Degree of invasion of Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis L.) plays an important role in the variation of plant taxonomic diversity and community stability in eastern China

Abstract

Understanding the impacts of invaders on plant taxonomic diversity and community stability is significant for understanding the mechanisms underlying successful invasion. This study explored the impacts of the invasive plant Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis L.; goldenrod hereafter) with different degrees of invasion on plant taxonomic diversity and community stability by conducting a comparative study in eastern China. Degree of invasion was divided into the following categories, low (<35%, LDI), moderate (35–75%, MDI), and high (>75%, HDI), on the basis of the relative abundance of goldenrod in the invaded plant communities. Plant diversity, dominance, richness, and plant community stability noticeably decreased under HDI but plant diversity and dominance dramatically increased under LDI compared with the adjacent uninvaded plant communities. Plant diversity, dominance, richness, and community stability markedly declined as the degree of goldenrod invasion increased in the invaded plant communities. The greater plant diversity and dominance observed under LDI may be primarily driven by the passenger effects rather than a driving force of the presence of goldenrod. The greater competitive superiority of goldenrod over coexisting native plants under HDI might allow for invasion and enhance the risk of stochastic local extinction of several native species. A significantly positive diversity‐stability relationship was observed, which may explain the underlying mechanisms for the decreased plant community stability and drastic decline in plant diversity under HDI. Accordingly, the degree of invasion of goldenrod plays an important role in the variation of plant taxonomic diversity and community stability in eastern China.

Additive effects of warming and nitrogen addition on the performance and competitiveness of invasive Solidago canadensis L.

“…Most of these differences disappeared at medium and high levels of invasion. This may be because the allelopathic effects of invasive species on height, biomass, and community stability of native species decrease with increasing degree of invasion ( Wang et al., 2016 ; Wang et al., 2019 ); the allelopathic impact of S. canadensis on native species may also be attenuated under increased N deposition ( Wang et al., 2017 ; Zubek et al., 2020 ). Another reason may be the differences in sensitivity responses of invasive and native plants to environmental changes ( Peng et al., 2019 ).…”

Does Salt Stress Intensify the Allelopathic Effect of Four Asteraceae Invasive Plants?

“…All four studied Asteraceae species have successfully invaded most areas in China. More importantly, they often form large-scale monodominant communities, especially in southern Jiangsu, and may pose serious environmental risks and ecological security problems to native ecosystems, leading to the loss of native biodiversity (Wang et al 2019b, Wu et al 2019, Wang et al 2021a, Wang et al 2021b). In addition, the studied Asteraceae species also caused significant ecological effects on native ecosystems in other continents/countries (e.g., Europe), including the loss of native biodiversity (Pacanoski 2017, Axmanova et al 2021, Lemke et al 2021, Rezacova et al 2021).…”

Warming and elevated nitrogen deposition accelerate the invasion process of Solidago canadensis L.

“…Native to North America, S. canadensis was first introduced to Shanghai in 1935 for ornamental purposes, and since then it has been extensively distributed over 20 000 acres along the southeast coast and across the Yangtze River Basin (Qi et al 2022). It has become a noxious invader, whose presence has led to substantial reductions in plant diversity and stability, now also seriously affecting agricultural production in the invaded regions (Wang et al 2019;Zubek et al 2020).…”

“…The degree of invasion can be quantified as the total number of alien plant species or their proportion of the total species richness within the invaded ecosystems (Jaunia and Hyvönen 2010). Accordingly, studies on the phenotypic traits of invasive plants mainly focus on three invasion stages (0, 50% and 100% invasion level) when comparing the performance of plant species during the invasion process (Cheng et al 2021b;Jauni et al 2012;Lau and Suwa 2016;Li et al 2017;Ortmans et al 2016;Wang et al 2019). In this study, we focused on the performance of S. canadensis and its linear response to invasion level, even deducing those critical invasion thresholds, where plant traits responded non-linearly to the invasion process.…”

“…According to several recent studies, the effects of the invaders with different invasion degrees on plant taxonomic diversity and their performance traits vis-à-vis native species together plays an important role in the mechanisms of successful plant invasion (Fenouillas et al 2021;Wang et al 2019). Yet, few studies have linked the process of plant invasion to environmental change.…”