About this Agricultural and Biological Sciences article

Combination effects of heavy metal and inter-specific competition on the invasiveness of Alternanthera philoxeroides by Wang, Yan (author);Chen, Chao (author);Xiong, Yuntao (author);Wang, Yi (author);Li, Qingjun (author) is a Agricultural and Biological Sciences article available to read on EtoBox.

Inter-specific competition is an essential factor affecting the invasiveness of alien plants. Although many exotic invasive plants are characterised by a high tolerance to many pollutants, e.g. heavy metals, little is currently known regarding the impact of heavy metals on the interaction between native and invasive plants. In this study, we used the invasive plant Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. and its native congener Alternanthera sessilis (L.) R.Br. ex DC to assess their competitive interaction in response to treatments with copper, cadmium, and zinc applied at different concentrations (10, 30, 60, and 100 mg kg -1 for Cd; 200, 400, and 1000 mg kg -1 for Cu; and 500, 1000, and 2000 mg kg -1 for Zn), along with a control treatment. We accordingly found that both invasive and native plants show high tolerance to heavy metals; however, the tolerance index of A. philoxeroides increased significantly from monoculture to mixed culture in response to Cu and Cd treatments. In addition, A. philoxeroides showed greater phenotypic plasticity to culture type than its native congener. Furthermore, the specific leaf area of A. philoxeroides in the mixed culture was found to be hi

Author

Wang, Yan (author);Chen, Chao (author);Xiong, Yuntao (author);Wang, Yi (author);Li, Qingjun (author)

Publisher

Elsevier BV

Published

2021

Language

EN

Field

Agricultural and Biological Sciences (Life Sciences)