Publication
Title
Effects of experimental climate warming and associated soil drought on the competition between three highly invasive West European alien plant species and native counterparts
Author
Abstract
It is widely suggested that climate warming will increase the impact of biological invasions, yet, to date studies on the combined effect of these two global changes are scarce. Here, we study how climate warming and associated soil drought affect the competition between native and invasive alien plant species. Three highly invasive alien plant species in West Europe, each with a native competitor, were grown either together or in isolation at ambient and at elevated air temperature (+3 °C) in climate-controlled chambers. Equal amounts of water were added to all communities. Soil drought observed in the heated chambers did not induce severe stress in the plants. In two species pairs, Fallopia japonica (Houtt.)Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. and Solidago gigantea Ait.Epilobium hirsutum L. (alien invasivenative), the native species dominated in mixture, while the alien invasive species dominated in the third pair Senecio inaequidens DC.Plantago lanceolata L. Warming did not modify the competitive balance in any of these pairs, in spite of enhancing the aboveground biomass of S. inaequidens and P. lanceolata and the greater photosynthetic rates in S. inaequidens. The results of this study cannot be extrapolated to all invasive or exotic species but may represent the possible future of three principle invaders and some of their key native counterparts. Future experiments are needed to identify response patterns of alien plants to climate warming more in general.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Plant ecology. - Dordrecht, 1997, currens
Publication
Dordrecht : 2013
ISSN
1385-0237 [print]
1573-5052 [online]
DOI
10.1007/S11258-012-0163-9
Volume/pages
214 :2 (2013) , p. 243-254
ISI
000314781600007
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 08.04.2013
Last edited 09.10.2023
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