Chemical profile of the North American native Myriophyllum sibiricum compared to the invasive M. spicatum

Abstract

Myriophyllum spicatum L. is a nonindigenous invasive plant in North America that can displace the closely related native Myriophyllum sibiricum Komarov. We analyzed the chemical composition (including: C, N, P, polyphenols, lignin, nonpolar extractables, and sugars) of M. spicatum and M. sibiricum and determined how the chemistry of the two species varied by plant part with growing environment (lake versus tank), irradiance (full sun versus 50% shading), and season (July through September). M. spicatum had higher concentrations of carbon, polyphenols and lignin (C: 47%; polyphenols: 5.5%; lignin: 18%) than M. sibiricum (C: 42%; polyphenols: 3.7%; lignin: 9%) while M. sibiricum had a higher concentration of ash under all conditions (12% versus 8% for M. spicatum). Apical meristems of both species had the highest concentration of carbon, polyphenols, and tellimagrandin II, followed by leaves and stems. Tellimagrandin II was present in apical meristems of both M. spicatum (24.6 mg g À1 dm) and M. sibiricum (11.1 mg g À1 dm). Variation in irradiance from 490 (shade) to 940 (sun) mmol of photons m À2 s À1 had no effect on C, N, and polyphenol concentrations, suggesting that light levels above 490 mmol of photons m À2 s À1 do not alter chemical composition. The higher concentration of polyphenols and lignin in M. spicatum relative to M. sibiricum may provide advantages that facilitate invasion and displacement of native plants. #

Phytochemical Screening: Antioxidant and Antibacterial Properties of <i>Potamogeton</i> Species in Order to Obtain Valuable Feed Additives

“…The analysis of the extracts fingerprint showed that the phenolic compounds had the highest yield in comparison with other chemical classes. In accordance with these results other authors 35 highlighted, as well, high concentration of polyphenols in aquatic plants from Myriophillum genus. The presence of phenols was reported also in Potamogeton malaianus 36 aqueous extracts, together with the benzoic acid.…”

Ecological mechanisms of invasion success in aquatic macrophytes

“…Likewise, Erhard & Gross (2006) identified allelopathic compounds in invasive E. canadensis and E. nuttallii but were unable to attribute these compounds to invasiveness, although they did note that allelopathy had the potential to impact phytoplankton and cyanobacteria in epiphytic biofilm, which could indirectly lead to a competitive advantage. In one of the few examples of a study which explicitly related allelopathy to invasiveness, Marko et al (2008) found that invasive M. spicatum had higher concentrations of carbon, polyphenols, and lignin than the native M. sibiricum. They suggest that higher concentration of polyphenols and lignin in M. spicatum relative to M. sibiricum may provide advantages that facilitate invasion and displacement of natives.…”

Leaf litter traits of invasive species slow down decomposition compared to Spanish natives: a broad phylogenetic comparison

“…For instance, high levels of relatively mobile polyphenolic compounds have been commonly reported in invasive species (Ehrenfeld 2003;Knight et al 2007). These C-based defences may be useful under the full-sun habitat conditions of the early community succession stages, where aliens mainly invade because they provide protection from UV light, and defence against generalist herbivores, but not against the specialist ones (see references in Marko et al 2008). Such an ecological strategy of invasive species remains in the senesced leaves, inXuencing the initial processes of litter decomposition (Hättenschwiler and Vitousek 2000).…”