treatment, an indication that future drought conditions might negatively affect A. mearnsii invasion. We noted that elevated temperature and rainfall resulted in varied effects on soil properties (particularly soil C, N, Ca, and Mg content). We conclude that both elevated temperature and high rainfall may not enhance A. mearnsii invasion through altering germination and growth, but a decrease in A. mearnsii invasiveness is possible under low rainfall conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tshililo Kharivha
- Department of Environmental Science, Rhodes University, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
- Department of Environmental Science and Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Rhodes University, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
| | - Sheunesu Ruwanza
- Department of Environmental Science, Rhodes University, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
- Department of Environmental Science and Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Rhodes University, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
| | - Gladman Thondhlana
- Department of Environmental Science, Rhodes University, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Wang A, Baskin CC, Baskin JM, Ding J. Seed position in spikelet as a contributing factor to the success of the winter annual invasive grass Aegilops tauschii. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:916451. [PMID: 35991416 PMCID: PMC9390215 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.916451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Seed position - dependent effects on seed dormancy/germination are well documented at the inflorescence/infructescence level, but less is known about seeds at different positions within a dispersal unit. For the invasive winter annual grass Aegilops tauschii, we quantified morphology, mass and dormancy/germination of seeds from basal (1), middle (2), and distal (3) positions in two spikelet types (Left and Right). We also investigated seedling emergence, survival, plant size and seed production of plants from seeds in different spikelet positions of two spikelet types under different soil nutrient and water conditions. We found that these seed, seedling and plant traits performed as mirror images between the Left and Right spikelet types. The middle seed was significantly the longest and had the maximum mass, while the basal seed was the shortest and had medium mass. Middle seeds had the highest increase in mass during imbibition and the highest germination percentages and rates, while basal seeds had the lowest. Seedling emergence and survival, plant size and seed production for each position of seeds were highest in the added fertilizer combined with regular watering treatment and lowest in the no fertilizer combined with natural moisture, while height of plants derived from the middle and the distal seeds was significantly higher than that of plants derived from the basal seeds under all soil nutrient and water conditions. Seedling survival, number of tillers per plant and seed production per plant from the middle and distal seeds were significantly lower than those from basal seeds under all soil nutrient and water treatments. The considerable variation in seedling emergence and survival, plant size and seed production between seeds in different positions in the spikelet results in much flexibility in all stages of the life cycle, thereby likely contributing to the invasiveness of A. tauschii.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- AiBo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Carol C. Baskin
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - Jerry M. Baskin
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - Jianqing Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
LaForgia ML, Kang H, Ettinger CL. Invasive Grass Dominance over Native Forbs Is Linked to Shifts in the Bacterial Rhizosphere Microbiome. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2022; 84:496-508. [PMID: 34505915 PMCID: PMC9436828 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-021-01853-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Rhizosphere microbiomes have received growing attention in recent years for their role in plant health, stress tolerance, soil nutrition, and invasion. Still, relatively little is known about how these microbial communities are altered under plant competition, and even less about whether these shifts are tied to competitive outcomes between native and invasive plants. We investigated the structure and diversity of rhizosphere bacterial and fungal microbiomes of native annual forbs and invasive annual grasses grown in a shade-house both individually and in competition using high-throughput amplicon sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and the fungal ITS region. We assessed how differentially abundant microbial families correlate to plant biomass under competition. We find that bacterial diversity and structure differ between native forbs and invasive grasses, but fungal diversity and structure do not. Furthermore, bacterial community structures under competition are distinct from individual bacterial community structures. We also identified five bacterial families that varied in normalized abundance between treatments and that were correlated with plant biomass under competition. We speculate that invasive grass dominance over these natives may be partially due to effects on the rhizosphere community, with changes in specific bacterial families potentially benefiting invaders at the expense of natives.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marina L LaForgia
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Hannah Kang
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Cassandra L Ettinger
- Genome Center, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
- Microbiology & Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Khan N, Ullah R, Alamri SS, Alwasel YA, AL-Hashimi A, Abdel-Maksoud MA, Okla MK, AbdElgawad H. Environment-Driven Changes in the Functional Traits of Milk Thistle [ Silybum marianum (L). Gaertn.] Along an Altitudinal Gradient in the Semi-Arid Environment: Perspective on Future Plant Invasion. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:897678. [PMID: 35832234 PMCID: PMC9271949 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.897678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The elevation is an important gradient across which the environmental variables and plant traits vary and is considered as a barrier to the recent global problem of plant invasion. However, certain invasive plants show plasticity traits to adapt and cope with the changes across the elevation. Silybum marianum (S. marianum) is one such invasive species widely spread in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Therefore, this study investigates the traits plasticity and invasive behaviors of this plant species across the elevation gradient. Plant functional traits (PFTs) and environmental variables were recorded in forty different low, middle, and high elevation sites. The plant shows a decrease in plant functional traits, i.e., above-ground plant height/plant, leaf length/leaf, leaf width/leaf, leaf dry weight/plant, vegetative dry weight/plant, and number of capitula/plant having the significance of p < 0.05. In contrast, the dry reproductive weight does not change significantly with elevation, while the root length increases across the elevation. The soil and environmental variables such as organic matter, lime percentage, and latitude significantly affected the PFTs. The importance value index of the species was also related to elevation and diversity indices, i.e., species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, and evenness index, indicating that the invasion has strong effects on diversity. This study concludes that S. marianum has traits plasticity across the elevation and affects community diversity. Further investigation is required to understand the invasion and diversity parameters in a better way.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nasrullah Khan
- Department of Botany, University of Malakand, Chakdara, Pakistan
| | - Rafi Ullah
- Department of Botany, University of Malakand, Chakdara, Pakistan
| | - Saud S. Alamri
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yasmeen A. Alwasel
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulrahman AL-Hashimi
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mostafa A. Abdel-Maksoud
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammad K. Okla
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hamada AbdElgawad
- Laboratory for Molecular Plant Physiology and Biotechnology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Slate ML, Matallana-Mejia N, Aromin A, Callaway RM. Nitrogen addition, but not pulse frequency, shifts competitive interactions in favor of exotic invasive plant species. Biol Invasions 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-022-02833-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
10
|
Ullah R, Khan N, Ali K. Which factor explains the life-history of Xanthium strumarium L., an aggressive alien invasive plant species, along its altitudinal gradient? PLANT DIRECT 2022; 6:e375. [PMID: 35028495 PMCID: PMC8743363 DOI: 10.1002/pld3.375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Invasive biology acknowledges the concept of better performance by invasive plants in the introduced range. Xanthium strumarium L. is one of the successful invasive species in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The phenological pattern, vegetative and reproductive traits plasticity analysis of the species was explored to explain the invasive success across the altitudinal gradient in the current invaded habitats. Phenological patterns and timing (seedling, vegetative growth, flowering and fruiting, drying, and seed bank) were observed during a full year for two seasons. We also examine plant functional traits at altitudes of 500, 1000, and 1500 m a.s.l. to assess traits and biomass variations. The X. strumarium exhibits late vegetative and reproductive phenology at higher altitudes, enabling them to occupy an empty niche and benefit from decreased competition for resource acquisition. The lower altitude plants show a higher growth rate (stem size increase, number of leaves, and leaf area) due to the higher nutrient availability. Higher altitude plants have the highest reproductive biomass and biomass ratio revealing plant abilities to be reproductively adapted in the higher altitudes. Among climatic variables, mean yearly temperature, mean annual yearly humidity, and mean day length in hours, while in soil variables, organic matter and nitrogen percentage significantly affect the phenological and morphological stages. Therefore, we conclude that X. strumarium can invade higher altitudes with a shift in its phenological and morphological changes making the invasion process successful.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rafi Ullah
- Department of BotanyUniversity of MalakandChakdaraPakistan
| | - Nasrullah Khan
- Department of BotanyUniversity of MalakandChakdaraPakistan
| | - Kishwar Ali
- School of General EducationCollege of the North Atlantic – QatarDohaQatar
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Zhang B, Yuan Y, Shu L, Grosholz E, Guo Y, Hastings A, Cuda JP, Zhang J, Zhai L, Qiu J. Scaling up experimental stress responses of grass invasion to predictions of continental-level range suitability. Ecology 2021; 102:e03417. [PMID: 34043815 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how the biological invasion is driven by environmental factors will improve model prediction and advance early detection, especially in the context of accelerating anthropogenic ecological changes. Although a large body of studies has examined how favorable environments promote biological invasions, a more comprehensive and mechanistic understanding of invasive species response to unfavorable/stressful conditions is still developing. Grass invasion has been problematic across the globe; in particular, C4 grass invaders, with high drought tolerance, adaptations to high temperatures, and high water use efficiency, could become more severe. Here, we conducted a rigorous microcosm experiment, with one of the most damaging invasive C4 grass, cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica), to explore how cogongrass responds to soil water and nutrient stress. We further integrated the results of the microcosm study with a species distribution model to (1) corroborate greenhouse results with field observations and (2) validate the robustness of our findings at subcontinental scales. Both the microcosm experiments and species distribution model agreed that soil water stress had a stronger impact on cogongrass than the nutrient one. New vegetative growth of cogongrass continued to be inhibited by the prior water stress. The significant water effect on cogongrass total biomass was supported by the finding that both allometric and biochemical traits of cogongrass did not show significant responses to the changes in water treatment. Different to the conventional wisdom that nutrient enrichment plays a bigger role in facilitating biological invasions, this study highlighted the possibility that water conditions may have a more substantial effect on some aggressive invaders. Therefore, an important implication of this study on biological conservation is that field managers might take advantage of the negative effect of global drought on some invasive species to increase the efficiency of their controlling efforts because invasive species may become more vulnerable under drought effect.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bo Zhang
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, 008C Agriculture Hall, Stillwater, Oklahoma, 74078, USA.,Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, California, 95616, USA
| | - Yingdan Yuan
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological Restoration, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Longpan Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210037, China.,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, No. 88, Daxue South Road, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225127, China
| | - Lele Shu
- Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China.,Key Laboratory of Land Surface Process and Climate Change in Cold and Arid Regions, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Donggang West Road, Lanzhou, Guansu, 730000, China
| | - Edwin Grosholz
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, California, 95616, USA
| | - Yuxi Guo
- School of Forest Resources and Conservation, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 3205 College Avenue, Davie, Florida, 33314, USA
| | - Alan Hastings
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, California, 95616, USA.,Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87501, USA
| | - James P Cuda
- Entomology & Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA
| | - Jinchi Zhang
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological Restoration, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Longpan Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210037, China
| | - Lu Zhai
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, 008C Agriculture Hall, Stillwater, Oklahoma, 74078, USA
| | - Jiangxiao Qiu
- School of Forest Resources and Conservation, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 3205 College Avenue, Davie, Florida, 33314, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Zhang J, Shen X, Mu B, Shi Y, Yang Y, Wu X, Mu C, Wang J. Moderately prolonged dry intervals between precipitation events promote production in Leymus chinensis in a semi-arid grassland of Northeast China. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2021; 21:147. [PMID: 33743593 PMCID: PMC7981859 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-021-02920-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Climate change is predicted to lead to changes in the amount and distribution of precipitation during the growing seasonal. This "repackaging" of rainfall could be particularly important for grassland productivity. Here, we designed a two-factor full factorial experiment (three levels of precipitation amount and six levels of dry intervals) to investigate the effect of precipitation patterns on biomass production in Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel. (a dominant species in the Eastern Eurasian Steppe). RESULTS Our results showed that increased amounts of rainfall with prolonged dry intervals promoted biomass production in L. chinensis by increasing soil moisture, except for the longest dry interval (21 days). However, prolonged dry intervals with increased amount of precipitation per event decreased the available soil nitrogen content, especially the soil NO3--N content. For small with more frequent rainfall events pattern, L. chinensis biomass decreased due to smaller plant size (plant height) and fewer ramets. Under large quantities of rain falling during a few events, the reduction in biomass was not only affected by decreasing plant individual size and lower ramet number but also by withering of aboveground parts, which resulted from both lower soil water content and lower NO3--N content. CONCLUSION Our study suggests that prolonged dry intervals between rainfall combined with large precipitation events will dramatically change grassland productivity in the future. For certain combinations of prolonged dry intervals and increased amounts of intervening rainfall, semi-arid grassland productivity may improve. However, this rainfall pattern may accelerate the loss of available soil nitrogen. Under extremely prolonged dry intervals, the periods between precipitation events exceeded the soil moisture recharge interval, the available soil moisture became fully depleted, and plant growth ceased. This implies that changes in the seasonal distribution of rainfall due to climate change could have a major impact on grassland productivity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jinwei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, P.R. China
| | - Xiangjin Shen
- Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130102, P.R. China
| | - Bifan Mu
- School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, P.R. China
| | - Yujie Shi
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, P.R. China
| | - Yuheng Yang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, P.R. China
| | - Xuefeng Wu
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, P.R. China
| | - Chunsheng Mu
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, P.R. China.
| | - Junfeng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, P.R. China.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
The role of competition on invader colonization along stress gradients in the Fuegian steppe. Oecologia 2021; 195:1031-1040. [PMID: 33710449 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04894-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/07/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Competition exerted by native plant communities is an important component of biotic resistance against the spread and impact of non-indigenous plant species in novel habitats. However, how the role of biotic resistance varies along environmental gradients to delay invasions is less clear. We conducted two field experiments to determine how competition from native communities affects colonization of a recognized invader of grasslands, Hieracium pilosella L., in the Fuegian steppe along different environmental gradients at regional and landscape scale. We assessed the role of competition on invader survival and growth along a climate gradient at regional scale (4.7-6.6 °C and 270-450 mm year-1), and across four major plant communities (i.e. meadows, grasslands, scrublands, and heathlands) along a topographic catena. At regional scale, the climate gradient showed a 33% reduction in H. pilosella survival at the coldest and wettest extreme, while reduced its biomass in 41% at the warmest and driest site, in the opposite extreme of the gradient. Competition caused a 34% decrease of the invader biomass, similarly along the climate gradient. At landscape scale, the topographic gradient had a stronger effect on invader survival reaching a 67% reduction in lowland meadows due to flooding events, while competition reduced in 29-39% the invader biomass only in grasslands or scrublands with negligible effects on low-resource heathlands. These results suggest that biotic resistance plays a significant and similar role along the climate gradient to delay invasion at regional scale, but at landscape scale is only determinant for rich-resource communities in absence of abiotic stresses.
Collapse
|
14
|
Devegili AM, Lescano MN, Gianoli E, Farji-Brener AG. Evidence of indirect biotic resistance: native ants decrease invasive plant fitness by enhancing aphid infestation. Oecologia 2021; 196:607-618. [PMID: 33616724 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04874-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The biotic resistance hypothesis asserts that native species may hinder the invasion of exotic species, which can occur either directly or indirectly by influencing interactions between exotic and local species. Aphid-tending ants may play a key role in the indirect biotic resistance to plant invasion. Ants may protect aphids, thus increasing their negative effect on exotic plants, but may also deter chewing herbivores, thus benefiting exotic plants. We studied native aphid-tending ants (Dorymyrmex tener, Camponotus distinguendus, and Dorymyrmex richteri) on exotic nodding thistles (Carduus thoermeri), which are attacked by thistle aphids (Brachycaudus cardui) and thistle-head weevils (Rhinocyllus conicus). We evaluated the impact of ants, aphids, and weevils on thistle seed set. We compared ant species aggressiveness towards aphid predators and weevils and performed ant-exclusion experiments to determine the effects of ants on aphid predators and weevils. We analysed whether ant species affected thistle seed set through their effects on aphids and/or weevils. The ant D. tener showed the most aggressive behaviour towards aphid predators and weevils. Further, D. tener successfully removed aphid predators from thistles but did not affect weevils. Excluding D. tener from thistles increased seed set. Analyses supported a negative indirect pathway between the aggressive D. tener and thistle seed set through aphid populations, while the other ant species showed no indirect effects on thistle reproduction. Therefore, aggressive aphid-tending ants may enhance biotic resistance by increasing aphid infestation on exotic invasive plants. This study highlights the importance of indirect biotic resistance in modulating the success of invasive species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrés M Devegili
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Hormigas (LIHO), Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA (CONICET-UNComa), Pasaje Gutiérrez 1125, C.P: 8400, S.C. de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina.
| | - María N Lescano
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Hormigas (LIHO), Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA (CONICET-UNComa), Pasaje Gutiérrez 1125, C.P: 8400, S.C. de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Ernesto Gianoli
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, Chile.,Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Alejandro G Farji-Brener
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Hormigas (LIHO), Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA (CONICET-UNComa), Pasaje Gutiérrez 1125, C.P: 8400, S.C. de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Gravuer K, Eskelinen A, Winbourne JB, Harrison SP. Vulnerability and resistance in the spatial heterogeneity of soil microbial communities under resource additions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:7263-7270. [PMID: 32165545 PMCID: PMC7132273 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1908117117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Spatial heterogeneity in composition and function enables ecosystems to supply diverse services. For soil microbes and the ecosystem functions they catalyze, whether such heterogeneity can be maintained in the face of altered resource inputs is uncertain. In a 50-ha northern California grassland with a mosaic of plant communities generated by different soil types, we tested how spatial variability in microbial composition and function changed in response to nutrient and water addition. Fungal composition lost some of its spatial variability in response to nutrient addition, driven by decreases in mutualistic fungi and increases in antagonistic fungi that were strongest on the least fertile soils, where mutualists were initially most frequent and antagonists initially least frequent. Bacterial and archaeal community composition showed little change in their spatial variability with resource addition. Microbial functions related to nitrogen cycling showed increased spatial variability under nutrient, and sometimes water, additions, driven in part by accelerated nitrification on the initially more-fertile soils. Under anthropogenic changes such as eutrophication and altered rainfall, these findings illustrate the potential for significant changes in ecosystem-level spatial heterogeneity of microbial functions and communities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Gravuer
- Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616;
| | - Anu Eskelinen
- Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Physiological Diversity, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Joy B Winbourne
- Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
- Department of Earth & Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215
| | - Susan P Harrison
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Campoy JG, Roiloa SR, Santiso X, Retuerto R. Ecophysiological differentiation between two invasive species of Carpobrotus competing under different nutrient conditions. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2019; 106:1454-1465. [PMID: 31658373 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Hybridization between the South African invasive species Carpobrotus edulis and C. acinaciformis in Europe has led to the formation of highly aggressive morphotypes referred to in the scientific literature as the new large "hybrid swarm" C. aff. acinaciformis. In the present study, we aimed to determine whether the taxonomic differentiation between taxa coincides with ecophysiological differentiation. With this aim, we tested for differences between both morphotypes in functional traits related to competitive ability and resource-use efficiency. Assuming that the complex hybrid C. aff. acinaciformis is more vigorous, depends more strongly on vegetative reproduction, and invests less in sexual reproduction than C. edulis, we predicted that the hybrid would show higher competitive ability and better physiological performance compared with the species. METHODS We used a comparative ecophysiological approach to assess the extent to which two Carpobrotus morphotypes coexisting in northwestern Spain differ in physiological, reproductive, and growth traits when competing under different soil nutrients in controlled greenhouse conditions. RESULTS C. aff. acinaciformis had a greater relative growth rate and water-use and photochemical efficiencies compared to C. edulis. However, C. edulis appeared to be more responsive to incremental change in soil nutrients than C. aff. acinaciformis. They also differed in the amount of resources invested in reproduction. CONCLUSIONS The study findings demonstrate that the taxonomic differentiation between taxa corresponds to ecophysiological differentiation, warranting a detailed examination of all existing trades-offs to predict the long-term outcomes of the interaction between these taxa.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Josefina G Campoy
