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Effect of intra- and interspecific competition on the performance of native and invasive species of Impatiens under varying levels of shade and moisture.

ABSTRACT: Many alien plants are thought to be invasive because of unique traits and greater phenotypic plasticity relative to resident species. However, many studies of invasive species are unable to quantify the importance of particular traits and phenotypic plasticity in conferring invasive behavior because traits used in comparative studies are often measured in a single environment and by using plants from a single population. To obtain a deeper insight into the role of environmental factors, local differences and competition in plant invasions, we compared species of Impatiens (Balsaminaceae) of different origin and invasion status that occur in central Europe: native I. noli-tangere and three alien species (highly invasive I. glandulifera, less invasive I. parviflora and potentially invasive I. capensis). In two experiments we harvested late-stage reproductive plants to estimate performance. The first experiment quantified how populations differed in performance under varying light and moisture levels in the absence of competition. The second experiment quantified performance across these environments in the presence of intra- and inter-specific competition. The highly invasive I. glandulifera was the strongest competitor, was the tallest and produced the greatest biomass. Small size and high plasticity were characteristic for I. parviflora. This species appeared to be the second strongest competitor, especially under low soil moisture. The performance of I. capensis was within the range of the other Impatiens species studied, but sometimes limited by alien competitors. Our results suggest that invasion success within the genus Impatiens depends on the ability to grow large under a range of environmental conditions, including competition. The invasive species also exhibited greater phenotypic plasticity across environmental conditions than the native species. Finally, the decreased performance of the native I. noli-tangere in competition with other species studied indicates that this species may be possibly excluded from its sites by invading congeners.

SUBMITTER: Skalova H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3651240 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Effect of intra- and interspecific competition on the performance of native and invasive species of Impatiens under varying levels of shade and moisture.

Skálová Hana H Jarošík Vojtěch V Dvořáčková Śárka Ś Pyšek Petr P

PloS one 20130510 5

Many alien plants are thought to be invasive because of unique traits and greater phenotypic plasticity relative to resident species. However, many studies of invasive species are unable to quantify the importance of particular traits and phenotypic plasticity in conferring invasive behavior because traits used in comparative studies are often measured in a single environment and by using plants from a single population. To obtain a deeper insight into the role of environmental factors, local di ...[more]

PMID: 23675432

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Project description:Many invasive species are considered competitively superior to native species, with the strongest competition expected in species with similar niches and/or in closely related species. However, competition outcome is strongly context-dependent as competitive strength varies along environmental gradients, and life stages, and also depends on abundances. To explore the importance of these factors, we examined competition effects in an experiment with three Impatiens species (Balsaminaceae) widespread in central Europe and sharing similar life-history characteristics and habitats: the native I. noli-tangere, and two invasive species, I. parviflora and I. glandulifera. We compared their competitive strength and reciprocal impacts under two levels of water and light availability, two overall planting densities and three competitor densities. We assessed species performance (ability to complete the life-cycle, biomass and fecundity) and temporal competition dynamics in a garden pot experiment. Environmental variables had lower explanatory power than overall planting and competitor density, which indicates the importance of competitive interactions when evaluating plant performance and potential invasion success. Despite poor and delayed germination, the invasive I. glandulifera attained dominance even at a high competitor density and was competitively superior across all treatments, exceeding the height of both congeners. Impatiens parviflora was competitively weakest, having a negligible impact on both native I. noli-tangere and invasive I. glandulifera. The intermediate competitive strength of the native I. noli-tangere probably results from its intermediate height, and good germination rate and timing. The difference in height among species increased during the experiment when I. glandulifera was involved; this species continues growing until autumn, enhancing its competitive superiority. The results provide a mechanistic understanding for the competitive exclusion of native I. noli-tangere that occurs in stands with I. glandulifera, but the limited impact of I. parviflora on I. noli-tangere in their mixed stands.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Impacts of invasive species on native communities are often difficult to assess, because they depend on a range of factors, such as species identity and traits. Such context-dependencies are poorly understood yet, but knowledge is required to predict the impact of invasions. MATERIALS AND METHODS:We assessed species- and developmental stage-specificity of competitive and allelopathic effects of the invasive plant Impatiens glandulifera on different developmental stages of four native plant species. While some studies have shown a reduction in plant growth caused by I. glandulifera, the magnitude of its impact is ambiguous. For our study we used seedlings and juveniles of I. glandulifera and the native target species Geum urbanum, Filipendula ulmaria, Urtica dioica, and Salix fragilis (seedlings only of the latter), which often co-occur with I. glandulifera in different habitats. Plants were grown in competition with I. glandulifera or treated with I. glandulifera leaf material, or 2-metoxy-1,4-naphtoquinone (2-MNQ), its supposedly main allelochemical. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:Overall I. glandulifera had a negative effect on the growth of all target species depending on the species and on the plant's developmental stage. F. ulmaria was the least affected and U. dioica the most, and seedlings were less affected than juveniles. The species-specific response to I. glandulifera may lead to an altered community composition in the field, while growth reduction of seedlings and juveniles should give I. glandulifera an advantage in cases where plant recruitment is crucial. 2-MNQ led to minor reductions in plant growth, suggesting that it may not be the only allelopathic substance of I. glandulifera. Surprisingly, I. glandulifera was not fully tolerant to 2-MNQ. This autotoxicity could contribute to I. glandulifera population dynamics. We conclude that I. glandulifera reduces the growth of native vegetation and alters early successional stages without fully hindering it.

Dataset Information

Effect of intra- and interspecific competition on the performance of native and invasive species of Impatiens under varying levels of shade and moisture.

Publications

Effect of intra- and interspecific competition on the performance of native and invasive species of Impatiens under varying levels of shade and moisture.

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