A potential novel source of information for screening and monitoring the impact of exotic plants on ecosystems

Abstract

Exotic invasive species often affect the pools and fluxes of carbon, nutrient elements, and energy, but there are few sources of information that permit these effects to be anticipated. Some plant traits, such as growth rates and tissue nutrient content, are known to influence the ecosystem process, but information about these traits is often not available. I propose that plant secondary chemistry may be a useful trait for assessing the likelihood of ecosystem (and community) impacts. Information about such traits is readily available from several sources, rendering it a good candidate for screening and monitoring programs. Plant secondary chemicals affect a variety of ecosystem processes, largely through their direct and indirect impacts on soil microbial community composition and function. They also have well-known effects on human physiology, as evidenced in the numerous plant-derived bioactive compounds used for their medicinal and other physiological effects. There is a large amount of information available about plant secondary chemistry due to its role in herbal medicine, dietary supplements and the emerging field of nutraceuticals. This information includes databases and traditional texts in ethnobotany, plant chemistry, and alternative medicine. I review evidence that secondary compounds are widespread in invasive species and affect soil microbial communities and microbially-mediated ecosystem processes. Invasion ecology may profit from collaborations with a novel group of scientists, including those in ethnobotany, nutraceuticals, plant chemistry and alternative medicine.

Naturalization and ethnobotany of Vitis labrusca L. (Vitaceae) in the Rio de la Plata re­gion, Argentina

“…Esta práctica, desde aquel entonces hasta la actualidad, ha presentado pulsos de expansión y de retracción, con impactos tanto ecológicos como culturales, que resultaron decisivos para la naturalización de esta especie. Asimismo, se aplicaron técnicas etnobotá-nicas usuales, como entrevistas semiestructuradas y abiertas a distintos pobladores locales (Albuquerque & Lucena, 2004;Martin, 2004), ajustadas a la evaluación de los cambios ambientales y su naturalización (Ehrenfeld, 2006). sIstEMÁtIcA Vitis L., Sp.…”

The Sign and Strength of Plant-Soil Feedback for the Invasive Shrub, Lonicera maackii, Varies in Different Soils

“…Changes in soil properties are an increasingly recognized impact of invasive species that may leave lasting effects in the soil [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. During plant growth, the soil rhizosphere develops characteristics, such as changes in pH, mineral composition, or microbial community composition, that can have effects that feed back on the plant's own fitness, and on that of other species [1,3,[8][9][10].…”

“…Plants can also affect the presence of nutrient cycling microbes which in turn can create positive feedback mediated by effects on nutrient cycling [3,[15][16][17][18]. The tendency for plant soil feedbacks to be positive in introduced habitats (versus negative in native habitats) may be partly responsible for nonnative plants becoming invasive in introduced areas [4,19,20].…”

“…Phenolic compounds, as a group, are known to play a role in plant-soil interactions through allelopathic effects on plants and soil microbes, as well as through effects on soil pH and mineral availability [4,18,[21][22][23]. A species in its introduced range may use such biochemical weapons to inhibit neighbors directly or disturb other ecosystem properties giving the invader some advantage.…”

“…Studies of plant-soil interactions in the context of plant invasions are increasing but many studies focus on single mechanisms [4]. Holistic examinations of plant-soil interactions would provide much better understanding of how invasive species may alter plant and microbial communities.…”