Distribution patterns of alien invasive plants and their influences on native plants of Hainan Island

 以国家农业部指定的20种恶性入侵植物为目的种, 在海南岛开展其分布特征与入侵强度的调查研究, 重点研究了陆域环境中6种广布入侵植物——飞机草(Chromolaena odorata)、假臭草(Praxelis clematidea)、含羞草(Mimosa pudica)、苏门白酒草(Conyza sumatrensis)、三裂叶蟛蜞菊(Wedelia trilobata)、马缨丹(Lantana camara)在7种生态系统(天然次生林、农田、村落、种植园、林缘、弃耕地、草地)中的入侵频率及入侵植物对本地植物的影响。结果表明: 1)海南岛有恶性入侵植物11种, 占调查目的种总数的55.0%。2)海南岛的东北、西南部分布的入侵植物种数较多, 东南部次之, 中部地区最少。3) 6种入侵植物的整体入侵强度为: 假臭草>飞机草>含羞草>三裂叶蟛蜞菊>马缨丹>苏门白酒草; 苏门白酒草、马缨丹在不同生态系统中的入侵频率无显著差异; 而假臭草在种植园及弃耕地, 含羞草在农田, 三裂叶蟛蜞菊在种植园生态系统中的入侵频率均显著高于其他生境。4)种植园、弃耕地和农田生态系统是植物入侵的主要生境类型, 而林缘和天然次生林生态系统均对植物入侵表现出抵御作用。5)植物入侵对当地植物多样性的影响存在正、负及无关联效应, 并主要影响群落中的草本植物功能群; 样地中入侵植物盖度总值与本地植物平均种数在种植园、农田和村落生态系统中无相关性, 在林缘和弃耕地生态系统中, 两者呈显著负相关关系; 而在草地生态系统中, 在一定盖度范围内, 入侵植物盖度总值与本地植物平均种数呈显著正相关关系。     

鄱阳湖南矶山湿地自然保护区的外来入侵植物调查与分析

为了解鄱阳湖南矶山自然保护区外来入侵植物的状况, 从2010 年至2014 年对外来入侵植物的物种种类、分布、传播等进行了调查。结果表明, 南矶山湿地保护区共有外来入侵植物32 种, 隶属于l8 科28 属, 其中菊科最多, 有8 种6 属;其次是苋科, 有4 种3 属, 绝大多数是草本植物;以原产地为美洲的最多, 有15 种, 其中来自北美的有9 种。对保护区造成严重危害的外来入侵植物有5 种, 分别为野燕麦(Avena fatua)、小飞蓬(Conyza canadensis)、野胡萝卜(Daucus carota)、裸柱菊(Soliva anthemifolia)和空心莲子草(Alternanthera philoxeroides), 危害较强的主要有7 种, 危害较轻的有20 种。对外来植物的入侵途径、规律与成因以及对生态环境造成的影响进行了讨论, 并提出了防治对策与建议。     

Experimental management control of Opuntia dillenii Haw. and Agave americana L. in Teno Rural Park,Canary Islands

Invasion biology is an important element of global environmental change and represents one of the main threats to biodiversity. American species were introduced to Tenerife after the Spanish conquest during the eighteenth century, as is the case for Agave americana and Opuntia dillenii. The long period of naturalization and adaptation of these species has led them to become two of the most dispersed introduced species of the archipelago. We analyzed several eradication management processes in an area intensively invaded by both O. dillenii and A. americana. Three treatments were randomly applied: mechanical removal, use of herbicide (glyphosate at 10% volume), and mechanical and herbicide applied together. Both the effectiveness of the treatments to remove the target exotic species biovolume and the impact of the eradication methods on species richness and species composition of the area were analyzed. We found that the treatments had an impact on species composition but not on species richness. Species composition was mainly affected by mechanical treatment. The effect caused by the mechanical removal of the exotic target species in species composition is minor after 4 years, and is related to a higher dominance of shrub species typical of coastal shrubland and of annual or pioneer species. The control of O. dillenii and A. americana is evident from insignificant recovery 4 years after treatment application. A mechanical and herbicide treatment together, allowed not only the immediate removal of large individuals but also the herbicidal control of smaller ones.     

Growth,phenology, and biomass allocation of alien Solidago species in central Europe

Plant invasion is a major threat to the integrity of an ecosystem. Exceptionally successful invaders in Europe are the American species of Solidago genus. In this study we examined growth, reproduction, and phenology of Solidago species, of American origin, growing in central Europe (S. altissima, S. canadensis, S. gigantea, S. graminifolia). These taxa were compared with two native species: Solidago virgaurea and Tanacetum vulgare. We observed high differentiation in height, number of shoots, and biomass production between individuals within taxa. Generally, the invasive species produced substantially (two to five times) more biomass than the native ones, being statistically significant in the comparison of alien Solidago graminifolia and S. gigantea versus native S. virgaurea and T. vulgare. The ratio of biomass of reproductive parts to overall biomass varied considerably among years, but generally the lowest one was for Solidago altissima, and the highest for S. graminifolia. It shows a lack of a clear pattern of differentiation between alien and native species in terms of biomass investment in reproduction. We observed a general tendency of allocation of a major part of biomass in rhizomes by phalanx species (S. graminifolia and S. gigantea), while species with guerrilla strategy (S. altissima and S. canadensis) invested more biomass in stems and leaves. However, because of the high variability there was no clear, stable pattern of statistically significant differences between these two groups. The results suggest that S. graminifolia reveals a strong potential of invasion, in spite of its, so far limited, distribution in Europe.     

X-ray doses to safely release the parasitoid Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) reared on Anastrepha fraterculus larvae (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Diachasmimorpha longicaudata is a koinobiont larval parasitoid that is currently used to control fruit flies of the genera Anastrepha, Ceratitis and Bactrocera. In the rearing process, a fraction of the host larvae that are exposed to parasitoids escape from parasitism and develop into viable and fertile flies. This creates the need to eliminate emerging flies before the parasitoids are shipped for release, increasing costs due to additional handling steps. Exposure of fly eggs or larvae to gamma-irradiation before they are parasitised has been used to reproductively sterilise hosts, or even inhibit their emergence. Our aim was to determine whether X-ray radiation applied to Anastrepha fraterculus third instar larvae before they are exposed to parasitoids, inhibits fly emergence in non-parasitised larvae without affecting the performance of the parasitoids that emerge from parasitised larvae. Three X-ray doses: 6250.2 R, 8333.6 R and 10417 R (equivalent to 60, 80 and 100 Gy, respectively) and one γ-ray dose (100 Gy) were tested. Fly emergence decreased with increasing doses of radiation, showing null values for the higher X-ray dose and the dose of 100 Gy. Irradiation showed either no impact or a positive effect on parasitism rate and fecundity. Sex rate was biased towards females in almost every dose. We conclude that the two types of radiation evaluated here were equally effective in suppressing fly emergence with no detrimental effects on the biological quality of the produced parasitoids. X-rays offer an alternative method of irradiation than the conventional radiation source, i.e. γ-rays. These results represent a significant improvement in the development of a biological control programme against A. fraterculus.     

Introgression between invasive and native blue mussels (genus Mytilus) in the central California hybrid zone

The ecological and genetic factors determining the extent of introgression between species in secondary contact zones remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate the relative importance of isolating barriers and the demographic expansion of invasive Mytilus galloprovincialis on the magnitude and the direction of introgression with the native Mytilus trossulus in a hybrid zone in central California. We use double‐digest restriction‐site‐associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq) to genotype 1337 randomly selected single nucleotide polymorphisms and accurately distinguish early and advanced generation hybrids for the first time in the central California Mytilus spp. hybrid zone. Weak levels of introgression were observed in both directions but were slightly more prevalent from the native M. trossulus into the invasive M. galloprovincialis. Few early and advanced backcrossed individuals were observed across the hybrid zone confirming the presence of strong barriers to interbreeding. Heterogeneous patterns of admixture across the zone of contact were consistent with the colonization history of M. galloprovincialis with more extensive introgression in northern localities furthest away from the putative site of introduction in southern California. These observations reinforce the importance of dynamic spatial and demographic expansions in determining patterns of introgression between close congeners, even in those with high dispersal potential and well‐developed reproductive barriers. Our results suggest that the threat posed by invasive M. galloprovincialis is more ecological than genetic as it has displaced, and continues to displace the native M. trossulus from much of central and southern California.     

