The root barrier to radial O 2 loss (ROL) is a trait enabling waterlogging tolerance of plants. The ROL barrier restricts O 2 diffusion to the anoxic soil so that O 2 is retained inside root tissues.We hypothesised that the ROL barrier can also restrict radial diffusion of other gases (H 2 and water vapour) in rice roots with a barrier to ROL. We used O 2 and H 2 microsensors to measure ROL and permeability of rice roots, and gravimetric measurements to assess the influence of the ROL barrier on radial water loss (RWL).The ROL barrier greatly restricted radial diffusion of O 2 as well as H 2 . At 60 kPa pO 2 , we found no radial diffusion of O 2 across the barrier, and for H 2 the barrier reduced radial diffusion by 73%. Similarly, RWL was reduced by 93% in roots with a ROL barrier.Our study showed that the root barrier to ROL not only completely blocks radial O 2 diffusion under steep concentration gradients but is also a diffusive barrier to H 2 and to water vapour. The strong correlation between ROL and RWL presents a case in which simple measurements of RWL can be used to predict ROL in screening studies with a focus on waterlogging tolerance.

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Unveiling the processes driving exotic plant invasion represent a central issue in taking decisions aimed at constraining the loss of biodiversity and related ecosystem services. The invasion success is often linked to anthropogenic land uses and warming due to climate change. We studied the responses of native versus casual and naturalised exotic species richness to land uses and climate at the landscape level, relying on a large floristic survey undertaken in North - Eastern Italy. Both climate and land use drove exotic species richness. Our results suggest that the success of plant invasion at this scale is mainly due to warm climatic conditions and the extent of urban and agricultural land, but with different effects on casual and naturalized exotic species. The occurrence of non-linear trends showed that a small percentage of extensive agricultural land in the landscape may concurrently reduce the number of exotic plant while sustaining native plant diversity. Plant invasion could be potentially limited by land management, mainly focusing on areas with extensive agricultural land use. A more consciousness land management is more and more commonly required by local administrations. According to our results, a shift of intensive to extensive agricultural land, by implementing green infrastructures, seems to be a win–win solution favouring native species while controlling the oversimplification of the flora due to plant invasion.