基于功能性状的外来植物入侵预测模型框架构建

预测外来植物的潜在入侵性已成为生物多样性保护研究的重要内容,外来植物与乡土物种间的亲缘关系是预测外来植物能否成功入侵的一个重要途径。然而,达尔文归化难题却预测了两种截然不同的结果(即达尔文归化假说和预适应假说)。该研究解析了达尔文归化难题的内涵,提出了基于功能性状的外来植物与乡土群落间的相似性关系应该是进行外来植物入侵预测的重要切入点,而功能性状的种间分化与种内变异可能是外来植物成功入侵的两种不同生态策略。在此基础上,该研究还通过物种功能性状的多维超体积构建了外来植物与乡土群落间的相似性,提出了基于这种相似性的外来植物入侵预测的研究框架和基本流程。该模型框架的建立有助于理解外来植物的入侵机制,对外来植物的潜在入侵性预测提供了理论依据。当然,要实现外来植物能否成功入侵的准确预测,不仅依赖于功能性状的选择,还要考虑入侵的生境依赖性、空间尺度的重要性以及乡土群落的可入侵性等,未来的研究重点是通过控制实验对该模型进行验证和进一步完善。     

基于功能性状多维性理解外来物种入侵的达尔文归化难题

达尔文归化难题是进行外来物种入侵预测的重要理论依据,然而,达尔文归化假说和预适应假说却预测了2种截然不同的结果。事实上,达尔文归化难题争论的焦点是物种间的差异性还是相似性促进了外来物种的成功入侵,究其原因可能是忽略了功能性状的多维性。所谓功能性状的多维性,就是不同的功能性状可能代表着不同的生态功能轴,外来物种的入侵是多个维度上不同生态过程的综合结果。本研究以现代物种共存理论为基础,构建了一个基于环境过滤和适合度差异2个维度的入侵预测模型框架,不同维度对应着不同的功能性状以及不同的种间相似性关系。该预测模型表明,在环境过滤维度上与本地物种性状趋同,同时,在适合度维度上与本地物种性状趋异的外来物种是潜在的入侵物种,而其危害程度主要取决于本地群落的构建过程。该模型框架可为外来物种入侵预警提供理论依据,也可为生物多样性保护、外来物种的防治与管理等提供实践指导。     

Phylogenetic relatedness predicts priority effects in nectar yeast communities

Priority effects, in which the outcome of species interactions depends on the order of their arrival, are a key component of many models of community assembly. Yet, much remains unknown about how priority effects vary in strength among species in a community and what factors explain this variation. We experimented with a model natural community in laboratory microcosms that allowed us to quantify the strength of priority effects for most of the yeast species found in the floral nectar of a hummingbird-pollinated shrub at a biological preserve in northern California. We found that priority effects were widespread, with late-arriving species experiencing strong negative effects from early-arriving species. However, the magnitude of priority effects varied across species pairs. This variation was phylogenetically non-random, with priority effects stronger between closer relatives. Analysis of carbon and amino acid consumption profiles indicated that competition between closer relatives was more intense owing to higher ecological similarity, consistent with Darwin's naturalization hypothesis. These results suggest that phylogenetic relatedness between potential colonists may explain the strength of priority effects and, as a consequence, the degree to which community assembly is historically contingent.     

Using space‐for‐time substitution and time sequence approaches in invasion ecology

1. Invasion biologists use two main approaches to evaluate the effects of non‐native species (NNS) on diversity of native species (DNS), namely space‐for‐time and time approaches. These approaches have pitfalls related to lack of controls: the former lacks pre‐invasion data, while the latter often lacks data from non‐invaded sites. 2. We propose a framework that combines space‐for‐time and time approaches and which should result in more focused mechanistic hypotheses and experiments to test the causes of invasibility and the effects of NNS on DNS. We illustrate the usefulness of our framework using two case studies: one with the submersed macrophyte, Hydrilla verticillata, in reservoir and the other with the fish, Geophagus proximus, in a large river–floodplain system. 3. Hydrilla verticillata invaded sites with DNS similar to that found in non‐invaded sites, indicating that biotic and/or abiotic factors did not influence invasion success; however, DNS increased over time in invaded sites compared with non‐invaded sites, suggesting that H. verticillata facilitated natives. In contrast, G. proximus invaded sites with higher DNS than non‐invaded sites, suggesting that biotic and/or abiotic factors favouring natives were important for invasion success, but DNS increased in invaded and non‐invaded sites over time, indicating that an independent factor contributed to DNS increases. 4. Conclusions from both studies would have been inaccurate or incomplete if the space‐for‐time and time approaches had not been used in combination as proposed in our framework.     

Is phylogenetic relatedness to native species important for the establishment of reptiles introduced to California and Florida?

Aim Charles Darwin posited that introduced species with close relatives were less likely to succeed because of fiercer competition resulting from their similarity to residents. There is much debate about the generality of this rule, and recent studies on plant and fish introductions have been inconclusive. Information on phylogenetic relatedness is potentially valuable for explaining invasion outcomes and could form part of screening protocols for minimizing future invasions. We provide the first test of this hypothesis for terrestrial vertebrates using two new molecular phylogenies for native and introduced reptiles for two regions with the best data on introduction histories. Location California and Florida, USA. Methods We performed an ordination of ecological traits to confirm that ecologically similar species are indeed closely related phylogenetically. We then inferred molecular phylogenies for introduced and native reptiles using sequence data for two nuclear and three mitochondrial genes. Using these phylogenies, we computed two distance metrics: the mean phylogenetic distance (MPD) between each introduced species and all native species in each region (which indicates the potential interactions between introduced species and all native species in the community) and the distance of each introduced species to its nearest native relative – NN (indicating the degree of similarity and associated likelihood of competition between each introduced species and its closest evolutionary analogue). These metrics were compared for introduced species that established and those that failed. Results We demonstrate that phylogenetically related species do share similar ecological functions. Furthermore, successfully introduced species are more distantly related to natives (for NN and MPD) than failed species, although variation is high. Main conclusions The evolutionary history of a region has value for explaining and predicting the outcome of human‐driven introductions of reptiles. Phylogenetic metrics are thus useful inputs to multi‐factor risk assessments, which are increasingly required for screening introduced species.