Home » Do plant traits predict the competitive abilities of closely related species?

Do plant traits predict the competitive abilities of closely related species?

Japanese chaff flower (Achyranthes japonica) and Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) at the same density in the controlled field experiment conducted at Southern Illinois University. Photo credit: Lauren Schwartz.
Japanese chaff flower (Achyranthes japonica) and Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) at the same density in the controlled field experiment conducted at Southern Illinois University. Photo credit: Lauren Schwartz.

Invasive species are a threat to every ecosystem and thus there is a strong incentive to predict which species will become invasive before they become too widespread and unmanageable. In a recent study published in AoB PLANTS, Schwartz et al. conducted a multi-year, temporally replicated, greenhouse and field experiment based on plant functional traits, quantifying competitive ability and making phylogenetic comparisons to determine the invasive potential of four closely related species varying in invasion status, life history and habitat. Their results suggest that these closely related species do exhibit similar competitive abilities and that the invasiveness and not the life history or habitat of these species appear to be the driving factor of competitiveness.

AoBPLANTS

AoB PLANTS is an open-access, online journal that publishes peer-reviewed articles on all aspects of environmental and evolutionary biology. Published by Oxford University Press, AoB PLANTS provides a fast-track pathway for publishing high-quality research, where papers are available online to anyone, anywhere free of charge. Reasons to publish in AoB PLANTS include double-blind peer review of manuscripts, rapid processing time and low open-access charges.

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