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journal article Jul 19, 2019

Invasive species differ in key functional traits from native and non‐invasive alien plant species

Rabia Mathakutha ORCID Christien Steyn Peter C. le Roux ORCID Izak J. Blom Steven L. Chown ORCID Barnabas H. Daru ORCID Brad S. Ripley Anche Louw Michelle Greve
Journal of Vegetation Science Vol. 30 No. 5 pp. 994-1006 · Wiley
View at Publisher Save 10.1111/jvs.12772
Abstract
AbstractQuestionsInvasive species establish either by possessing traits, or trait trade‐offs similar to native species, suggesting pre‐adaptation to local conditions; or by having a different suite of traits and trait trade‐offs, which allow them to occupy unfilled niches. The trait differences between invasives and non‐invasives can inform on which traits confer invasibility. Here, we ask: (a) are invasive species functionally different or similar to native species? (b) which traits of invasives differ from traits of non‐invasive aliens and thus confer invasibility? and (c) do results from the sub‐Antarctic region, where this study was conducted, differ from findings from other regions?LocationSub‐Antarctic Marion Island.MethodsWe measured 13 traits of all terrestrial native, invasive and non‐invasive alien plant species. Using principal components analysis and phylogenetic generalized least‐squares models, we tested for differences in traits between invasive (widespread alien species) and native species. Bivariate trait relationships between invasive and native species were compared using standardized major axis regressions to test for differences in trait trade‐offs between the two groups. Second, using the same methods, we compared the traits of invasive species to non‐invasive aliens (alien species that have not spread).ResultsBetween invasive and native species, most traits differed, suggesting that the success of invasive species is mediated by being functionally different to native species. Additionally, most bivariate trait relationships differed either in terms of theiry‐intercept or their position on the axes, highlighting that plants are positioned differently along a spectrum of shared trait trade‐offs. Compared to non‐invasive aliens, invasive species had lower plant height, smaller leaf area, lower frost tolerance, and higher specific leaf area, suggesting that these traits are associated with invasiveness. The findings for the sub‐Antarctic corresponded to those of other regions, except lower plant height which provides a competitive advantage to invaders in the windy sub‐Antarctic context.ConclusionOur findings support the expectation that trait complexes of invasive species are predominantly different to those of coexisting native species, and that high resource acquisition and low defence investment are characteristic of invasive plant species.
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Metrics
131
Citations
63
References
Details
Published
Jul 19, 2019
Vol/Issue
30(5)
Pages
994-1006
License
View
Authors
R
Rabia Mathakutha

Department of Plant and Soil Sciences University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa

C
Christien Steyn

Department of Plant and Soil Sciences University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa

P
Peter C. le Roux

Department of Plant and Soil Sciences University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa

I
Izak J. Blom

Department of Plant and Soil Sciences University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa

S
Steven L. Chown

School of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Victoria Australia

B
Barnabas H. Daru

Department of Plant and Soil Sciences University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa; Department of Life Sciences Texas A & M University‐Corpus Christi Corpus Christi Texas, USA

B
Brad S. Ripley

Department of Botany Rhodes University Grahamstown South Africa

A
Anche Louw

Department of Botany and Zoology Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch South Africa

M
Michelle Greve

Department of Plant and Soil Sciences University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa

Cite This Article
Rabia Mathakutha, Christien Steyn, Peter C. le Roux, et al. (2019). Invasive species differ in key functional traits from native and non‐invasive alien plant species. Journal of Vegetation Science, 30(5), 994-1006. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12772
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