Crofton weed is a major invasive species in China. It exhibits superior growth characteristics and can outcompete with native species via allolepathic effects and modulation of the soil fungal microbiome. The simple removal of invading plants will not ensure restoration of the habitat due to the persistence of allelochemicals and viable seeds in the surrounding soil. An orthogonal experimental design was employed to evaluate the effects of three control factors (A, powdered natural inhibitor species to retard growth; B, activated charcoal to absorb allelochemicals; and C, fungicide to reduce fungal modulation effects), applied at three levels, on the growth and competitive ability of Crofton weed against two native species, in a pot‐culture experiment. All treatments reduced all measured growth parameters (P < 0.05) except for a specific leaf area, when compared with control plants. Furthermore, the competitive capacity of Crofton weed was decreased in the treatments while that of the native species was improved. Application to soil of the powdered natural inhibitor species and of activated charcoal significantly inhibited plant growth and competitive ability of Crofton weed (P < 0.05). Application of fungicide was less effective, but significantly reduced the specific leaf area of Crofton weed plants (P < 0.05). The specific combination of factors producing the greatest decrease in plant growth and competitive ability (compared with the control) included the addition of Delavaya toxocarpa powder (37.5 g per kg soil), addition of activated charcoal to soil at a ratio of 1:3 (v/v) (62.5 g per kg soil), and application of fungicide (Thiophanate‐Methyl) (0.28 g per kg soil).
Invasive species are hypothesized to be more plastic than co‐occurring native congeners, and variation in plasticity among invasive populations is predicted to facilitate invasion of new habitats. To explore the invasive ability of Bidens frondosa, we compared the plastic responses to water and nitrogen addition of the invasive B. frondosa in China with the co‐occurring native congener B. tripartita, as well as among B. frondosa populations. The invasive plant performed better and showed higher phenotypic plasticity to water and nitrogen addition than the native. In addition, variations in performance and phenotypic plasticity were observed among the invasive populations. The biomass of the HN (Henan province) population increased more than that of other populations in response to nitrogen addition. The specific leaf area (SLA) of the GX (Guangxi province) population increased, while the SLA of the HN population decreased, and the HB (Hebei province) and EZ (Hubei province) populations showed no change in response to nitrogen addition. The observed higher phenotypic plasticity of B. frondosa relative to B. tripartita, and the observed variation in plasticity among B. frondosa populations may explain the invasiveness of this species. Predicted future increases in precipitation and atmospheric N deposition may further increase the invasiveness of B. frondosa.
Our findings demonstrate the response patterns of bacterial and fungal communities in the
Malus
phyllosphere to rust fungus
G. yamadae
infection, and they also reveal how the phyllosphere microbiome changes with the expansion of lesions. We identified several metabolites whose relative abundance varied significantly with lesion expansion.
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