Is phenotypic plasticity an explanation for the invasiveness of goldenrods ( Solidago and Euthamia ) in Europe?

It is important to determine the characteristics associated with the success of alien species. However, there is no universal syndrome of invasion reproductive characteristics to explain the success of invasiveness has not been identified. Comparative studies on congeneric successful or non‐successful alien species are beneficial for revealing the drivers of invasion success and predicting future distributions. Reproductive biological characteristics, including the mating system, phenology of flowering, floral syndrome, pollination biology and seed germination have been investigated in the invasive Coreopsis lanceolata and non‐successful congener alien species Coreopsis tinctoria. The results revealed that C. lanceolata significantly attracted insect visitors by 11.67 times more than its congener, and the corolla density of C. lanceolata was positively correlated with the number of visiting insects. The high attraction of local insect bees Apis cerana guarantees the reproductive success and high seed production of C. lanceolata. Nevertheless, there was no versatile mating system, because its congener non‐successful alien species C. lanceolata still successfully invaded due to the combination strategies of self‐compatibility and presence of rhizomes. Furthermore, the ability of seed germination of C. lanceolata was lower than that of C. tinctoria, especially under drought and Al3+ stress, suggesting that germination performance can serve as a reference indicator. However, this was not an absolute trait for invasiveness. Hence, these germination traits might slow down the invasiveness of C. lanceolata in south China. These present findings highlight that the combination of self‐incompatibility and rhizomes should be given attention in the risk assessment protocols for plant invasiveness.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing the reproductive biological characteristics of the alien invasive Coreopsis lanceolata to those of the non‐invasive alien congener Coreopsis tinctoria

Zeng

Zhou

Wang

2021

“…Both studies showed that high phenotypic plasticity is an important trait contributing to the invasiveness of S. canadensis . However, Szymura et al (2019) found that the invasion success of non‐native goldenrods is not caused by their having higher phenotypic plasticity than native species in response to different substrates with different fertilizers. There are several possible explanations for the difference in phenotypic plasticity between China and Europe.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, although there is no direct evidence, the distance between the invaded site and origin sites may also have some impacts on the phenotypic plasticity. Third, for environmental stress, three different types of substrates were selected in Szymura et al (2019), whereas the extrinsic factor (i.e., temperature and N) was selected in our study. Obviously, we cannot rule out other possibilities, such as experimental manipulation, species quantity, calculation method, and local habitat, for this difference.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This would have a profound effect on the plasticity responses to phenotypic change and phenotypic responses to plasticity change (Hendry, 2016). Non‐native plants often invade habitats that have increasing resource levels, especially those with increasing levels of nitrogen (Szymura, Szymura, Rajsz, & Świerszcz, 2019). Therefore, the relationship between the enhanced N and phenotypic plasticity, especially for invasive species, has been explored by many researchers, although the results are not all in agreement with the climatic variability hypothesis (Zhao et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The study of the relationship between phenotypic plasticity and invasion directed against specific species is necessary because the different species may have different characteristics, although not all expressions of plasticity is adaptative (Palacio‐López & Gianoli, 2011). If phenotypic plasticity results in the higher matching of phenotype to the environment, it can result in adaptation to better use the environmental resources (Schmitt, Stinchcombe, Heschel, & Huber, 2003; Szymura et al, 2019). Therefore, the central hypothesis of this study was that global warming and/or N addition has a positive influence on invasive populations by improving phenotypic plasticity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The effect of nitrogen and temperature changes on Solidago canadensis phenotypic plasticity and fitness

Ren

Hong-yuan

et al. 2020

The change in the biomass allocation to stems and leaves in young plants of Dimorphandra wilsonii under eCO₂ may harm this endangered species in native areas

Gonçalves,

Viegas,

Melo

et al. 2023

Climate change is among the main threats to ecosystems, affecting biodiversity and ecosystem services. These changes are associated with increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]). This study aimed to investigate how [CO2] influences chlorophyll a fluorescence, vegetative growth, biomass production, and the number of root nodules (NRN) of Dimorphandra wilsonii, a critically endangered species. The study was conducted in six open‐top chambers with two CO2 levels, at elevated [CO2] (eCO2, 717 ± 77 ppm) and at ambient [CO2] (aCO2, 539 ± 42 ppm). We monitored vegetative growth weekly, and at the end of the experiment, we measured chlorophyll a fluorescence and biomass production. Dimorphandra wilsonii plants under eCO2 showed higher (p < 0.05) average leaf dry mass, average leaf area, and lower (p < 0.05) root/shoot ratio than plants under aCO2. The greater aerial biomass allocation contributes to maximizing the photosynthesis performance but could also result in the self‐shading of old basal leaves by new distal leaves on branches. This adjustment could be advantageous in the competition for light; however, it would be a disadvantage for below‐ground resource competition (such as water and nutrients), which could result in decreased drought resistance. Also, this adjustment would be unfavorable to D. wilsonii, which occurs in a seasonal climate environment competing with invasive grasses. Thus, it is possible that climate change scenarios with increases in [CO2] and drought periods could negatively influence the establishment of young plants of D. wilsonii in their natural occurrence area, which could worsen the conservation status of the species.