Shielded environments reduce stress in alien Asteraceae species during hot and dry summers along urban-to-rural gradients.

ABSTRACT: Urban environments often host a greater abundance and diversity of alien plant species than rural areas. This is frequently linked to higher disturbance and propagule pressure, but could also be related to the additional establishment of species from warmer native ranges in cities, facilitated by the latter's higher air temperatures and drier soils. A hitherto unresolved question is how stressful the urban environments become during climate extremes such as heatwaves and droughts. Do such episodes still favor alien plant species, or set them back? We used in situ measured phenotypic leaf and development trait responses of the six most widespread alien Asteraceae species from various native climates along Belgian urban-to-rural gradients, measured during two unusually warm and dry summers.

SUBMITTER: Geron C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8328448 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature