两种入侵植物与三种本地植物根系特征的比较研究

以菊科2种入侵植物飞机草(Chromolaena odorata (L.)R. M. King & H. Rob)和紫茎泽兰( Eupatorium adenophorum Speng)以及生活型相似的3种本地植物异叶泽兰(Eupatorium heterophyllum DC.)、佩兰(Eupa-torium for...     

Simulated warming differentially affects the growth and competitive ability of Centaurea maculosa populations from home and introduced ranges

Climate warming may drive invasions by exotic plants, thereby raising concerns over the risks of invasive plants. However, little is known about how climate warming influences the growth and competitive ability of exotic plants from their home and introduced ranges. We conducted a common garden experiment with an invasive plant Centaurea maculosa and a native plant Poa pratensis, in which a mixture of sand and vermiculite was used as a neutral medium, and contrasted the total biomass, competitive effects, and competitive responses of C. maculosa populations from Europe (home range) and North America (introduced range) under two different temperatures. The warming-induced inhibitory effects on the growth of C. maculosa alone were stronger in Europe than in North America. The competitive ability of C. maculosa plants from North America was greater than that of plants from Europe under the ambient condition whereas this competitive ability followed the opposite direction under the warming condition, suggesting that warming may enable European C. maculosa to be more invasive. Across two continents, warming treatment increased the competitive advantage instead of the growth advantage of C. maculosa, suggesting that climate warming may facilitate C. maculosa invasions through altering competitive outcomes between C. maculosa and its neighbors. Additionally, the growth response of C. maculosa to warming could predict its ability to avoid being suppressed by its neighbors.     

施肥对苗期紫茎泽兰和黑麦草相对竞争力的影响

为种植黑麦草替代控制紫茎泽兰提供依据,运用取代实验法,研究了施肥(氮、磷)对苗期紫茎泽兰和黑麦草的相对竞争力以及生长表现的影响。结果表明:增施氮肥和磷肥均能够提高紫茎泽兰的相对竞争力,而仅磷肥对黑麦草的竞争力略有促进作用;但在各种施肥水平下,黑麦草的竞争力仍然明显强于紫茎泽兰。增施氮肥可以显著提高紫茎泽兰的株高、分枝数和干质量,而磷肥仅在较高时才显著提高其干质量;增施氮肥虽然可以提高黑麦草的分蘖数量,但对其干质量没有影响,而增施磷肥(2次)可以显著提高其干质量;在竞争中紫茎泽兰植株生长的能量分配(用根茎比表示)对磷肥不敏感。建议适当增施磷肥、不施或少施氮肥,以提高黑麦草的替代控制效果。     

紫茎泽兰一种潜在化感活性物质的分离鉴定

【背景】紫茎泽兰潜在的化感效应可能是其具有极强入侵性的重要原因。目前,针对紫茎泽兰潜在化感活性物质的研究主要集中于偏小极性的萜烯类化合物,而对大极性化学物质的研究相对较少。【方法】采用活性跟踪分析法对紫茎泽兰乙酸乙酯提取物大极性亚组分进行潜在化感活性物质的跟踪分离,并用现代波谱技术解析其化学结构,最后就分离获得的单体成分与已报道的化感活性物质羟基泽兰酮（2）和泽兰二酮（3）以及信号分子JA-Ile在抑制拟南芥种子萌发和幼苗根生长方面进行潜在化感活性的对比分析。【结果】分离鉴定出一个具有潜在强化感活性的大极性化合物2．香豆酸葡萄糖苷（1）,研究发现该化合物虽然对拟南芥种子萌发的抑制作用不显著,但在0．1mmol·L^-1的浓度条件下对拟南芥幼苗根生长却有着比羟基泽兰酮和泽兰二酮更为显著的抑制活性,且其抑制作用的浓度一活性关系与信号分子JA-Ile类似。【结论与意义】紫茎泽兰中潜在大极性的非萜烯类化感活性物质对于紫茎泽兰的综合化感效应可能同样具有重要而不可或缺的作用,化合物1等潜在大极性化感活性物质的逐步揭示对于系统解析紫茎泽兰的化感效应机制具有重要意义。     