- Department of Functional Biology, Area of Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Sergio R Roiloa
- BioCost Group, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universidade da Coruña, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Xabier Santiso
- Department of Functional Biology, Area of Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Rubén Retuerto
- Department of Functional Biology, Area of Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Laine AM, Mäkiranta P, Laiho R, Mehtätalo L, Penttilä T, Korrensalo A, Minkkinen K, Fritze H, Tuittila ES. Warming impacts on boreal fen CO 2 exchange under wet and dry conditions. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2019; 25:1995-2008. [PMID: 30854735 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Revised: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Northern peatlands form a major soil carbon (C) stock. With climate change, peatland C mineralization is expected to increase, which in turn would accelerate climate change. A particularity of peatlands is the importance of soil aeration, which regulates peatland functioning and likely modulates the responses to warming climate. Our aim is to assess the impacts of warming on a southern boreal and a sub-arctic sedge fen carbon dioxide (CO2 ) exchange under two plausible water table regimes: wet and moderately dry. We focused this study on minerotrophic treeless sedge fens, as they are common peatland types at boreal and (sub)arctic areas, which are expected to face the highest rates of climate warming. In addition, fens are expected to respond to environmental changes faster than the nutrient poor bogs. Our study confirmed that CO2 exchange is more strongly affected by drying than warming. Experimental water level draw-down (WLD) significantly increased gross photosynthesis and ecosystem respiration. Warming alone had insignificant impacts on the CO2 exchange components, but when combined with WLD it further increased ecosystem respiration. In the southern fen, CO2 uptake decreased due to WLD, which was amplified by warming, while at northern fen it remained stable. As a conclusion, our results suggest that a very small difference in the WLD may be decisive, whether the C sink of a fen decreases, or whether the system is able to adapt within its regime and maintain its functions. Moreover, the water table has a role in determining how much the increased temperature impacts the CO2 exchange.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Laine
- School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | | | - Raija Laiho
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Lauri Mehtätalo
- School of Computing, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Timo Penttilä
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Aino Korrensalo
- School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Kari Minkkinen
- Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Hannu Fritze
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Helsinki, Finland
| | | |
Collapse
|
18
|
Braasch J, Barker BS, Dlugosch KM. Expansion history and environmental suitability shape effective population size in a plant invasion. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:2546-2558. [PMID: 30993767 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The margins of an expanding range are predicted to be challenging environments for adaptation. Marginal populations should often experience low effective population sizes (Ne ) where genetic drift is high due to demographic expansion and/or census population size is low due to unfavourable environmental conditions. Nevertheless, invasive species demonstrate increasing evidence of rapid evolution and potential adaptation to novel environments encountered during colonization, calling into question whether significant reductions in Ne are realized during range expansions in nature. Here we report one of the first empirical tests of the joint effects of expansion dynamics and environment on effective population size variation during invasive range expansion. We estimate contemporary values of Ne using rates of linkage disequilibrium among genome-wide markers within introduced populations of the highly invasive plant Centaurea solstitialis (yellow starthistle) in North America (California, USA), and within native Eurasian populations. As predicted, we find that Ne within the invaded range is positively correlated with both expansion history (time since founding) and habitat quality (abiotic climate). History and climate had independent additive effects with similar effect sizes, indicating an important role for both factors in this invasion. These results support theoretical expectations for the population genetics of range expansion, though whether these processes can ultimately arrest the spread of an invasive species remains an unanswered question.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Braasch
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Brittany S Barker
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.,Integrated Plant Protection Center and Department of Horticulture, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
| | - Katrina M Dlugosch
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Grass invasion and drought interact to alter the diversity and structure of native plant communities. Ecology 2018; 99:2692-2702. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Revised: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
|
20
|
Gill RA, O'Connor RC, Rhodes A, Bishop TBB, Laughlin DC, St Clair SB. Niche opportunities for invasive annual plants in dryland ecosystems are controlled by disturbance, trophic interactions, and rainfall. Oecologia 2018; 187:755-765. [PMID: 29736861 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4137-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Resource availability and biotic interactions control opportunities for the establishment and expansion of invasive species. Studies on biotic resistance to plant invasions have typically focused on competition and occasionally on herbivory, while resource-oriented studies have focused on water or nutrient pulses. Through synthesizing these approaches, we identify conditions that create invasion opportunities. In a nested fully factorial experiment, we examined how chronic alterations in water availability and rodent density influenced the density of invasive species in both the Mojave Desert and the Great Basin Desert after fire. We used structural equation modeling to examine the direct and mediated effects controlling the density of invasives in both deserts. In the first 2 years after our controlled burn in the Great Basin, we observed that fire had a direct effect on increasing the invasive forb Halogeton glomeratus as well as a mediated effect through reducing rodent densities and herbivory. 4 years after the burn, the invasive annual grass Bromus tectorum was suppressing Halogeton glomeratus in mammal exclusion plots. There was a clear transition from years where invasives were controlled by disturbance and trophic interactions to years were resource availability and competition controlled invasive density. Similarly, in the Mojave Desert we observed a strong early influence of trophic processes on invasives, with Schismus arabicus benefitted by rodents and Bromus rubens negatively influenced by rodents. In the Mojave Desert, post-fire conditions became less important in controlling the abundance of invasives over time, while Bromus rubens was consistently benefitted by increases in fall rainfall.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Gill
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA.
| | - Rory C O'Connor
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA.,Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA
| | - Aaron Rhodes
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
| | - Tara B B Bishop
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
| | - Daniel C Laughlin
- Environmental Research Institute and School of Science, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand
| | - Samuel B St Clair
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Liu XA, Peng Y, Li JJ, Peng PH. Enhanced shoot investment makes invasive plants exhibit growth advantages in high nitrogen conditions. BRAZ J BIOL 2018. [PMID: 29538482 DOI: 10.1590/1519-6984.169578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Resource amendments commonly promote plant invasions, raising concerns over the potential consequences of nitrogen (N) deposition; however, it is unclear whether invaders will benefit from N deposition more than natives. Growth is among the most fundamental inherent traits of plants and thus good invaders may have superior growth advantages in response to resource amendments. We compared the growth and allocation between invasive and native plants in different N regimes including controls (ambient N concentrations). We found that invasive plants always grew much larger than native plants in varying N conditions, regardless of growth- or phylogeny-based analyses, and that the former allocated more biomass to shoots than the latter. Although N addition enhanced the growth of invasive plants, this enhancement did not increase with increasing N addition. Across invasive and native species, changes in shoot biomass allocation were positively correlated with changes in whole-plant biomass; and the slope of this relationship was greater in invasive plants than native plants. These findings suggest that enhanced shoot investment makes invasive plants retain a growth advantage in high N conditions relative to natives, and also highlight that future N deposition may increase the risks of plant invasions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- X A Liu
- Ecological Resources and Landscape Research Institute, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, CHN, China
| | - Y Peng
- Ecological Resources and Landscape Research Institute, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, CHN, China
| | - J J Li
- Ecological Resources and Landscape Research Institute, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, CHN, China
| | - P H Peng
- Ecological Resources and Landscape Research Institute, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, CHN, China
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Song G, Li X, Hui R. Biological soil crusts determine the germination and growth of two exotic plants. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:9441-9450. [PMID: 29187980 PMCID: PMC5696392 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2017] [Revised: 08/23/2017] [Accepted: 09/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In arid and semiarid ecosystems, the potential threats of exotic invasive species are enhanced due to increasing human activities. Biological soil crusts (BSCs), acting as arid ecosystem engineers, may play an important role in preventing the establishment of exotic invasive plants. Our goal was to examine whether BSCs could inhibit the establishment of probable exotic plant species originating from adjacent grasslands located along the southeast edge of the Tengger Desert. In our study, we investigated the effects of three BSC types (cyanobacteria, lichen, and moss crusts) under two disturbance conditions (intact and disturbed) on the establishment of two exotic plant species (Ceratoides latens and Setaria viridis) using indoor experiments. We found both negative and positive effects of BSCs on the establishment of the two exotic plant species. Compared with the disturbed BSCs, the germination percentages of C. latens and S. viridis were reduced by 54% to 87% and 89% to 93%, respectively, in intact BSCs. In contrast, BSCs significantly promoted the height growth and aboveground biomass of the two exotic plant species (p < .05) by enhancing the soil water and nutrient availability for the exotic plants. Our results confirm that BSCs strongly suppress the rapid expansion of exotic plant populations by inhibiting germination of seed with big size or appendages and have a weak inhibitory effect on exotic plant with small and smooth seeds. This may decrease the threat of propagation of exotic species. In the meantime, BSCs promote the growth of a few successful engraftment seedlings, which increased the beta diversity. Our work suggests that better understanding the two opposing effects of BSCs on the establishment of exotic plant species in different growth stages (germination and growth) is important for maintaining the health and stability of revegetated regions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guang Song
- Shapotou Desert Research and Experimental Station Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Science Lanzhou China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Xinrong Li
- Shapotou Desert Research and Experimental Station Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Science Lanzhou China
| | - Rong Hui
- Shapotou Desert Research and Experimental Station Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Science Lanzhou China
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Driscoll DA, Strong C. Covariation of soil nutrients drives occurrence of exotic and native plant species. J Appl Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Don A. Driscoll
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Centre for Integrative Ecology; Deakin University Geelong; Melbourne Vic. Australia
| | - Craig Strong
- The Fenner School of Environment & Society; The Australian National University; Canberra ACT Australia
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Bennett JA, Riibak K, Kook E, Reier Ü, Tamme R, Guillermo Bueno C, Pärtel M. Species pools, community completeness and invasion: disentangling diversity effects on the establishment of native and alien species. Ecol Lett 2017; 19:1496-1505. [PMID: 27882703 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2016] [Revised: 08/28/2016] [Accepted: 10/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Invasion should decline with species richness, yet the relationship is inconsistent. Species richness, however, is a product of species pool size and biotic filtering. Invasion may increase with richness if large species pools represent weaker environmental filters. Measuring species pool size and the proportion realised locally (completeness) may clarify diversity-invasion relationships by separating environmental and biotic effects, especially if species' life-history stage and origin are accounted for. To test these relationships, we added seeds and transplants of 15 native and alien species into 29 grasslands. Species pool size and completeness explained more variation in invasion than richness alone. Although results varied between native and alien species, seed establishment and biotic resistance to transplants increased with species pool size, whereas transplant growth and biotic resistance to seeds increased with completeness. Consequently, species pools and completeness represent multiple independent processes affecting invasion; accounting for these processes improves our understanding of invasion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan A Bennett
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, EE-51005, Estonia.,Department of Biology, University of British Columbia - Okanagan Campus, Kelowna, British Columbia, V1V 1V, Canada
| | - Kersti Riibak
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, EE-51005, Estonia
| | - Ene Kook
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, EE-51005, Estonia
| | - Ülle Reier
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, EE-51005, Estonia
| | - Riin Tamme
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, EE-51005, Estonia.,Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - C Guillermo Bueno
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, EE-51005, Estonia
| | - Meelis Pärtel
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, EE-51005, Estonia
