Biodiv Sci ›› 2024, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (11): 24269.  DOI: 10.17520/biods.2024269

• Special Feature: Biological Invasion • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of plant community phylogeny and functional diversity on Ageratina adenophora invasion under fire disturbance

Linjun He1,2,3, Wenjing Yang2,3, Yuhao Shi2,3, Kezhemo Ashuo2,3, Yu Fan2,3, Guoyan Wang1,2,3*, Jingji Li1,2,3, Songlin Shi1,2,3, Guihua Yi2,3, Peihao Peng2,3   

  1. 1 State Key Laboratory of Geological Hazard Prevention and Control and Geological Environmental Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China

    2 Institute of Ecological Resources and Landscape Architecture, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China

    3 College of Geography and Planning, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China

  • Received:2024-06-28 Revised:2024-10-02 Online:2024-11-20 Published:2025-01-02
  • Contact: Guoyan Wang

Abstract:

Aims: Exotic plant invasions are intensifying worldwide under global climate change. Comprehensive analysis of the impacts of native plant communities on invasions from multiple perspectives can provide an empirical basis for ecological prevention, control and management of invasive species.  

Methods: In this study, we focused on plant communities across a gradient of fire disturbance intensities in the Panxi region of Sichuan, China. Based on field survey data, we employed principal component analysis (PCA) and generalized linear models (GLMs) to assess the relationships of biotic and abiotic factors with invasion intensities of the non-native species Ageratina adenophora.

Results: Native species phylogenetic diversity of the plant communities in the natural state (having not been subjected to fire) extremely significantly suppressed the invasion intensity of A. adenophora (P < 0.001). In the post-fire secondary communities, those with higher phylogenetic diversity and greater functional similarity between the native species and the invader suppressed the invasion of A. adenophora more strongly (P < 0.05). The settlement time also had a marginally significant positive effect on the cover of A. adenophora (P = 0.067). In the communities that had not been subjected to fire disturbance, increasing hierarchy distance of leaf dry matter content between the native species and the invader reduced the invasion intensity of A. adenophora (P < 0.05). In the post-fire communities, increasing hierarchy distance of plant height between the native species and the invader significantly decreased the invasion intensity of A. adenophora (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Phylogenetic diversity consistently explains the resistance of native plant communities to the invasion by the exotic species A. adenophora under different disturbance regimes. Our results also suggest that native community traits that are indicators of resistance to the invasion of A. adenophora shift in response to fire disturbance.

Key words: Key words: invasion resistance, phylogenetic diversity, trait hierarchy, fire disturbance