不同地理种源紫茎泽兰的生态适应性比较

采用交互移植法,对移栽在6种不同生境中的5个不同种源紫茎泽兰幼苗的存活率、株高、分枝数、生物量、单株花序数、产种量和种子萌发率进行了为期1年的对比研究.结果表明：各种源紫茎泽兰的幼苗生长和繁殖特性对样地环境条件变化均表现出很强的可塑性.试验样地因素对幼苗株高、分枝数、生物量、单株花序数和产种量的影响均达到极显著水平(P＜0.001).随着样地纬度和海拔的升高,各种源的幼苗株高、分枝数量、单株生物量、每株花序数量和单株产种量均呈下降趋势,且各样地间的差异均达到显著水平(P＜0.05).但种源因素对幼苗株高、分枝数、生物量、单株花序数和产种量的影响均不显著（P＞0.05）.除单株产种量外,种源与试验样地的交互作用对上述各指标的影响均不显著.在各样地内,当地种源幼苗的存活率、生长能力和繁殖能力均未表现出显著的优势.说明紫茎泽兰在我国西南地区入侵成功主要依靠其较高的表型可塑性,而局域适应的作用相对较小.     

Functional traits underlying performance variations in the overwintering of the cosmopolitan invasive plant water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) under climate warming and water drawdown

Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicate that temperature rise is still the general trend of the global climate in the 21st century. Invasive species may benefit from the increase in temperature, as climate can be viewed as a resource, and the increase in the available resources favors the invasibility of invasive species. This study aimed to assess the overwintering growth of the cosmopolitan invasive plant water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) at its northern boundary. Using E. crassipes as a model plant, a cross‐year mesocosm experiment was conducted to determine 17 plant functional traits, including growth, morphological, root topological, photosynthetic, and stoichiometric traits, under climate warming (ambient, temperature rises of 1.5°C and 3.0°C), and water drawdown or water withdrawal (water depths of 1, 10, and 20 cm) treatments. The overwintering growth of E. crassipes was facilitated by climate warming and proper water drawdown, and climate warming played a leading role. A temperature rises of 3.0°C and a water depth of 10 cm were the most suitable conditions for the overwintering and rooting behavior of the plant. Controlling the temperature to within 1.5°C, an ambitious goal for China, still facilitated the overwintering of E. crassipes. With climate warming, the plant can overwinter successfully, which possibly assists it in producing and spreading new ramets in the vernal flood season. The new rooting behavior induced by ambient low temperature may be viewed as a unique growth adaptation strategy for a niche change, as it helps these plants invade empty niches left by dead free‐floating plants on the water surface following winter freezes. With continued global warming, the distribution of the plant may expand northward, and eradication of the plant during the winter water drawdown period may be a more effective strategy.     

Synergistic interactions of CO2 enrichment and nitrogen deposition promote growth and ecophysiological advantages of invading Eupatorium adenophorum in Southwest China

Global environmental change and ongoing biological invasions are the two prominent ecological issues threatening biodiversity worldwide, and investigations of their interaction will aid to predict plant invasions and inform better management strategies in the future. In this study, invasive Eupatorium adenophorum and native congener E. stoechadosmum were compared at ambient and elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO(2)) concentrations combined with three levels of nitrogen (N; reduced, control and increased) in terms of growth, energy gain, and cost. Compared with E. stoechadosmum, E. adenophorum adopted a quicker-return energy-use strategy, i.e. higher photosynthetic energy-use efficiency and shorter payback time. Lower leaf mass per area may be a pivotal trait for the invader, which contributed to an increased N allocation to Rubisco at the expense of cell walls and therefore to higher photosynthetic energy gain. CO(2) enrichment and N deposition synergistically promoted plant growth and influenced some related ecophysiological traits, and the synergistic effects were greater for the invader than for the native congener. Reducing N availability by applying sugar eliminated the advantages of the invader over its native congener at both CO(2) levels. Our results indicate that CO(2) enrichment and N deposition may exacerbate E. adenophorum's invasion in the future, and manipulating environmental resources such as N availability may be a feasible tool for managing invasion impacts of E. adenophorum.     

