文献类型：期刊文献

英文题名：Fast seedling root growth leads to competitive superiority of invasive plants

作者：Ni, Ming[1,2] Liu, Yu[1,2] Chu, Chengjin[1,2] Xu, Han[3] Fang, Suqin[1,2]

第一作者：Ni, Ming

通信作者：Fang, SQ[1];Fang, SQ[2]

机构：[1]Sun Yat Sen Univ, Sch Life Sci, SYSU Alberta Joint Lab Biodivers Conservat, Guangzhou 510275, Guangdong, Peoples R China;[2]Sun Yat Sen Univ, Sch Life Sci, State Key Lab Biocontrol, Guangzhou 510275, Guangdong, Peoples R China;[3]Chinese Acad Forestry, Res Inst Trop Forestry, Guangzhou 510520, Guangdong, Peoples R China

年份：2018

卷号：20

期号：7

起止页码：1821-1832

外文期刊名：BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS

收录：;Scopus(收录号：2-s2.0-85040671896);WOS:【SCI-EXPANDED(收录号:WOS:000434033000013)】；

基金：We thank Prof. Fangliang He from University of Alberta for comments on the manuscript. This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Grant (No. 31370441) and Pearl River S&T Nova Program of Guangzhou (201610010082).

语种：英文

外文关键词：Belowground; Biological invasion; Invasive plant; Root trait; Root competition

摘要：The competitive superiority of invasive plants plays a key role in the process of plant invasions, enabling invasive plants to overcome the resistance of local plant communities. Fast aboveground growth and high densities lead to the competitive superiority of invasive species in the competition for light. However, little is understood of the role belowground root competition may play in invasion. We conducted an experiment to test the effect of root growth on the performance of an invasive shrub Cassia alata, a naturalized, non-invasive shrub Corchorus capsularis, and a native shrub Desmodium reticulatum. We compared seedling growth of the three species and their competitive ability in situ. The roots of the C. alata seedlings grew much faster than those of C. capsularis and D. reticulatum during the entire growth period although C. alata had shorter shoots than D. reticulatum. Furthermore, C. alata showed an apparent competition advantage compared to the other two species as evidenced by less biomass reduction in intraspecific competition and higher competitive effects in interspecific competition. Our study reveals that fast seedling root growth may be important in explaining the competitive advantages of invasive plants. Future studies should pay more attention to the belowground traits of invasive plants, the trade-off between shoot and root growth, and the role of root competition in affecting the population dynamics of invasive plants and the structures of invaded communities.