Tag: invasion ecology

community ecology

Functional traits of both specific alien species and receptive community help us to gain a general understanding of plant invasion

Meng Hou, Jianyong Wang This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. ​Increasing plant invasions have serious ecological and economic impacts. Understanding the mechanisms of plant invasion is critical in guiding the practice of controlling invasive plants and restoring invaded ecosystems, as well as important in understanding plant interactions within communities. Native plant diversity is one … Continue reading Functional traits of both specific alien species and receptive community help us to gain a general understanding of plant invasion

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evolutionary ecology

How to reproduce when light is scarce? More ramets, less seeds

Petr Dostál This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Some invasive plants can substantially change the abiotic environment of invaded ecosystems. Many native plants cannot tolerate these novel conditions and are doomed to extinction. There are also plant species that can persist in invaded habitats because they can adapt to suboptimum environments created by invaders. … Continue reading How to reproduce when light is scarce? More ramets, less seeds

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evolutionary ecology

The globally invasive Spartina alterniflora changed its trait covariances when travelling from its native to invasive range

Xincong Chen, Wenwen Liu, Yuan-Ye Zhang, Yihui Zhang This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Human activities can sometimes cause species to be moved beyond their natural ranges to other parts of the world. Some invasive species may have negative impacts on the economy and environment of their new home. Exotic species that are introduced … Continue reading The globally invasive Spartina alterniflora changed its trait covariances when travelling from its native to invasive range

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behavioural ecology

Dances with wolves: the invasion of a gobbling skink and the counterpunch of the native opponent

Shi-Ping Huang, Jhan-Wei Lin, Chun-Chia Chou, Chen-Pan Liao, Jung-Ya Hsu, Jing-Fu Tsai, Shao-Lun Liu, Wen-San Huang This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. It is well-known that competition from invasive species can harm the persistence of native species. But sometimes the native species fights back, dealing with the new pressure accordingly. Here we present an … Continue reading Dances with wolves: the invasion of a gobbling skink and the counterpunch of the native opponent

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community ecology

Overlapping invasions: Invasive goldfish disrupt an urban pond community and benefit an invasive snail

Erin R. Crone, Erin L. Sauer, Daniel L. Preston This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Ecosystems commonly support multiple invasive species, leading to novel species interactions that can be difficult to predict. In some cases, the co-occurrence of invasive species may lead to “invasional meltdown”, in which invasive species facilitate one another and potentially … Continue reading Overlapping invasions: Invasive goldfish disrupt an urban pond community and benefit an invasive snail

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community ecology

Invasive plants are less tolerant of drought, but recover faster from rewetting than native plants

Xue Zhang, Ayub M. O. Oduor, Yanjie Liu This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Plant invasions outside their native ranges pose serious environmental, economic, and human health impacts. Consequently, how the spread of invasive plants may change in the future has stimulated considerable interest, in particular in the context of ongoing climate change. Prolonged … Continue reading Invasive plants are less tolerant of drought, but recover faster from rewetting than native plants

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community ecology

The impact of invasive plants on tropical plant-seed disperser interactions varies with fruiting season

Alba Costa, Ruben Heleno, Yanick Dufrene, Eleanor Huckle, Ronny Gabriel, Xavier Harrison, Dana G. Schabo, Nina Farwig, Christopher N. Kaiser-Bunbury This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. The interactions between plants and the animals that disperse their seeds, such as birds and reptiles, can be modified by the presence of invasive non-native plant species and, … Continue reading The impact of invasive plants on tropical plant-seed disperser interactions varies with fruiting season

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