Similarity of introduced plant species to native ones facilitates naturalization, but differences enhance invasion success

Divíšek, Jan; Chytrý, Milan; Beckage, Brian; Gotelli, Nicholas J.; Lososová, Zdeňka; Pyšek, Petr; Richardson, David M.; Molofsky, Jane

doi:10.1038/s41467-018-06995-4

Cited by 183 publications

(183 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Recently, Divíšek et al. () showed that this depends on the invasion stage—naturalized species in central European habitats tend to be similar in their functional traits to native members of the community, while to become invasive, the species need to possess different traits. This idea is supported by the results of a case study on the invasive herb Impatiens glandulifera , which brought new characteristics into the invaded community, such as tall stature, high SLA, and a low leaf dry matter content (LDMC; Helsen et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impacts of dominant plant species on trait composition of communities: comparison between the native and invaded ranges

et al. 2019

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Most studies on the impacts of plant invasions focus on species richness or diversity of invaded communities, but much less attention has been paid to structural changes such as the representation of species with different traits. To bridge this knowledge gap, we assess the impact of dominant species on the trait composition of recipient communities (i.e., how species with certain height, seed mass, specific leaf area, clonality, and life form are represented in the vegetation plots sampled). We sampled vegetation that comprised three species native to Eurasia and invasive in North America (i.e., Agrostis capillaris, Bromus tectorum, and Cirsium arvense) and three species native to North America and invasive in Europe (i.e., Aster novi‐belgii, Lupinus polyphyllus, and Solidago canadensis), in both their native and invaded ranges. This study system based on reciprocal inter‐continental invasions allowed us to assess whether the impact on trait composition differed (1) between the native and invaded ranges and (2) between the two continents. The relationships between species’ dominance and trait composition were tested using linear mixed‐effect models and ordination methods. A general trend was that dominant species with an impact on species richness also had an impact on trait composition, especially in North America, where even the native dominants affected the trait composition of the community. Further, the impact of Eurasian dominants in North America was stronger than that associated with the opposite direction of invasion, due to a strong negative effect of Eurasian invaders on local tall clonal perennials. Our results show that (1) the traits of species in the invaded community co‐determine the impact of invasion and are related to the impacts on species richness and composition; (2) the impacts on trait composition differ between the native and invaded ranges; and (3) the direction of invasion affects the impact on trait composition.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These traits represent a relatively complete, yet parsimonous, ecological and functional characterization of species (Westoby , Divíšek et al. ). The information on height and life form was obtained from field guides (Armstrong , Pojar and McKinnon , Kershaw et al.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of dominant plant species on trait composition of communities: comparison between the native and invaded ranges

et al. 2019

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“…; Divíšek et al . ) and the type of invasion (e.g. wide geographic range vs high local abundance; Catford et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traits linked with species invasiveness and community invasibility vary with time, stage and indicator of invasion in a long‐term grassland experiment

et al. 2019

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Much uncertainty remains about traits linked with successful invasion – the establishment and spread of non‐resident species into existing communities. Using a 20‐year experiment, where 50 non‐resident (but mostly native) grassland plant species were sown into savannah plots, we ask how traits linked with invasion depend on invasion stage (establishment, spread), indicator of invasion success (occupancy, relative abundance), time, environmental conditions, propagule rain, and traits of invaders and invaded communities. Trait data for 164 taxa showed that invader occupancy was primarily associated with traits of invaders, traits of recipient communities, and invader‐community interactions. Invader abundance was more strongly associated with community traits (e.g. proportion legume) and trait differences between invaders and the most similar resident species. Annuals and invaders with high‐specific leaf area were only successful early in stand development, whereas invaders with conservative carbon capture strategies persisted long‐term. Our results indicate that invasion is context‐dependent and long‐term experiments are required to comprehensively understand invasions.

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“…Support exists for both the phenotypic divergence (Cleland, ; Gross, Borger, Duncan, & Hulme, ; Knapp & Kühn, ) and convergence (e.g., Drenovsky, Khasanova, & James, ; Lambdon et al., ; Leishman, Thomson, & Cooke, ) hypotheses. Furthermore, these two hypotheses are not necessarily mutually exclusive within a given community: some traits may display convergence and others divergence (e.g., Divíšek et al., ; Tecco et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasive species differ in key functional traits from native and non‐invasive alien plant species

Mathakutha

Steyn

Roux

et al. 2019

J Vegetation Science

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Questions Invasive species establish either by possessing traits, or trait trade‐offs similar to native species, suggesting pre‐adaptation to local conditions; or by having a different suite of traits and trait trade‐offs, which allow them to occupy unfilled niches. The trait differences between invasives and non‐invasives can inform on which traits confer invasibility. Here, we ask: (a) are invasive species functionally different or similar to native species? (b) which traits of invasives differ from traits of non‐invasive aliens and thus confer invasibility? and (c) do results from the sub‐Antarctic region, where this study was conducted, differ from findings from other regions? Location Sub‐Antarctic Marion Island. Methods We measured 13 traits of all terrestrial native, invasive and non‐invasive alien plant species. Using principal components analysis and phylogenetic generalized least‐squares models, we tested for differences in traits between invasive (widespread alien species) and native species. Bivariate trait relationships between invasive and native species were compared using standardized major axis regressions to test for differences in trait trade‐offs between the two groups. Second, using the same methods, we compared the traits of invasive species to non‐invasive aliens (alien species that have not spread). Results Between invasive and native species, most traits differed, suggesting that the success of invasive species is mediated by being functionally different to native species. Additionally, most bivariate trait relationships differed either in terms of their y‐intercept or their position on the axes, highlighting that plants are positioned differently along a spectrum of shared trait trade‐offs. Compared to non‐invasive aliens, invasive species had lower plant height, smaller leaf area, lower frost tolerance, and higher specific leaf area, suggesting that these traits are associated with invasiveness. The findings for the sub‐Antarctic corresponded to those of other regions, except lower plant height which provides a competitive advantage to invaders in the windy sub‐Antarctic context. Conclusion Our findings support the expectation that trait complexes of invasive species are predominantly different to those of coexisting native species, and that high resource acquisition and low defence investment are characteristic of invasive plant species.

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Similarity of introduced plant species to native ones facilitates naturalization, but differences enhance invasion success

Cited by 183 publications

References 61 publications

Impacts of dominant plant species on trait composition of communities: comparison between the native and invaded ranges

Impacts of dominant plant species on trait composition of communities: comparison between the native and invaded ranges

Traits linked with species invasiveness and community invasibility vary with time, stage and indicator of invasion in a long‐term grassland experiment

Invasive species differ in key functional traits from native and non‐invasive alien plant species

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