Density-dependent responses of Picea purpurea seedlings for plant growth and resource allocation under elevated temperature

This study was conducted to determine whether plants in the presence or absence of competition differ in their responses to warming, and whether density modifies the effect of warming. Picea purourea seedlings were grown under ambient and warming (ambient +2.2 °C) conditions in climate control chambers with two different planting densities. After 4 years, seedlings were harvested and measured for height, stem diameter, leaf area, structural biomass, carbon, nitrogen, chlorophyll and carbohydrate levels of needles, branches, stem and roots. At low density, warming increased height, stem diameter, total leaf area biomass production and carbohydrate concentration per seedling, while it decreased C/N ratio for all plant parts, but did not affect chlorophyll content. By contrast, at high density, although warming increased biomass and total leaf area, it did not affect plant height and stem diameter. At the same time, it had different effects on chlorophyll content, C/N ratio and carbohydrate levels among plant parts. On the other hand, high density limited plant growth and altered resource allocation pattern. Our study demonstrates that planting densities decreased the temperature-induced growth enhancement of P. purpurea seedlings and the effects of warming on resource allocation not only showed density-dependence, but also vary with tissue age classes and root diameter; the responses of plants to elevated temperature, acquired from plants growing as individuals, may not be applicable to plants grown under intraspecific competition as typically found in the field.     

CO2浓度升高和不同氮源对紫茎泽兰生长及光合特性的影响

大气CO2浓度升高和植物入侵是全世界面临的两大重要问题。CO2浓度升高促进植物的光合作用,但在某些植物中,这种促进作用出现在短期高浓度CO2下,而在长期高浓度CO2处理下消失（称为CO2驯化）,被认为源于高浓度CO2对光呼吸和NO-3同化的抑制。通过比较研究不同形式氮源（全氮、硝态氮）和短期（8 days）、长期（40 days）CO2浓度升高处理对入侵植物紫茎泽兰生理特征的影响,结果表明在全氮供应下,短期和长期CO2浓度升高均促进了紫茎泽兰的光合;氨态氮缺失情况下,长期CO2浓度升高促进紫茎泽兰的光合,而短期CO2浓度升高对紫茎泽兰的光合没有促进作用;缺NH＋4下,短期高浓度CO2提高了叶片叶绿素含量,长期CO2升高又使其回复到正常CO2下的较低水平。这些结果表明紫茎泽兰并不会对长期的CO2升高产生驯化,即长期CO2升高会促进紫茎泽兰的光合作用,而且这一促进作用不受土壤中缺NH＋4的影响。鉴于培养介质中缺NH＋4会导致一些植物产生“CO2驯化”,未来CO2浓度升高情况下,在缺NH＋4的土壤中,紫茎泽兰的竞争力可能会更强。     

喜旱莲子草在青藏高原对模拟增温的可塑性: 引入地和原产地种群的比较

气候变暖背景下植物可通过关键性状的表型可塑性来适应环境温度的增加。表型可塑性增强进化假说预测定植到新环境中的入侵植物种群具有演化出更强表型可塑性的潜力。此前对可塑性进化的研究涵盖了外来植物性状对水分条件、光照变化、土壤养分、邻体根系以及天敌防御等的响应, 而较少有研究关注增温条件下植物重要性状的可塑性进化。已有的部分研究多集中在温带和热带地区, 而较少关注入侵植物在高寒地区对增温的响应; 且研究多集中在植物生长相关性状, 较少关注功能性状和防御性状。本研究采用同质园实验比较了喜旱莲子草6个引入地(中国)种群和6个原产地(阿根廷)种群, 在西藏拉萨模拟全天增温2℃处理下的适合度性状、功能性状和防御性状的响应差异。结果表明: (1)高寒地区模拟全天增温显著提高了喜旱莲子草总生物量(+36.4%)、地上生物量(+34.5%)、贮藏根生物量(+51.4%)和毛根生物量(+33.6%), 降低了分枝强度(-19.8%)和比茎长(-30.2%); (2)模拟全天增温使引入地种群的比叶面积和黄酮含量增加, 而原产地种群则相反。这些结果表明高寒地区全天增温2℃对喜旱莲子草可能是一种有利条件。引入地种群的适合度性状对模拟全天增温2℃的响应比原产地种群更强, 而其光能利用相关性状和防御性状的响应可能提升了其在高寒地区的适合度。因此, 在未来全球气候变暖的背景下, 高寒地区温度升高可能更有利于喜旱莲子草引入地种群的定植和扩散。     

