Journal
ENVIRONMENTAL AND EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
Volume 127, Issue -, Pages 55-62Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2016.03.010
Keywords
Plant invasion; Competition; Phenotypic plasticity; Riparian areas; White ginger lily; Trade-off
Categories
Funding
- Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) [2012/09485-4]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The success of an invasive plant depends on its competitive advantage in the new community. This advantage can be attributed to high phenotypic plasticity, which either allows the plant to develop under a broad variety of environmental conditions, or grants it with a higher fitness compared to native species. In the present study, we assessed the development of the invasive white ginger lily, Hedychium coronarium, and plant community through removal experiments, under different conditions of soil moisture in riparian areas. We observed that H. coronarium exhibited different invasion strategies according to soil moisture, plant community species life form, and intensity of intra- and inter-specific competition. In areas with high soil moisture and high competitive pressure, H. coronarium invests in height growth rather than new ramets. In areas with drier soils and lower competitive pressure, H. coronarium expands its population through new ramets. Our results suggest H. coronarium has a negative influence on the recruitment of plants from the plant community, with consequences to the biodiversity of invaded areas. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available