Fast but steady: An integrated leaf-stem-root trait syndrome for woody forest invaders.
Publication/Presentation Date
4-1-2022
Abstract
Successful control and prevention of biological invasions depend on identifying traits of non-native species that promote fitness advantages in competition with native species. Here, we show that, among 76 native and non-native woody plants of deciduous forests of North America, invaders express a unique functional syndrome that combines high metabolic rate with robust leaves of longer lifespan and a greater duration of annual carbon gain, behaviours enabled by seasonally plastic xylem structure and rapid production of thin roots. This trait combination was absent in all native species examined and suggests the success of forest invaders is driven by a novel resource-use strategy. Furthermore, two traits alone-annual leaf duration and nuclear DNA content-separated native and invasive species with 93% accuracy, supporting the use of functional traits in invader risk assessments. A trait syndrome reflecting both fast growth capacity and understorey persistence may be a key driver of forest invasions.
Volume
25
Issue
4
First Page
900
Last Page
912
ISSN
1461-0248
Published In/Presented At
Fridley, J. D., Bauerle, T. L., Craddock, A., Ebert, A. R., Frank, D. A., Heberling, J. M., Hinman, E. D., Jo, I., Martinez, K. A., Smith, M. S., Woolhiser, L. J., & Yin, J. (2022). Fast but steady: An integrated leaf-stem-root trait syndrome for woody forest invaders. Ecology letters, 25(4), 900–912. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13967
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
PubMedID
35098634
Department(s)
Department of Family Medicine, Department of Family Medicine Residents, Fellows and Residents
Document Type
Article