In: PLOS ONE, 2018, vol. 13, no. 1, p. e0190705
Species may become invasive after introduction to a new range because phenotypic traits pre-adapt them to spread and become dominant. In addition, adaptation to novel selection pressures in the introduced range may further increase their potential to become invasive. The diploid Leucanthemum vulgare and the tetraploid L. ircutianum are native to Eurasia and have been introduced to North...
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In: Ecosphere, 2017, vol. 8, no. 4, p. -
Biological control using natural antagonists has been a most successful management tool against alien invasive plants that threaten biodiversity. The selection of candidate agents remains a critical step in a biocontrol program before more elaborate and time- consuming experiments are conducted. Here, we propose a biogeographic approach to identify candidates and combinations of candidates to...
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In: Biological Invasions, 2016, p. 1–15
Enemy release is a commonly accepted mechanism to explain plant invasions. Both the diploid Leucanthemum vulgare and the morphologically very similar tetraploid Leucanthemum ircutianum have been introduced into North America. To verify which species is more prevalent in North America we sampled 98 Leucanthemum populations and determined their ploidy level. Although polyploidy has repeatedly...
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In: The American Naturalist, 2015, vol. 185, no. 6, p. 725–736
At local scales, it has often been found that invasibility decreases with increasing resident plant diversity. However, whether resident community diversity similarly resists invasion by alien versus native species is seldom studied. We examined this issue by invading constructed native plant assemblages that varied in species and functional richness with invasive alien or native Asteraceae...
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In: Journal of Ecology, 2015, vol. 103, no. 4, p. 1069–1098
This account presents information on all aspects of the biology of Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. (Common ragweed) that are relevant to understanding its ecology. The main topics are presented within the standard framework of the Biological Flora of the British Isles: distribution, habitat, communities, responses to biotic factors, responses to environment, structure and physiology, phenology, floral...
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In: American Journal of Botany, 2013, vol. 100, no. 8, p. 1555–1561
Premise of the study: Because seeds have essential functions in the life cycle of plants, even subtle changes in their characteristics may have important demographic consequences. In this study, we examined whether potential changes in seed characteristics as a result of polyploidy or postintroduction evolution may have contributed to the invasion of Centaurea stoebe (Asteraceae). This plant...
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In: Journal of Biogeography, 2013///n/a–n/a
Aim: The spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe), a plant native to south-east and central Europe, is highly invasive in North America. We investigated the spatio-temporal climatic niche dynamics of the spotted knapweed in North America along two putative eastern and western invasion routes. We then considered the patterns observed in the light of historical, ecological and evolutionary...
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In: Ecology, 2013, vol. 94, no. 5, p. 1005–1014
The evolution of optimal life history strategies is central for the fitness of organisms in a given environment. Besides divergent selection, other factors may determine regional patterns of differentiation and contribute to life history evolution. In a common-garden environment over three years, we examined life history differentiation across different eco-geographical regions and effects of a...
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In: Weed Research, 2013, p. -
Centaurea stoebe is native to Europe and Western Asia and was introduced into North America in the late 19th century, where it has become highly invasive. In its native range, C. stoebe occurs in two cytotypes, namely diploids (2n = 18) and tetraploids (2n = 36), but only the tetraploid form has been identified in the invaded range. We used special growth pouches to determine whether diploid and...
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In: PLoS ONE, 2012, vol. 7, no. 11, p. e50284
Phenotypic plasticity may allow organisms to cope with altered environmental conditions as e.g. after the introduction into a new range. In particular polyploid organisms, containing more than two sets of chromosomes, may show high levels of plasticity, which could in turn increase their environmental tolerance and invasiveness. Here, we studied the role of phenotypic plasticity in the invasion...
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