Community phylogenetic diversity and abiotic site characteristics influence abundance of the invasive plant Rhamnus cathartica L.

Whitfeld, Timothy J. S.; Lodge, Alexandra G.; Roth, Alexander M.; Reich, Peter B.

doi:10.1093/jpe/rtt020

Cited by 39 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…In our study, we did not observe differences in structure and composition between plant communities invaded and non-invaded by H. dulcis. The same results were observed for other invasive tree species (Martínez 2010;Siderhurst et al 2012;Whitfield et al 2014). One possible explanation for this result is that spatial and temporal variation in extrinsic factors, such as disturbance history and propagule pressure, could have been more important in determining the forest regeneration dynamics than the invasive species presence (Shea and Chesson 2002).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

“…Ecosystem invasibility is the result of several factors, including physical environmental characteristics, the competitive ability of resident species, and the disturbance regime of the habitat (Rejmánek 1989;Lonsdale 1999;Huston 2004;Whitfield et al 2014). The availability of resources such as water, light and nutrients, and the reduction in competitive interactions following disturbance facilitate the establishment of alien plants (Davis et al 2000;Goldstein and Suding 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Undisturbed forests in particular are considered highly resistant to invasion, in large part because of low light availability (Rejmánek 1989(Rejmánek , 1996Fine 2002;Von Holle et al 2003;Whitfield et al 2014). Forests, however, have been intensely threatened by human activities, which result in habitat loss and fragmentation (Laurance and Peres 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Community structure, succession and invasibility in a seasonal deciduous forest in southern Brazil

et al. 2014

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Majority of invasive trees colonize grasslands, shrublands, and temperate forests. Hovenia dulcis is an exception, because it is one of the most pervasive invaders in Brazilian subtropical forests where it has changed their structure and composition. This study has aimed to identify the clues for its success by defining the structural and functional characteristics of plant communities in different stages of succession with and without H. dulcis. Following the general assumptions of invasion ecology, we expected that H. dulcis establishment and invasion success would be significantly higher in early successional communities, with high resource availability and low species richness and diversity, as well as low functional diversity. Contrary to this hypothesis, no differences were found between plant communities invaded and non-invaded by H. dulcis at three different succession stages. No relationship was found between species richness and diversity and functional diversity, with respect to invasibility along the successional gradient. Hovenia dulcis is strongly associated with semi-open vegetation, where the species was found in higher density. The invasion of open vegetation is more recent, providing evidence of the species's ability to invade plant communities in early successional stages. We concluded that the colonization by H. dulcis was associated with forest openness, but the species is also able to colonize semiElectronic supplementary material The online version of this article (

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Community structure, succession and invasibility in a seasonal deciduous forest in southern Brazil

et al. 2014

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“…For example, managing forests for native plant diversity may help them resist invasion (Elton 1958;Lodge 1993;Kennedy et al 2002;Davis et al 2005;Fridley et al 2007;Whitfeld et al 2014a). Managing surrounding lands to decrease available propagules will also keep buckthorn and other invasive plants from arriving at the site, and may be the most important step in preventing invasion (Eschtruth and Battles 2009;Warren et al 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Native species included Desmodium glutinosum, Elymus hystrix, Carex blanda, Eurybia macrophylla, Asclepias exaltata, and Galium boreale. Each of these native species is commonly found in local mesic hardwood forests and was among the most common species in a survey of 67 deciduous forest sites in central and southeastern Minnesota (Whitfeld et al 2014a). Seeds of the native species were purchased from Prairie Moon Nursery in Winona, Minnesota.…”

Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasive earthworms interact with abiotic conditions to influence the invasion of common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)

et al. 2014

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Common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica L.) is one of the most abundant and ecologically harmful non-native plants in forests of the Upper Midwest United States. At the same time, European earthworms are invading previously glaciated areas in this region, with largely anecdotal evidence suggesting they compound the negative effects of buckthorn and influence the invasibility of these forests. Germination and seedling establishment are important control points for colonization by any species, and manipulation of the conditions influencing these life history stages may provide insight into why invasive species are successful in some environments and not others. Using a greenhouse microcosm experiment, we examined the effects of important biotic and abiotic factors on the germination and seedling establishment of common buckthorn. We manipulated light levels, leaf litter depth and earthworm presence to investigate the independent and interactive effects of these treatments on buckthorn establishment. We found that light and leaf litter depth were significant predictors of buckthorn germination but that the presence of earthworms was the most important factor; earthworms interacted with light and leaf litter to increase the number and biomass of buckthorn across all treatments. Path analysis suggested both direct and moisture-mediated indirect mechanisms controlled these processes. The results suggest that the action of earthworms may provide a pathway through which buckthorn invades forests of the Upper Midwest United States. Hence, researchers and managers should consider co-invasion of plants and earthworms when investigating invasibility and creating preemptive or post-invasion management plans.

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Untangling the positive association of phylogenetic, functional, and taxonomic diversity with alien bird species richness

et al. 2020

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Understanding the ecological mechanisms behind biological invasions remains a major focus of conservation biology and ecosystem management. Several hypotheses highlight that different facets of native biodiversity affect the establishment and spread of alien species. Here, we approach this question by examining the spatiotemporal relationship between alien bird species richness and different facets of biodiversity (taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic) using breeding bird atlases for three U.S. states and for two time periods in each state. We associated native species richness, and functional and phylogenetic diversity with alien species richness, using generalized least squares models. Our results show that, consistently, across the three states and two time periods examined, alien species richness is positively associated with native diversity, and particularly with phylogenetic diversity. The relative importance of biodiversity metrics reflecting the functional or phylogenetic range occupied by the assemblage seems to advocate in favor of the importance of resource diversity as a main driver of both native and alien diversity. The secondary importance of biodiversity facets reflecting species functional or phylogenetic similarity, along with the lack of importance of functional or phylogenetic clustering or overdispersion, implies that if this relationship is shaped by biotic interactions, then biotic interactions facilitating coexistence (including even processes like predator‐mediated coexistence) are far more important than adversarial interactions like competition, at least at the scale of our analysis. Finally, the dominance of phylogenetic metrics over functional ones highlights the adaptive potential of a community accumulated over long lineage history may play an additional role as a source of information on evolutionary processes driving diversity patterns.

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Community phylogenetic diversity and abiotic site characteristics influence abundance of the invasive plant Rhamnus cathartica L.

Cited by 39 publications

References 48 publications

Community structure, succession and invasibility in a seasonal deciduous forest in southern Brazil

Community structure, succession and invasibility in a seasonal deciduous forest in southern Brazil

Invasive earthworms interact with abiotic conditions to influence the invasion of common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)

Untangling the positive association of phylogenetic, functional, and taxonomic diversity with alien bird species richness

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