Ancestral origins and invasion pathways in a globally invasive bird correlate with climate and influences from bird trade

Invasive species present a major threat to global biodiversity. Understanding genetic patterns and evolutionary processes that reinforce successful establishment is paramount for elucidating mechanisms underlying biological invasions. Among birds, the ring‐necked parakeet (Psittacula krameri) is one of the most successful invasive species, established in over 35 countries. However, little is known about the evolutionary genetic origins of this species and what population genetic signatures tell us about patterns of invasion. We reveal the ancestral origins of populations across the invasive range and explore the potential influence of climate and propagule pressure from the pet trade on observed genetic patterns. Ring‐necked parakeet samples representing the ancestral native range (n = 96) were collected from museum specimens, and modern samples from the invasive range (n = 855) were gathered from across Europe, Mauritius and Seychelles, and sequenced for two mitochondrial DNA markers comprising 868 bp of cytochrome b and control region, and genotyped at 10 microsatellite loci. Invasive populations comprise birds that originate predominantly from Pakistan and northern areas of India. Haplotypes associated with more northerly distribution limits in the ancestral native range were more prevalent in invasive populations in Europe, and the predominance of Asian haplotypes in Europe is consistent with the higher number of Asian birds transported by the pet trade outside the native range. Successful establishment of invasive species is likely to be underpinned by a combination of environmental and anthropogenic influences.     

Early detection surveillance for an emerging plant pathogen: a rule of thumb to predict prevalence at first discovery

Emerging plant pathogens are a significant problem for conservation and food security. Surveillance is often instigated in an attempt to detect an invading epidemic before it gets out of control. Yet in practice many epidemics are not discovered until already at a high prevalence, partly due to a lack of quantitative understanding of how surveillance effort and the dynamics of an invading epidemic relate. We test a simple rule of thumb to determine, for a surveillance programme taking a fixed number of samples at regular intervals, the distribution of the prevalence an epidemic will have reached on first discovery (discovery-prevalence) and its expectation E(q*). We show that E(q*) = r/(N/Δ), i.e. simply the rate of epidemic growth divided by the rate of sampling; where r is the epidemic growth rate, N is the sample size and Δ is the time between sampling rounds. We demonstrate the robustness of this rule of thumb using spatio-temporal epidemic models as well as data from real epidemics. Our work supports the view that, for the purposes of early detection surveillance, simple models can provide useful insights in apparently complex systems. The insight can inform decisions on surveillance resource allocation in plant health and has potential applicability to invasive species generally.     

Admixture between native and invasive populations may increase invasiveness of Mimulus guttatus

Self-fertilization and admixture of genotypes from different populations can have major fitness consequences in native species. However, few studies have addressed their potential roles in invasive species. Here, we used plants of Mimulus guttatus from seven native North American, three invasive Scottish and four invasive New Zealand populations to address this. We created seeds from self-fertilization, within-population outcrossing, between-population outcrossing within the same range, and outcrossing between the native and invasive ranges. A greenhouse experiment showed that native and invasive plants of M. guttatus suffered to similar degrees from inbreeding depression, in terms of asexual reproduction and biomass production. After outcrossing with plants from other populations, M. guttatus benefited from heterosis, in terms of asexual and sexual reproduction, and biomass production, particularly when plants from native and invasive populations were crossed. This suggests that, when novel genotypes of M. guttatus from the native North American range will be introduced to the invasive ranges, subsequent outcrossing with M. guttatus plants that are already there might further boost invasiveness of this species.