Experimental drought indirectly enhances the individual performance and the abundance of an invasive annual weed.

ABSTRACT: During environmental change, invasive species may be favored by increased resource input or reduced resource use of the resident community. Plasticity in certain plant traits of invasive species may be one possible mechanism behind their ability to quickly exploit unused resources. We tested whether rainfall manipulations (severe drought, moderate drought, watering) alter the growth and reproductive success of the invasive annual Conyza canadensis, and if it translates into a change in the abundance of the species in a semiarid perennial grassland in Central Hungary. Overall, C. canadensis exhibited greater individual performance and higher abundance in drought plots than in control and watered plots. At individual level, plants showed the strongest response to moderate drought: they grew

SUBMITTER: Mojzes A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7406490 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature