Rasgos funcionales de la especie invasora Thunbergia alata (Acanthaceae) y su importancia en la adaptación a bosques andinos

Abstract

Background and Aims: Thunbergia alata is one of the ten most problematic invasive plant species in Colombia. Its rapid colonization and adaptation to Andean forests have affected the composition and structure of indigenous plant communities. In this research, analysis of functional traits was carried out, generating new information that could explain the rapid colonization, adaptation and invasive potential of T. alata in this type of Andean environment. Methods: To obtain this information, a series of observations were made on the morphology and anatomy of roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds. Likewise, a characterization of its floral visitors and symbiotic relationships with soil microorganisms was carried out. Key results: We determined that both morphological traits and interaction phenomena favour the adaptability of T. alata in Andean forests and could contribute to a greater extent to its active colonization in this type of environment. An active association of T. alata was found with different species of native and introduced floral visitors, with a total of 2266 floral visits made during our study by seven species of insects belonging to the orders Coleoptera and Hymenoptera. Mycorrhizal fungal spores associated with T. alata populations were found at all sampling sites. The number of spores per 100 g of soil varied between 300 and 424. All the roots of T. alata, without exception, had high colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Conclusions: We believe that the information obtained in this research will contribute to the generation of comprehensive and effective strategies for the control of this species in Andean forests.

Ecology and Diversity of Weed Communities in the Northern Andes under Different Anthropogenic Pressures

“…Similarly, in a peach orchard in the same region, a low species diversity was found, with a high dominance of Oxalis corniculata reaching a 68% coverage [18]. However, some weed species in this Andean area have become a serious problem in forested areas without agricultural pressure, as is the case of the invasive species Thunbergia alata, in which an average density of 493 seeds/m 2 has been documented, with a viability of 100% stored in the soil [19]. This suggests that the various aspects of the life histories of weeds could be related to the structuring of communities according to anthropogenic dynamics that alter natural ecosystems, both in cover and in seed banks in the soil.…”

La importancia de la educación universitaria sobre la biodiversidad de Colombia: perspectivas desde la docencia y el desarrollo sostenible

“…Por ejemplo, la transformación de los ecosistemas naturales en el país ha alcanzado el 34%, siendo especialmente significativa en los bosques andinos y los bosques secos, en donde queda alrededor del 20% y 8% de la cobertura original, respectivamente (Etter et al, 2021). La expansión de especies exóticas invasoras como la rana toro (Urbina-Cardona et al, 2011), los hipopótamos (Subalusky et al, 2019;Castelblanco-Martínez et al, 2021, Castelblanco-Martínez, 2021Subalusky et al, 2023), el caracol africano (Patiño-Montoya & Giraldo, 2020), el pez león (García-Ureña et al, 2015;Chasqui et al, 2020), el ojo de poeta (Quijano-Abril et al, 2021), y el retamo espinoso (Beltrán & Barrera-Cataño, 2014;Ocampo-Zuleta & Solorza-Bejarano, 2017;Fajardo-Ortíz et al, 2022), no solo amenazan la permanencia de especies endémicas o nativas, sino que también pueden generar cambios en diferentes flujos biogeoquímicos, lo cual modifica las dinámicas y los ciclos naturales que se han efectuado desde hace miles o incluso millones de años en diferentes ecosistemas del país. De igual manera, la cacería intensiva y el tráfico ilegal de especies puede generar procesos de extirpación que se reflejan en fenómenos de Empty forest (Redford, 1992;Redford & Feinsinger, 2001, Wilkie et al, 2011, en donde la desaparición de especies o la imposibilidad de que estas desempeñen sus papeles ecológicos, pueden afectar funciones claves en los ecosistemas como la dispersión de semillas y la captura del carbono (Bello et al, 2015).…”

Black-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia alata): chemical and antifungal potential evaluation of an invasive plant species in Colombia

“…It forms a dense blanket over large areas and has naturalized mainly in disturbed areas in tropical, subtropical, and warmer temperate regions [25,26]. For instance, in Colombia, it is considered one of the ten most problematic invasive species [27]. However, T. alata has been scarcely studied chemically, with previous work having isolated and identified some iridoid glycosides, such as 6-epi-stilbericoside, alatoside, and thunaloside [28].…”