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Gravuer K, Eskelinen A. Nutrient and Rainfall Additions Shift Phylogenetically Estimated Traits of Soil Microbial Communities. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:1271. [PMID: 28744266 PMCID: PMC5504382 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Accepted: 06/23/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbial traits related to ecological responses and functions could provide a common currency facilitating synthesis and prediction; however, such traits are difficult to measure directly for all taxa in environmental samples. Past efforts to estimate trait values based on phylogenetic relationships have not always distinguished between traits with high and low phylogenetic conservatism, limiting reliability, especially in poorly known environments, such as soil. Using updated reference trees and phylogenetic relationships, we estimated two phylogenetically conserved traits hypothesized to be ecologically important from DNA sequences of the 16S rRNA gene from soil bacterial and archaeal communities. We sampled these communities from an environmental change experiment in California grassland applying factorial addition of late-season precipitation and soil nutrients to multiple soil types for 3 years prior to sampling. Estimated traits were rRNA gene copy number, which contributes to how rapidly a microbe can respond to an increase in resources and may be related to its maximum growth rate, and genome size, which suggests the breadth of environmental and substrate conditions in which a microbe can thrive. Nutrient addition increased community-weighted mean estimated rRNA gene copy number and marginally increased estimated genome size, whereas precipitation addition decreased these community means for both estimated traits. The effects of both treatments on both traits were associated with soil properties, such as ammonium, available phosphorus, and pH. Estimated trait responses within several phyla were opposite to the community mean response, indicating that microbial responses, although largely consistent among soil types, were not uniform across the tree of life. Our results show that phylogenetic estimation of microbial traits can provide insight into how microbial ecological strategies interact with environmental changes. The method could easily be applied to any of the thousands of existing 16S rRNA sequence data sets and offers potential to improve our understanding of how microbial communities mediate ecosystem function responses to global changes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Gravuer
- Graduate Group in Ecology, Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, DavisDavis, CA, United States
| | - Anu Eskelinen
- Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research-UFZLeipzig, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-LeipzigLeipzig, Germany.,Department of Ecology, University of OuluOulu, Finland.,Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, DavisDavis, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Eskelinen A, Kaarlejärvi E, Olofsson J. Herbivory and nutrient limitation protect warming tundra from lowland species' invasion and diversity loss. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2017; 23:245-255. [PMID: 27343482 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2016] [Accepted: 05/27/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Herbivory and nutrient limitation can increase the resistance of temperature-limited systems to invasions under climate warming. We imported seeds of lowland species to tundra under factorial treatments of warming, fertilization, herbivore exclusion and biomass removal. We show that warming alone had little impact on lowland species, while exclusion of native herbivores and relaxation of nutrient limitation greatly benefitted them. In contrast, warming alone benefitted resident tundra species and increased species richness; however, these were canceled by negative effects of herbivore exclusion and fertilization. Dominance of lowland species was associated with low cover of tundra species and resulted in decreased species richness. Our results highlight the critical role of biotic and abiotic filters unrelated to temperature in protecting tundra under warmer climate. While scarcity of soil nutrients and native herbivores act as important agents of resistance to invasions by lowland species, they concurrently promote overall species coexistence. However, when these biotic and abiotic resistances are relaxed, invasion of lowland species can lead to decreased abundance of resident tundra species and diminished diversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anu Eskelinen
- Department of Ecology, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 3000, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland
- Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elina Kaarlejärvi
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Umeå University, SE-90187, Umeå, Sweden
- Plant Biology and Nature Management, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Johan Olofsson
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Umeå University, SE-90187, Umeå, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Kimball S, Funk JL, Spasojevic MJ, Suding KN, Parker S, Goulden ML. Can functional traits predict plant community response to global change? Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Kimball
- Center for Environmental Biology University of California Irvine California 92697 USA
| | - Jennifer L. Funk
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences Chapman University Orange California 92866 USA
| | - Marko J. Spasojevic
- Department of Biology and Tyson Research Center Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis Missouri 63130 USA
| | - Katharine N. Suding
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Colorado Boulder Colorado 80303 USA
| | - Scot Parker
- Department of Earth System Science University of California Irvine California 92697 USA
| | - Michael L. Goulden
- Department of Earth System Science University of California Irvine California 92697 USA
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Virtanen R, Eskelinen A, Harrison S. Comparing the responses of bryophytes and short‐statured vascular plants to climate shifts and eutrophication. Funct Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Risto Virtanen
- Department of Ecology University of Oulu PO Box 3000 FI‐90014 Oulu Finland
- Department of Physiological Diversity Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research – UFZ Permoserstr. 15 Leipzig04318 Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Deutscher Platz 5e LeipzigD‐04103 Germany
| | - Anu Eskelinen
- Department of Ecology University of Oulu PO Box 3000 FI‐90014 Oulu Finland
- Department of Physiological Diversity Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research – UFZ Permoserstr. 15 Leipzig04318 Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Deutscher Platz 5e LeipzigD‐04103 Germany
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy University of California One Shields Avenue Davis CA95616 USA
| | - Susan Harrison
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy University of California One Shields Avenue Davis CA95616 USA
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Lu X, Siemann E, He M, Wei H, Shao X, Ding J. Warming benefits a native species competing with an invasive congener in the presence of a biocontrol beetle. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2016; 211:1371-1381. [PMID: 27094757 DOI: 10.1111/nph.13976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Accepted: 03/17/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Climate warming may affect biological invasions by altering competition between native and non-native species, but these effects may depend on biotic interactions. In field surveys at 33 sites in China along a latitudinal and temperature gradient from 21°N to 30.5°N and a 2-yr field experiment at 30.5°N, we tested the role of the biocontrol beetle Agasicles hygrophila in mediating warming effects on competition between the invasive plant Alternanthera philoxeroides and the native plant Alternanthera sessilis. In surveys, native populations were perennial below 25.8°N but only annual populations were found above 26.5°N where the invader dominated the community. Beetles were present throughout the gradient. Experimental warming (+ 1.8°C) increased native plant performance directly by shifting its lifecycle from annual to perennial, and indirectly by releasing the native from competition via disproportionate increases in herbivory on the invader. Consequently, warming shifted the plant community from invader-dominated to native-dominated but only in the presence of the beetle. Our results show that herbivores can play a critical role in determining warming effects on plant communities and species invasions. Understanding how biotic interactions shape responses of communities to climate change is crucial for predicting the risk of plant invasions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xinmin Lu
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Wetland Evolution & Ecological Restoration, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China
| | - Evan Siemann
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA
| | - Minyan He
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Wetland Evolution & Ecological Restoration, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China
| | - Hui Wei
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China
| | - Xu Shao
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China
| | - Jianqing Ding
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Wetland Evolution & Ecological Restoration, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Blumenthal DM, Kray JA, Ortmans W, Ziska LH, Pendall E. Cheatgrass is favored by warming but not CO2 enrichment in a semi-arid grassland. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2016; 22:3026-3038. [PMID: 27090757 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2015] [Accepted: 01/25/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Elevated CO2 and warming may alter terrestrial ecosystems by promoting invasive plants with strong community and ecosystem impacts. Invasive plant responses to elevated CO2 and warming are difficult to predict, however, because of the many mechanisms involved, including modification of phenology, physiology, and cycling of nitrogen and water. Understanding the relative and interactive importance of these processes requires multifactor experiments under realistic field conditions. Here, we test how free-air CO2 enrichment (to 600 ppmv) and infrared warming (+1.5 °C day/3 °C night) influence a functionally and phenologically distinct invasive plant in semi-arid mixed-grass prairie. Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass), a fast-growing Eurasian winter annual grass, increases fire frequency and reduces biological diversity across millions of hectares in western North America. Across 2 years, we found that warming more than tripled B. tectorum biomass and seed production, due to a combination of increased recruitment and increased growth. These results were observed with and without competition from native species, under wet and dry conditions (corresponding with tenfold differences in B. tectorum biomass), and despite the fact that warming reduced soil water. In contrast, elevated CO2 had little effect on B. tectorum invasion or soil water, while reducing soil and plant nitrogen (N). We conclude that (1) warming may expand B. tectorum's phenological niche, allowing it to more successfully colonize the extensive, invasion-resistant northern mixed-grass prairie, and (2) in ecosystems where elevated CO2 decreases N availability, CO2 may have limited effects on B. tectorum and other nitrophilic invasive species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dana M Blumenthal
- Rangeland Resources Research Unit, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Julie A Kray
- Rangeland Resources Research Unit, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - William Ortmans
- Biodiversity and Landscape Unit, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liege, Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Lewis H Ziska
- Crop Systems and Global Change Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, USA
| | - Elise Pendall
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
- Department of Botany & Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Zhang Y, Dong S, Gao Q, Liu S, Zhou H, Ganjurjav H, Wang X. Climate change and human activities altered the diversity and composition of soil microbial community in alpine grasslands of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 562:353-363. [PMID: 27100015 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2016] [Revised: 03/25/2016] [Accepted: 03/28/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Alpine ecosystems are known to be sensitive to climate change and human disturbances. However, the knowledge about the changes of their underground microbial communities is inadequate. We explored the diversity and structure of soil bacterial and fungal communities using Ilumina MiSeq sequencing in native alpine grasslands (i.e. the alpine meadow, alpine steppe) and cultivated grassland of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) under three-year treatments of overgrazing, warming and enhanced rainfall. Enhanced rainfall rather than warming significantly reduced soil microbial diversity in native alpine grasslands. Variable warming significantly reduced it in the cultivated grassland. Over 20% and 40% variations of microbial diversity could be explained by soil nutrients and moisture in the alpine meadow and cultivated grassland, separately. Soil microbial communities could be clustered into different groups according to different treatments in the alpine meadow and cultivated grassland. For the alpine steppe, with the lowest soil nutrients and moistures, <10% variations of microbial diversity was explained by soil properties; and the soil microbial communities among different treatments were similar. The soil microbial community in the cultivated grassland was varied from it in native grasslands. Over 50% variations of soil microbial communities among different treatments were explained by soil nutrients and moisture in each grassland type. Our results suggest that climate change and human activities strongly affected soil microbial communities by changing soil nutrients and moistures in alpine grassland ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Shikui Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-3001, USA.
| | - Qingzhu Gao
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
| | - Shiliang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Huakun Zhou
- Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Science, Xining 810008, China
| | - Hasbagan Ganjurjav
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Xuexia Wang
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Copeland SM, Harrison SP, Latimer AM, Damschen EI, Eskelinen AM, Fernandez‐Going B, Spasojevic MJ, Anacker BL, Thorne JH. Ecological effects of extreme drought on Californian herbaceous plant communities. ECOL MONOGR 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stella M. Copeland
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy University of California DavisCalifornia 95616USA
| | - Susan P. Harrison
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy University of California DavisCalifornia 95616USA
| | - Andrew M. Latimer
- Department of Plant Sciences University of California DavisCalifornia 95616USA
| | - Ellen I. Damschen
- Department of Zoology University of Wisconsin MadisonWisconsin 53706USA
| | - Anu M. Eskelinen
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy University of California DavisCalifornia 95616USA
- Department of Ecology University of Oulu Oulu Finland
- Department of Physiological Diversity Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research – UFZ German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Deutscher Platz 5e D‐04103 Leipzig Germany
| | - Barbara Fernandez‐Going
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology University of California Santa BarbaraCalifornia 93106USA
| | - Marko J. Spasojevic
- Department of Biology and Tyson Research Center Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis, Missouri USA
| | - Brian L. Anacker
- Open Space and Mountain Parks Department, City of Boulder BoulderColorado 80303USA
| | - James H. Thorne
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy University of California DavisCalifornia 95616USA
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Stotz GC, Pec GJ, Cahill JF. Is biotic resistance to invaders dependent upon local environmental conditions or primary productivity? A meta-analysis. Basic Appl Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2016.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
34
|
Peltzer DA, Kurokawa H, Wardle DA. Soil fertility and disturbance interact to drive contrasting responses of co-occurring native and nonnative species. Ecology 2016; 97:515-29. [DOI: 10.1890/15-0298.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Hiroko Kurokawa
- Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute; 1 Matsunosato Tsukuba Ibaraki 305-8687 Japan
| | - David A. Wardle
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management; Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences; SE901-83 Umeå Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Annual grass invasion in sagebrush steppe: the relative importance of climate, soil properties and biotic interactions. Oecologia 2016; 181:543-57. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-016-3583-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2015] [Accepted: 02/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
|
36
|
Smith NG, Schuster MJ, Dukes JS. Rainfall variability and nitrogen addition synergistically reduce plant diversity in a restored tallgrass prairie. J Appl Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas G. Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences Purdue University West Lafayette IN 47907 USA
- Purdue Climate Change Research Center Purdue University West Lafayette IN 47907 USA
| | - Michael J. Schuster
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Purdue University West Lafayette IN 47907 USA
| | - Jeffrey S. Dukes
- Department of Biological Sciences Purdue University West Lafayette IN 47907 USA
- Purdue Climate Change Research Center Purdue University West Lafayette IN 47907 USA
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Purdue University West Lafayette IN 47907 USA
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Kleinhesselink AR, Adler PB. Indirect Effects of Environmental Change in Resource Competition Models. Am Nat 2015; 186:766-76. [DOI: 10.1086/683676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
|
38
|
Case EJ, Harrison S, Cornell HV. After an invasion: understanding variation in grassland community recovery following removal of a high-impact invader. Biol Invasions 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-015-1009-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
|
39
|
Eskelinen A, Harrison S. Biotic context and soil properties modulate native plant responses to enhanced rainfall. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2015; 116:963-73. [PMID: 26159934 PMCID: PMC4640127 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcv109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 05/29/2015] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The environmental and biotic context within which plants grow have a great potential to modify responses to climatic changes, yet few studies have addressed both the direct effects of climate and the modulating roles played by variation in the biotic (e.g. competitors) and abiotic (e.g. soils) environment. METHODS In a grassland with highly heterogeneous soils and community composition, small seedlings of two native plants, Lasthenia californica and Calycadenia pauciflora, were transplanted into factorially watered and fertilized plots. Measurements were made to test how the effect of climatic variability (mimicked by the watering treatment) on the survival, growth and seed production of these species was modulated by above-ground competition and by edaphic variables. KEY RESULTS Increased competition outweighed the direct positive impacts of enhanced rainfall on most fitness measures for both species, resulting in no net effect of enhanced rainfall. Both species benefitted from enhanced rainfall when the absence of competitors was accompanied by high soil water retention capacity. Fertilization did not amplify the watering effects; rather, plants benefitted from enhanced rainfall or competitor removal only in ambient nutrient conditions with high soil water retention capacity. CONCLUSIONS The findings show that the direct effects of climatic variability on plant fitness may be reversed or neutralized by competition and, in addition, may be strongly modulated by soil variation. Specifically, coarse soil texture was identified as a factor that may limit plant responsiveness to altered water availability. These results highlight the importance of considering the abiotic as well as biotic context when making future climate change forecasts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anu Eskelinen
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA and Department of Biology, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, FI-90014 University of Oulu, Finland
| | - Susan Harrison
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA and
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Harrison S, Damschen E, Fernandez-Going B, Eskelinen A, Copeland S. Plant communities on infertile soils are less sensitive to climate change. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2015; 116:1017-22. [PMID: 25452247 PMCID: PMC4640116 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcu230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2014] [Revised: 10/01/2014] [Accepted: 10/02/2014] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Much evidence suggests that plant communities on infertile soils are relatively insensitive to increased water deficit caused by increasing temperature and/or decreasing precipitation. However, a multi-decadal study of community change in the western USA does not support this conclusion. This paper tests explanations related to macroclimatic differences, overstorey effects on microclimate, variation in soil texture and plant functional traits. METHODS A re-analysis was undertaken of the changes in the multi-decadal study, which concerned forest understorey communities on infertile (serpentine) and fertile soils in an aridifying climate (southern Oregan) from 1949-1951 to 2007-2008. Macroclimatic variables, overstorey cover and soil texture were used as new covariates. As an alternative measure of climate-related change, the community mean value of specific leaf area was used, a functional trait measuring drought tolerance. We investigated whether these revised analyses supported the prediction of lesser sensitivity to climate change in understorey communities on infertile serpentine soils. KEY RESULTS Overstorey cover, but not macroclimate or soil texture, was a significant covariate of community change over time. It strongly buffered understorey temperatures, was correlated with less change and averaged >50 % lower on serpentine soils, thereby counteracting the lower climate sensitivity of understorey herbs on these soils. Community mean specific leaf area showed the predicted pattern of less change over time in serpentine than non-serpentine communities. CONCLUSIONS Based on the current balance of evidence, plant communities on infertile serpentine soils are less sensitive to changes in the climatic water balance than communities on more fertile soils. However, this advantage may in some cases be lessened by their sparser overstorey cover.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Susan Harrison
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA,
| | - Ellen Damschen
- Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Barbara Fernandez-Going
- Wildland Resources Department, Utah State University, 5230 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-5230, USA and
| | - Anu Eskelinen
- Department of Biology, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, FI-90014 University of Oulu, Finland
| | - Stella Copeland
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Eskelinen A, Harrison SP. Resource colimitation governs plant community responses to altered precipitation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:13009-14. [PMID: 26438856 PMCID: PMC4620885 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1508170112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological theory and evidence suggest that plant community biomass and composition may often be jointly controlled by climatic water availability and soil nutrient supply. To the extent that such colimitation operates, alterations in water availability caused by climatic change may have relatively little effect on plant communities on nutrient-poor soils. We tested this prediction with a 5-y rainfall and nutrient manipulation in a semiarid annual grassland system with highly heterogeneous soil nutrient supplies. On nutrient-poor soils, rainfall addition alone had little impact, but rainfall and nutrient addition synergized to cause large increases in biomass, declines in diversity, and near-complete species turnover. Plant species with resource-conservative functional traits (low specific leaf area, short stature) were replaced by species with resource-acquisitive functional traits (high specific leaf area, tall stature). On nutrient-rich soils, in contrast, rainfall addition alone caused substantial increases in biomass, whereas fertilization had little effect. Our results highlight that multiple resource limitation is a critical aspect when predicting the relative vulnerability of natural communities to climatically induced compositional change and diversity loss.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anu Eskelinen
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA 95616; Department of Ecology, University of Oulu, 90014 Oulu, Finland;
| | - Susan P Harrison
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Abstract
Agricultural intensification is critical to meet global food demand, but intensification threatens native species and degrades ecosystems. Sustainable intensification (SI) is heralded as a new approach for enabling growth in agriculture while minimizing environmental impacts. However, the SI literature has overlooked a major environmental risk. Using data from eight countries on six continents, we show that few governments regulate conventionally bred pasture taxa to limit threats to natural areas, even though most agribusinesses promote taxa with substantial weed risk. New pasture taxa (including species, subspecies, varieties, cultivars, and plant-endophyte combinations) are bred with characteristics typical of invasive species and environmental weeds. By introducing novel genetic and endophyte variation, pasture taxa are imbued with additional capacity for invasion and environmental impact. New strategies to prevent future problems are urgently needed. We highlight opportunities for researchers, agribusiness, and consumers to reduce environmental risks associated with new pasture taxa. We also emphasize four main approaches that governments could consider as they build new policies to limit weed risks, including (i) national lists of taxa that are prohibited based on environmental risk; (ii) a weed risk assessment for all new taxa; (iii) a program to rapidly detect and control new taxa that invade natural areas; and (iv) the polluter-pays principle, so that if a taxon becomes an environmental weed, industry pays for its management. There is mounting pressure to increase livestock production. With foresight and planning, growth in agriculture can be achieved sustainably provided that the scope of SI expands to encompass environmental weed risks.
Collapse
|