Journal ArticleDOI
Allelopathy and exotic plant invasion
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TLDR
It is argued that non-resource mechanisms should be returned to the discussion table as a potential mechanism for explaining the remarkable success of some invasive species.Abstract:
The primary hypothesis for the astonishing success of many exotics as community invaders relative to their importance in their native communities is that they have escaped the natural enemies that control their population growth – the `natural enemies hypothesis'. However, the frequent failure of introduced biocontrols, weak consumer effects on the growth and reproduction of some invaders, and the lack of consistent strong top-down regulation in many natural ecological systems indicate that other mechanisms must be involved in the success of some exotic plants. One mechanism may be the release by the invader of chemical compounds that have harmful effects on the members of the recipient plant community (i.e., allelopathy). Here, we provide an abbreviated compilation of evidence for allelopathy in general, present a detailed case study for Centaurea diffusa, an invasive Eurasian forb in western North America, and review general evidence for allelopathic effects of invasive plants in native communities. The primary rationale for considering allelopathy as a mechanism for the success of invaders is based on two premises. First, invaders often establish virtual monocultures where diverse communities once flourished, a phenomenon unusual in natural communities. Second, allelopathy may be more important in recipient than in origin communities because the former are more likely to be naive to the chemicals possessed by newly arrived species. Indeed, results from experiments on C. diffusa suggest that this invader produces chemicals that long-term and familiar Eurasian neighbors have adapted to, but that C. diffusa's new North American neighbors have not. A large number of early studies demonstrated strong potential allelopathic effects of exotic invasive plants; however, most of this work rests on controversial methodology. Nevertheless, during the last 15 years, methodological approaches have improved. Allelopathic effects have been tested on native species, allelochemicals have been tested in varying resource conditions, models have been used to estimate comparisons of resource and allelopathic effects, and experimental techniques have been used to ameliorate chemical effects. We do not recommend allelopathy as a `unifying theory' for plant interactions, nor do we espouse the view that allelopathy is the dominant way that plants interact, but we argue that non-resource mechanisms should be returned to the discussion table as a potential mechanism for explaining the remarkable success of some invasive species. Ecologists should consider the possibility that resource and non-resource mechanisms may work simultaneously, but vary in their relative importance depending on the ecological context in which they are studied. One such context might be exotic plant invasion.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Allelopathic effect of meskit (Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC) aqueous extracts on tropical crops tested under laboratory conditions
Getahun Asrat,Ali Seid +1 more
TL;DR: It is concluded that P. juliflora contains water-soluble allelochemicals capable of inhibiting tropical crops and not good for agroforestry.
Contrasting Effects of Aqueous Tissue Extracts from an Invasive Plant, Bidens pilosa L. var. radiata, on the Performance of Its Sympatric Plant Species
Hsiao-Mei Hsu,Wen-Yuan Kao +1 more
TL;DR: Aqueous extracts from tissue of B. pilosa var.
Book ChapterDOI
9 Ecological Status of Some Invasive Plants of Shiwalik Himalayas in Northwestern India
Journal ArticleDOI
Soil conditioning effects of Phragmites australis on native wetland plant seedling survival.
TL;DR: This study suggests that the close phylogenetic relationship between the two populations, and not the invasive status of introduced P. australis, is more relevant to their soil‐mediated impact on other plant species.
Journal ArticleDOI
Evaluation of the allelopathic effects of leachate from an invasive species (Wedelia triobata) on its own growth and performance and those of a native congener (W. chinensis)
Muhammad Ahmed Saif Ullah,Jianfan Sun,Susan Rutherford,Ikram Ullah,Qaiser Javed,Ghulam Rasool,Muhammad Ajmal,Daolin Du +7 more
TL;DR: The addition of leachate from invasive W. trilobata had a strong allelopathic effect on native W. chinensis, promoting its own performance while simultaneously suppressing that of a native congener, which has likely contributed to its invasion success.
References
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Book
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or, The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life
TL;DR: The "Penguin Classics" edition of "On the Origin of Species" as discussed by the authors contains an introduction and notes by William Bynum, and features a cover designed by Damien Hirst.
Journal ArticleDOI
Biotic invasions: causes, epidemiology, global consequences, and control
Richard N. Mack,Daniel Simberloff,W. Mark Lonsdale,Harry C. Evans,M. N. Clout,Fakhri A. Bazzaz +5 more
TL;DR: Given their current scale, biotic invasions have taken their place alongside human-driven atmospheric and oceanic alterations as major agents of global change and left unchecked, they will influence these other forces in profound but still unpredictable ways.
Journal ArticleDOI
Evidence for the existence of three primary strategies in plants and its relevance to ecological and evolutionary theory
TL;DR: A triangular model based upon the three strategies of evolution in plants may be reconciled with the theory of r- and K-selection, provides an insight into the processes of vegetation succession and dominance, and appears to be capable of extension to fungi and to animals.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants.
P. W. Richards,Charles Elton +1 more