Germination response of invasive plants to soil burial depth and litter accumulation is species specific

Sonkoly, Judit; Valkó, Orsolya; Balogh, Nóra; Godó, Laura; Kelemen, András; Kiss, Réka; Miglécz, Tamás; Tóth, Edina; Tóth, Katalin; Tóthmérész, Béla; Török, Péter

doi:10.1101/2020.01.13.904227

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Some seedlings emerged in pots even with the highest litter and soil cover levels. These results were in line with most findings of Sonkoly et al (2020) where the germination of 11 invasive species were tested. Mirroring also the results of the latter study, the small-seeded S. cryptandrus had the highest seed germination rates with 0.5 cm soil burial depth with no litter cover.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Species-specific information on the aspects of the seed bank formation and early establishment patterns of an invasive species is crucial for developing strategies for its suppression and for the prevention of its further spread (Gioria et al 2012, Sonkoly et al 2020). We found that increasing cover of S. cryptandrus decreases the species richness and abundance of subordinate species both in the vegetation and seed banks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus) – A new pest in Eurasian sand areas?

Török

Schmidt

Bátori

et al. 2021

Preprint

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For the effective control of an invasive species, gathering as much information as possible on its ecology, establishment and persistence in the subjected communities is of utmost importance. We aimed to review the current distribution and characteristics of Sporobolus cryptandrus (sand dropseed), an invasive C4 grass species of North American origin recently discovered in Hungary. We aimed to provide information on (i) its current distribution paying special attention to its invasion in Eurasia; (ii) the characteristics of the invaded habitats in Central Europe; (iii) seed bank formation and germination characteristics, crucial factors in early establishment; and (iv) the effects of its increasing cover on vegetation composition. Finally, we aimed to (v) point out further research directions that could enable us to understand the invasion success of this potential invasive species. Field surveys uncovered large stands of the species in Central and Eastern Hungary with most of the locations in the former, especially the Kiskunsag region. The species invaded disturbed stands of dry and open sand grasslands, closed dune slack grasslands and it also penetrates into natural open sand grasslands from neighbouring disturbed habitats. Increasing cover of Sporobolus cryptandrus caused a decline in species richness and abundance of subordinate species both in the vegetation and seed banks, but a low density of Sporobolus cryptandrus can even have a weak positive effect on these characteristics. Viable seeds of Sporobolus were detected from all soil layers (2.5 cm layers measured from the surface to 10 cm in depth), which indicates that the species is able to form a persistent seed bank (1,114 to 3,077 seeds/m2 with increasing scores towards higher abundance of the species in vegetation). Germination of Sporobolus cryptandrus was negatively affected by both litter cover and 1 cm deep soil burial. To sum up, Sporobolus cryptandrus can be considered as a transformer invasive species, whose spread forms a high risk for dry sand and steppe grasslands in Eurasia. We can conclude that for the effective suppression of the species it is necessary: (i) to clarify the origin of the detected populations; (ii) to assess its competitive ability including its potential allelopathic effects; (iii) to assess its seed bank formation potential in habitats with different abiotic conditions; and (iv) to assess the possibility of its suppression by natural enemies and management techniques such as mowing or livestock grazing.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus) – A new pest in Eurasian sand areas?

Török

Schmidt

Bátori

et al. 2021

Preprint

Self Cite

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show abstract

“…Disturbances such as grazing, mowing or fire may result in the elimination of litter and the perturbation of the soil surface, which may facilitate the germination of invasive plants. Sonkoly et al (2020, this issue) studied how soil burial depth and litter cover affect the germination of invasive species and whether differences between species’ response can be explained by seed size. Their results showed that there are considerable differences in species’ responses to being buried by soil or litter, highlighting the need to study further how disturbance events that perturb soil and litter layers shape species’ establishment and vegetation dynamics.…”

Section: Germination and Recruitmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The importance of dispersal and species establishment in vegetation dynamics and resilience

Török

Bullock

Jíménez-Alfaro

et al. 2020

J Vegetation Science

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“…Seedling number was the number of germinated seedlings per pot. Biomass referred to the dry biomass of the germinated seedlings per pot and was used as a proxy of seedling fitness (Sonkoly et al 2020). Mean germination time (days) was calculated for the seedlings of each pot.…”

Section: Statistical Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies have shown the potential of bleaching for breaking the dormancy of seeds of grass (Hsiao 1979) and legume species (Okonkwo and Nwoke 1975). Besides studying seedling numbers, we also used seedling biomass as a proxy for seedling fitness (Sonkoly et al 2020). We used three variables, i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laundry washing increases dispersal efficiency of cloth-dispersed propagules

Valkó¹,

Lukács²,

Deák³

et al. 2020

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Due to increased human mobility, cloth-dispersed propagules can be transported over long distances, which would not have been bridged otherwise. We studied a potentially important component of human-mediated seed dispersal by assessing the effects of laundry washing on the dispersed propagules. We studied the germination of 18 species, which have morphological adaptations for epizoochory and are commonly dispersed by people. We tested six treatments (washing with water, soap nut or detergent, at 30 °C or 60 °C) compared to an untreated control. Washing intensity was the most significant factor affecting germination. Washing at 30 °C was neutral for 14 species, suppressed one species and supported three species. Washing at 60 °C decreased seedling numbers of half of the studied species. The intensive washing treatments at 60 °C significantly decreased the synchrony of germination. We showed that people are not purely transporting propagules from one location to another, but via the laundry cycle, we can also influence the fate of the transported propagules by affecting germination potential, seedling fitness and germination dynamics. These results have new implications for understanding the early stages of biological invasions and call for improved biosecurity measures in nature reserves subjected to a growing pressure of tourism.

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Germination response of invasive plants to soil burial depth and litter accumulation is species specific

Cited by 5 publications

References 64 publications

Sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus) – A new pest in Eurasian sand areas?

Sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus) – A new pest in Eurasian sand areas?

The importance of dispersal and species establishment in vegetation dynamics and resilience

Laundry washing increases dispersal efficiency of cloth-dispersed propagules

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