Invasion windows for a global legume invader are revealed after joint examination of abiotic and biotic filters

Abstract

Successful alien plant invasion is influenced by both climate change and plant-plant interactions. We estimate the single and interactive effects of competition and extreme weather events on the performance of the global legume invader Lupinus polyphyllus (Lindl.).• In summary, the invader gained an advantage under drought conditions through a smaller reduction in performance relative to its native competitors but was competitively inferior under control conditions. This provides evidence for a possible invasion window for this species. While regions of high elevation or latitude with regular severe late frost events might remain inaccessible for L. polyphyllus, further spread across Europe seems probable as the predicted increase in drought events may favour this non-native legume over native species.

Invader presence disrupts the stabilizing effect of species richness in plant community recovery after drought

“…According to our results, L. polyphyllus might not be able to use the ‘invasion window’ (Diez et al, 2012) arising during the drought event, but the slightly improved recovery of the legume invader might be sufficient enough to outcompete native species after the drought event. A recent study indicates that a slight performance advantage of L. polyphyllus under combined extreme drought and competition effects might be enough for the legume invader to outcompete native species during phases of increased abiotic stress and thus, to use the arising ‘invasion window’ (Vetter et al, 2019). But, it is likely that S. inaequidens will profit from a future increase of extreme climatic events (Hewitson et al, 2014) by using this key temporal aspect—the arising invasion window during drought—to expand its competitive advantage over native species and thus increasing its cover.…”

Lupin Root Weevils (Charagmus spp., Curculionidae: Sitonini), a Lupin Pest: A Review of Their Distribution, Biology, and Challenges in Integrated Pest Management

“…Studies have demonstrated that this species spread from South Europe to Scandinavia [ 9 ] and the Baltic countries [ 8 ] ( Figure 2 ) in the 20th century. The increased spread of the perennial garden lupin L. polyphyllus [ 19 , 20 ] may have facilitated the distribution of the weevils. These plants serve as the winter habitat for weevils and thus support their survival and dispersal in northern European latitudes.…”

Extreme precipitation promotes invasion in managed grasslands

“…Invasive species can benefit from these conditions created by ECEs by withstanding harsher conditions and exploiting unused resources, in part because they tend to have wide environmental tolerances (Catford & Jones, 2019; Davis et al, 2000). As a result, ECEs can create “invasion windows” (Diez et al, 2012; Felton & Smith, 2017; Vetter et al, 2019), or temporary conditions conducive to the establishment and spread of invasive species. For instance, these invasion windows can arise from ECEs when increases in resource availability exceeds the requirements of native species, or when ECEs stress resident species and reduce their ability to efficiently use or compete for resources.…”