Herbaceous plant species invading natural areas tend to have stronger adaptive root foraging than other naturalized species.

ABSTRACT: Although plastic root-foraging responses are thought to be adaptive, as they may optimize nutrient capture of plants, this has rarely been tested. We investigated whether nutrient-foraging responses are adaptive, and whether they pre-adapt alien species to become natural-area invaders. We grew 12 pairs of congeneric species (i.e., 24 species) native to Europe in heterogeneous and homogeneous nutrient environments, and compared their foraging responses and performance. One species in each pair is a USA natural-area invader, and the other one is not. Within species, individuals with strong foraging responses, measured as plasticity in root diameter and specific root length, had a higher biomass. Among species, the ones with strong foraging responses, measured as plasticity in root length and

SUBMITTER: Keser LH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4410514 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature