Effects of Parasitism on the Competitive Ability of Invasive and Native Species.

ABSTRACT: Parasitic plants can often seriously harm host plants and, thus, alter competitive dominance between hosts and neighbouring species. However, whether and how parasitic plants differently affect the competitive abilities of invasive and the native plants have not been tested. In this study, we used Cuscuta grovonii as the parasitic plants and three invasive plants and three native plants as host plants. Host plants grown alone or in competition with Coix lacryma-jobi were either parasitized with Cuscuta grovonii or not parasitized. Parasitism caused similar damage to invasive and native plants when grown with Cuscuta grovonii alone but caused less damage to invasive species than native species when grown in competition. Parasitism increased the competitive abilit

SUBMITTER: Yuan Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9695417 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature