Biological invasions and climate change amplify each other’s effects on dryland degradation

Ravi, Sujith; Law, Darin J.; Caplan, Joshua S.; Barron‐Gafford, Greg A.; Dontsova, Katerina; Espeleta, Javier F.; Villegas, Juan Camilo; Okin, Gregory S.; Breshears, David D.; Huxman, Travis E.

doi:10.1111/gcb.15919

Cited by 34 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…Experimental approaches have been useful for quantifying the impact of potential novel species interactions outside the current climatic conditions experienced by communities (Alexander, et al, 2016; Descombes et al, 2020; Ravi et al, 2022; Richman et al, 2020). Nevertheless, previous studies have usually focused on a single type of species interaction (e.g., competition, herbivory).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result, predicting biodiversity response to climate change is challenging because climate change leads to new species interactions as a result of range shifts and new climatic conditions to which species interactions are sensitive (Gilman et al, 2010;HilleRisLambers, et al, 2013;Tylianakis, et al, 2008;Wallingford et al, 2020). Experimental approaches have been useful for quantifying the impact of potential novel species interactions outside the current climatic conditions experienced by communities (Alexander, et al, 2016;Descombes et al, 2020;Ravi et al, 2022;Richman et al, 2020). Nevertheless, previous studies have usually focused on a single type of species interaction (e.g., competition, herbivory).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Experimental heatwaves and warming cause distinctive community responses through their interactions with a novel species

Chen

Lewis

2023

Preprint

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As mean temperatures increase and heatwaves become more frequent, species are expanding their distributions to colonise new habitats. The resulting novel species interactions will simultaneously shape the temperature-driven reorganization of resident communities. The interactive effects of climate change and climate change-facilitated invasion have rarely been studied in multi-trophic communities, and are likely to differ depending on the nature of the climatic driver (i.e. climate extremes or constant warming). We recreated under laboratory conditions a host-parasitoid community typical of high-elevation rainforest sites in Queensland, Australia, comprising four Drosophila species and two associated parasitoid species. We subjected these communities to climate change in the form of either heatwaves or constant warming, in combination with an invasion treatment involving a novel host species from lower-elevation habitats. The two parasitoid species were sensitive to both warming and heatwaves, while the demographic responses of Drosophila species were highly idiosyncratic, reflecting the combined effects of thermal tolerance, parasitism, competition, and facilitation. After multiple generations, heatwaves (but not constant warming) promoted the establishment of low-elevation species in upland communities. The introduction of this invading species correlated negatively with the abundance of one of the parasitoid species, leading to cascading effects on its hosts and their competitors. Our study, therefore, reveals differing, sometimes contrasting, impacts of extreme temperatures and constant warming on community composition. It also highlights how the scale and direction of climate impacts could be further modified by range-expanding species within a bi-trophic community network.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental heatwaves and warming cause distinctive community responses through their interactions with a novel species

Chen

Lewis

2023

Preprint

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“…However, some studies concluded that total community cover, total biomass, and species diversity index reach the highest level at moderate degradation and then decline gradually with the shape of a unimodal curve [12]. Community species gradually shifted from perennial herbs (Gramineae and Cyperaceae) to annual herbs along a degradation gradient [13], with a decrease in elite forages and an increase of the invasive species abundance [14]. The index of the weed and the proportion of poisonous weeds in the community gradually increased [11,15] and finally formed a grassland community with a single dominance of poisonous weeds, which significantly impacted plant community species composition and ecosystem carbon and water cycles [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Community species gradually shifted from perennial herbs (Gramineae and Cyperaceae) to annual herbs along a degradation gradient [13], with a decrease in elite forages and an increase of the invasive species abundance [14]. The index of the weed and the proportion of poisonous weeds in the community gradually increased [11,15] and finally formed a grassland community with a single dominance of poisonous weeds, which significantly impacted plant community species composition and ecosystem carbon and water cycles [14]. Soil physicochemical properties also tend to deteriorate in the degradation process, manifested by the decrease of soil moisture and compactness, the increase of bulk density [12], the decline of soil fertility, the increasing of barrenness, the growth of xerophytes or psammophytes in the heavy degradation stage, and the appearance of an initial sandy landscape [12,13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Pedicularis kansuensis Expansion on Plant Community Characteristics and Soil Nutrients in an Alpine Grassland

Qin

Wei

et al. 2022

Plants

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Pedicularis kansuensis is an indicator species of grassland degradation. Its population expansion dramatically impacts the production and service function of the grassland ecosystem, but the effects and mechanisms of the expansion are still unclear. In order to understand the ecological effects of P. kansuensis, three P. kansuensis patches of different densities were selected in an alpine grassland, and species diversity indexes, biomasses, soil physicochemical properties, and the mechanism among them were analyzed. The results showed that P. kansuensis expansion increased the richness index, the Shannon–Wiener index significantly, and the aboveground biomass ratio (ABR) of the Weed group (p < 0.05), but reduced the total biomass of the community and the ABR of the Gramineae and Cyperaceae decreased insignificantly (p > 0.05); soil moisture, soil AOC, and NO3−·N decreased significantly (p < 0.05), while soil pH and total soil nutrients did not change significantly, and available phosphorus (AP) decreased at first and then increased (p < 0.05). The structural equation model (SEM) showed that P. kansuensis expansion had a significant positive effect on the community richness index, and a significant negative effect followed on the soil AOC from the increase of the index; the increase of pH had a significant negative effect on the soil AOC, NO3−·N, and AP. It indicated that P. kansuensis expansion resulted in the increase of species richness, the ABR of the Weed group, and the community’s water demand, which promoted the over-utilization of soil available nutrients in turn, and finally caused the decline of soil quality. This study elucidated a possible mechanism of poisonous weeds expansion, and provided a scientific and theoretical basis for grassland management.

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“…Additionally, plant communities containing only native species have a higher invasibility than those that included alien species, and alien plants that have similar functional traits with natives are more easily to enter and dominate the native plant communities ( Gooden and French, 2015 ; Li et al., 2015 ; Rijal et al., 2017 ). Moreover, environmental changes may affect the invasion process, e.g., seedling survival rate and drought tolerance of the invasive species Pennisetum ciliare are all increased by combinations of drought and warming, while this synergistic effect decreases leaf respiration of the native accompanying species Heteropogon contortus and causes substantial carbon loss, which accelerates native plant death ( Ravi et al., 2022 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Latitudinal trends in the structure, similarity and beta diversity of plant communities invaded by Alternanthera philoxeroides in heterogeneous habitats

Dong²,

Rao³

2022

Front. Plant Sci.

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Variations in latitudinal gradients could lead to changes in the performance and ecological effects of invasive plants and thus may affect the species composition, distribution and interspecific substitution of native plant communities. However, variations in structure, similarity and beta (β) diversity within invaded communities across latitudinal gradients in heterogeneous habitats remain unclear. In this study, we conducted a two-year field survey along 21°N to 37°N in China, to examine the differential effects of the amphibious invasive plant Alternanthera philoxeroides on native plant communities in terrestrial and aquatic habitats. We compared the differences in the invasion importance value (IV), species distribution, community similarity (Jaccard index and Sorenson index) and β diversity (Bray−Curtis index and βsim index) between terrestrial and aquatic communities invaded by A. philoxeroides, as well as analyzed their latitudinal trends. We found that the IV of A. philoxeroides and β diversity in aquatic habitats were all significantly higher than that of terrestrial, while the terrestrial habitat had a higher community similarity values. The aquatic A. philoxeroides IV increased with increasing latitude, while the terrestrial IV had no significant latitudinal trend. With increasing latitude, the component proportion of cold- and drought-tolerant species in the terrestrial communities increased, and the dominant accompanying species in the aquatic communities gradually changed from hygrophytes and floating plants to emerged and submerged plants. In addition, the aquatic communities had lower community similarity values and higher β diversity in higher latitudinal regions, while terrestrial communities had the opposite parameters in these regions. Our study indicates that the bioresistance capacities of the native communities to invasive A. philoxeroides in heterogeneous habitats are different; A. philoxeroides invasion leads to higher community homogenization in terrestrial habitats than in aquatic habitats, and terrestrial communities experience more severe homogenization in higher latitudinal regions. These findings are crucial for predicting the dynamics of invasive plant communities under rapid global change.

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Biological invasions and climate change amplify each other’s effects on dryland degradation

Abstract: Climate models predict that arid and semi-arid regions globally will experience increasingly frequent droughts throughout the next several decades, paired with warmer temperature regimes (Hantson

Cited by 34 publications

References 83 publications

Experimental heatwaves and warming cause distinctive community responses through their interactions with a novel species

Experimental heatwaves and warming cause distinctive community responses through their interactions with a novel species

Effects of Pedicularis kansuensis Expansion on Plant Community Characteristics and Soil Nutrients in an Alpine Grassland

Latitudinal trends in the structure, similarity and beta diversity of plant communities invaded by Alternanthera philoxeroides in heterogeneous habitats

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