紫茎泽兰与黑麦草苗期相对竞争力和生长特征的研究

为探究替代物种黑麦草（Lolium perenne）抑制外来人侵杂草紫茎泽兰（Eupatorium adenophorum）的潜力,采用de Wit取代系列设计,在野外小区内设置3水平多年生黑麦草栽植时间、4水平种植密度以及3水平混种比例等不同种植处理,于12周后收获,分别测量黑麦草与紫茎泽兰的地上生物量和地下生物量,用单株相对产量分析其竞争力。结果表明,种植密度、混种比例和黑麦草栽植时间显著影响紫茎泽兰的地上生物量,紫茎泽兰的竞争力在低种植比例情况下,随黑麦草栽植时间的推迟而明显增强,随种植密度的降低而增强。种植密度、混种比例、黑麦草栽植时间以及这些因素的互作等对黑麦草的地上生物量与地下生物量均具有显著影响;栽植时间越晚、密度越大,黑麦草的竞争力就越弱（尽管不存在直线关系）。在大多数种植处理条件下,紫茎泽兰经历的种间竞争明显大于种内竞争,表现出较弱的竞争力;而黑麦草在与紫茎泽兰同时栽植的情况下,经历的种内竞争大于种间竞争,表现出较强的竞争力。     

光强对两种入侵植物生物量分配、叶片形态和相对生长速率的影响

 比较研究了不同光强下生长的（透光率分别为12.5%、36%、50%、100%）两种入侵性不同的外来种——紫茎泽兰（Eupatorium adenophorum）和兰花菊三七（Gynura sp.）的生物量分配、叶片形态和生长特性。结果表明: 1）两种植物叶片形态对光环境的反应相似。弱光下比叶面积（SLA）、平均单叶面积（MLS）和叶面积比（LAR）较大,随着光强的升高,SLA、MLS、LAR和叶根比（LARMR）降低。2）100%光强下紫茎泽兰叶生物量比（LMR）、叶重分数（LMF）和叶面积指数高于低光强下的值,也高于兰花菊三七,支持结构生物量比（SBR）则相反。强光下紫茎泽兰叶片自遮荫严重,这可能是其表现入侵性的重要原因之一;兰花菊三七分枝较多,避免了叶片自遮荫,较多的分枝利于种子形成对其入侵有利。3）随生长环境光强的升高,两种植物的净同化速率（NAR）、相对生长速率（RGR）和生长对NAR的响应系数均升高（但100%光强下兰花菊三七RGR降低）,平均叶面积比（LARm）和生长对LARm的响应系数均降低,但不同光强下LARm对生长的影响始终大于NAR。4）随着光强的减弱,两种植物都增加高度以截获更多光能,但它们的生物量分配策略不同,紫茎泽兰根生物量比（RMR）降低,SBR增大,而兰花菊三七SBR降低,RMR增大。紫茎泽兰的生物量分配策略更好的反应了弱光环境中的资源变化情况。结论：紫茎泽兰对光环境的适应能力强于兰花菊三七。     

紫茎泽兰种群年龄结构动态及对控制的指示意义

外来入侵植物紫茎泽兰 (Eupatoriumadenophorum) 给我国西南地区的经济、社会和环境造成了严重的危害。为了阐明紫茎泽兰种群的年龄结构和未来发展趋势, 为今后的防治工作提供科学依据, 在攀枝花地区设置了 2 0个样地 (10m× 10m), 对 4种不同生境种群的年龄结构、静态生命表和时间序列预测进行了分析。这 4个种群是该地区有代表性类型中紫茎泽兰的种群 :路旁荒地、云南松 (Pinusyunnanensis) 林、阔叶林和阔叶林的林缘。种群年龄结构分析表明, 目前 (几个类型总和 ) 个体数量比重分别为 :幼年期占 92.32 %, 青年期占 6.4 0 %, 成熟期占 2.2 0 %, 衰老期占 0.18%, 个体数量主要集中于幼年期。紫茎泽兰不同种群生命表和存活曲线的分析显示, 紫茎泽兰对 4个种群的入侵过程是路旁荒地→阔叶林林缘→阔叶林→云南松林, 尽管所处的生境差异较大, 但基本属于DeeveyⅢ型, 一年生幼苗死亡率高达 97.30 %, 种群偏离典型曲线的程度与群落受干扰程度强弱有关, 一般由幼年期到青年期和由成熟期到衰老期死亡率较高 (分别为 93.0 7%和 92.0 0 % ) 。时间序列分析表明, 在未来的 3~ 5年中, 紫茎泽兰种群仍然是以青年期和成熟期个体占绝对优势。     

Influence of Elevated CO2 Concentration and Nitrogen Source on Photosynthetic Traits in the Invasive Species Eupatorium adenophorum (Asteraceae)

Increases in the concentration of atmospheric CO2 and plant invasion are two important problems that face humans worldwide. In some plants, exposure to a short term elevated concentration of CO2 (SE［CO2］) promotes photosynthesis, but the promotion of elevated ［CO2］ (E ［CO2］) to photosynthesis might disappear after long term treatment (so called “CO2 acclimation”); this might result from the associated inhibition of nitrate assimilation. The present study investigated the physiological effects of short term (8 days) and long term (40 days) exposure to E［CO2］ when these were combined with different forms of inorganic N (full N; nitrate (NO3-) N) in the invasive species Eupatorium adenophorum. Exposure to E［CO2］ increased the biomass of Eadenophorum, regardless of the duration of exposure to E［CO2］ and the type of inorganic N that was supplied. E［CO2］ could promote the photosynthesis of Eadenophorum seedlings fertilised with non depleted Hoagland solutions (full N). For plants fertilised with NH4+ depleted Hoagland solution (NO3- N), LE［CO2］ treatment promoted the photosynthesis of Eadenop horum, but the promotion of photosynthesis by E［CO2］ disappeared under SE［CO2］ conditions. Photosynthetic pigments contents were determined to estimate potential changes in the photosynthetic capacity of Eadenophorum. For plants fertilised with non depleted Hoagland solution, there were no significant differences in chlorophyll among the three ［CO2］ treatments, but the treatment of SE［CO2］ increased the levels of chlorophyll in leaves. The apparent promotion of biomass accumulation and photosynthesis at LE［CO2］ without a decrease in chlorophyll indicates that Eadenophorum might not acclimate to long term exposure to E［CO2］. NH4+ depletion did not affect the capacity of LE［CO2］ to promote the photosynthesis of Eadenophorum. Thus, considering some plants fertilised with NO3- acclimating to LE［CO2］, Eadenophorum might be more competitive in areas where the soils are relatively poor in NH4+ as levels of atmospheric CO2 continue to rise.     

紫茎泽兰的CO2交换特性

紫茎泽兰是一种外来入侵有害植物,从CO2交换特性角度研究其入侵特性的报道较少。对其生殖器官(花和果)和营养器官(茎杆和根系和不同生长条件下的叶片)气体交换特性进行了测定,并与8种本地种和已报到的世界主要草本和木本植物的光合速率、呼吸速率进行了对比。在结果中观察到,不同叶片的净光合能力和呼吸速率差异较大,同一茎杆不同叶片、不同年龄株丛和同一株丛不同年龄分株上叶片、不同生境内嫩叶、成叶和老叶、不同长度节间上生长叶片以及基生叶和顶生叶光合能力都受到气孔限制和非气孔限制(羧化能力)的影响,但不同叶片所受的限制程度不同。综合来看,最大叶片净光合速率为17.6μmol·m-2s-1,分布最集中的区域为11~15μmol·m-2s-1,占所有观测值的50%,而叶片暗呼吸速率70%以上的观测结果在1~3μmol·m-2s-1之间,分布最集中的区域在1.5~2.0μmol·m-2s-1,占所有测定值的40%。生殖器官具有较高的代谢机能,其中幼嫩花蕾的呼吸速率高达37μmol·kg-1DWs-1,其呼吸速率平均比茎杆和根系高出4倍。而且,花蕾、成花和幼果都具有较高的光合能力(毛光合速率分别约为40,16μmol·kg-1DWs-1和11μmol·kg-1DWs-1,是对应呼吸速率的110%,68%和74%),对照同一时期(早春:旱季生殖生长季)的叶片光合能力仅为营养生长季节(夏季)的1/3,生殖器官这种光合作用是对叶片光合能力不足的一种补充。茎杆和根系呼吸速率与直径的关系相似,即直径越小,呼吸速率越高。直径小于0.5mm的根系和茎杆的呼吸速率都在11μmol·kg-1DWs-1以上。与其他植物比较,在温度和根系大小相当的情况下,紫茎泽兰与其它根系呼吸比较并没有明显区别。与已报道的草本植物和木本植物光合呼吸范围来看,紫茎泽兰叶片光合速率介于草本植物系统的中等偏下,位于木本植物系统的中等偏上,而其呼吸速率和草本植物相当但明显高于木本植物。与本地其他伴生植物比较,紫茎泽兰光合能力与本地常绿阔叶树种、落叶阔叶树种相当,而明显高于常绿针叶树种,但与同一时期的草本植物光合能力相当甚至偏低。其呼吸速率与本地草本和木本植物相差不明显。因此,不同生境下和不同生长状态的紫茎泽兰的光合和呼吸速率都具有较强的可塑性,这种可塑性可能有利于其定居不同的生境,即在适宜生境保持最高的光合能力和呼吸代谢水平,利于快速入侵,而在胁迫生境下以避免消亡为主,待机爆发。但是,仅通过比较紫茎泽兰与其它植物的叶片光合速率和呼吸速率不容易判断这一植物的强入侵能力。     

Climate warming affects biological invasions by shifting interactions of plants and herbivores

Plants and herbivorous insects can each be dramatically affected by temperature. Climate warming may impact plant invasion success directly but also indirectly through changes in their natural enemies. To date, however, there are no tests of how climate warming shifts the interactions among invasive plants and their natural enemies to affect invasion success. Field surveys covering the full latitudinal range of invasive Alternanthera philoxeroides in China showed that a beetle introduced for biocontrol was rare or absent at higher latitudes. In contrast, plant cover and mass increased with latitude. In a 2‐year field experiment near the northern limit of beetle distribution, we found the beetle sustained populations across years under elevated temperature, dramatically decreasing A. philoxeroides growth, but it failed to overwinter in ambient temperature. Together, these results suggest that warming will allow the natural enemy to expand its range, potentially benefiting biocontrol in regions that are currently too cold for the natural enemy. However, the invader may also expand its range further north in response to warming. In such cases where plants tolerate cold better than their natural enemies, the geographical gap between plant and herbivorous insect ranges may not disappear but will shift to higher latitudes, leading to a new zone of enemy release. Therefore, warming will not only affect plant invasions directly but also drive either enemy release or increase that will result in contrasting effects on invasive plants. The findings are also critical for future management of invasive species under climate change.     

紫茎泽兰迹地上不同替代植物群落植物多样性的变化

对20世纪80年代初期在云南双柏县紫茎泽兰迹地上人工营建的3类替代植物群落的结构、物种组成与多样性进行了调查,并与当地未受紫茎泽兰危害的云南松天然老龄林和未经治理的紫茎泽兰群落进行了比较.结果表明,3个替代群落木本植物物种丰富度指数为25～28,Shannon-Wiener指数为1.06～2.34,Simpson指数为0.36～0.86,Pielous均匀度指数为0.32～0.73;草本植物的多样性指数分别为6～8、1.51～1.97、0.74～0.84、0.84～0.90,明显高于未经治理的紫茎泽兰地的多样性指数.经过20年的恢复和保护,各个替代植物群落林木生长良好,林分郁闭度和植物多样性明显提高.替代群落中又以云南松+木荷+兰桉群落多样性最大.但是,现阶段这些替代植物群落多样性仍低于云南松天然老龄林.因此,对这些人工恢复的替代植物群落,特别是云南松人工林,在加强保护的同时,应注意引进、培育乡土阔叶植物和一些乡土的喜阴草本植物种类,提高群落物种多样性,促进紫茎泽兰迹地上人工重建植被的进一步恢复和持续发展.     

Maternal warming affects early life stages of an invasive thistle

Maternal environment can influence plant offspring performance. Understanding maternal environmental effects will help to bridge a key gap in the knowledge of plant life cycles, and provide important insights for species’ responses under climate change. Here we show that maternal warming significantly affected the early life stages of an invasive thistle, Carduus nutans. Seeds produced by plants grown in warmed conditions had higher germination percentages and shorter mean germination times than those produced by plants under ambient conditions; this difference was most evident at suboptimal germination temperatures. Subsequent seedling emergence was also faster with maternal warming, with no cost to seedling emergence percentage and seedling growth. Our results suggest that maternal warming may accelerate the life cycle of this species via enhanced early life‐history stages. These maternal effects on offspring performance, together with the positive responses of the maternal generation, may exacerbate invasions of this species under climate change.     

Physical connection decreases benefits of clonal integration in Alternanthera philoxeroides under three warming scenarios

Physical connection between ramets usually allows clonal plants to perform better but can have the opposite effects in some cases. Clonal integration and the effects of climate warming have been extensively studied, but to date little is known about how climate warming affects the benefits of clonal integration. We conducted a field experiment in which Alternanthera philoxeroides segments with connected and severed stolons were subject to four climate regimes (ambient, day warming, night warming and daily warming), and measured final biomass, number of ramets and total length of stolons. Across the three warming treatments, temperature rise suppressed growth of clonal fragments with connected stolons but increased growth of fragments with severed stolons; temperature rise affected the biomass of distal ramets but not proximal ramets, and had similar effects on the numbers of proximal and distal ramets. When the three warming treatments were considered separately, they had contrasting consequences for the benefits of clonal integration. Specifically, when fragments were exposed to day and night warming, physical connection evened out the advantages of clonal integration that occur under ambient conditions; when fragments were exposed to daily warming, physical connection led to smaller clonal plants. These findings suggest that physical connection between ramets may be disadvantageous to overall performance of A. philoxeroides fragments under climate warming, and also indicate that the net consequences of daily warming outweigh those of day or night warming.     

Eco‐evolutionary responses of Bromus tectorum to climate change: implications for biological invasions

How plant populations, communities, and ecosystems respond to climate change is a critical focus in ecology today. The responses of introduced species may be especially rapid. Current models that incorporate temperature and precipitation suggest that future Bromus tectorum invasion risk is low for the Colorado Plateau. With a field warming experiment at two sites in southeastern Utah, we tested this prediction over 4 years, measuring B. tectorum phenology, biomass, and reproduction. In a complimentary greenhouse study, we assessed whether changes in field B. tectorum biomass and reproductive output influence offspring performance. We found that following a wet winter and early spring, the timing of spring growth initiation, flowering, and summer senescence all advanced in warmed plots at both field sites and the shift in phenology was progressively larger with greater warming. Earlier green‐up and development was associated with increases in B. tectorum biomass and reproductive output, likely due early spring growth, when soil moisture was not limiting, and a lengthened growing season. Seeds collected from plants grown in warmed plots had higher biomass and germination rates and lower mortality than seeds from ambient plots. However, in the following two dry years, we observed no differences in phenology between warmed and ambient plots. In addition, warming had a generally negative effect on B. tectorum biomass and reproduction in dry years and this negative effect was significant in the plots that received the highest warming treatment. In contrast to models that predict negative responses of B. tectorum to warmer climate on the Colorado Plateau, the effects of warming were more nuanced, relied on background climate, and differed between the two field sites. Our results highlight the importance of considering the interacting effects of temperature, precipitation, and site‐specific characteristics such as soil texture, on plant demography and have direct implications for B. tectorum invasion dynamics on the Colorado Plateau.