Weeds: Against the Rules?

Mahaut, Lucie; Cheptou, Pierre‐Olivier; Fried, Guillaume; Munoz, François; Storkey, Jonathan; Vasseur, François; Violle, Cyrille; Bretagnolle, François

doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2020.05.013

Cited by 36 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 106 publications

(136 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The pool should not only include the bulk of sampled species, but also, according to the study aims: (i) species from adjacent habitats that can reach a local community through dispersal (e.g., tree seedlings), (ii) species in the seed bank that can coexist in the target community, or (iii) locally extinct species that were known to occur previously (diachronic studies). Weed ecology provides a flagship case for addressing the sustainability of complex metacommunity dynamics in heterogeneous agricultural landscapes [ 64 ]. Using our dataset with ecological and biogeographical information should provide a powerful tool for delineating weed species pools and designing appropriate statistical analyses [ 65 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological Specialization and Rarity of Arable Weeds: Insights from a Comprehensive Survey in France

Munoz

Fried

Armengot

et al. 2020

Plants

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

: The definition of “arable weeds” remains contentious. Although much attention has been devoted to specialized, segetal weeds, many taxa found in arable fields also commonly occur in other habitats. The extent to which adjacent habitats are favorable to the weed flora and act as potential sources of colonizers in arable fields remains unclear. In addition, weeds form assemblages with large spatiotemporal variability, so that many taxa in weed flora are rarely observed in plot-based surveys. We thus addressed the following questions: How often do weeds occur in other habitats than arable fields? How does including field edges extend the taxonomic and ecological diversity of weeds? How does the weed flora vary across surveys at different spatial and temporal scales? We built a comprehensive dataset of weed taxa in France by compiling weed flora, lists of specialized segetal weeds, and plot-based surveys in agricultural fields, with different spatial and temporal coverages. We informed life forms, biogeographical origins and conservation status of these weeds. We also defined a broader dataset of plants occupying open habitats in France and assessed habitat specialization of weeds and of other plant species absent from arable fields. Our results show that many arable weeds are frequently recorded in both arable fields and non-cultivated open habitats and are, on average, more generalist than species absent from arable fields. Surveys encompassing field edges included species also occurring in mesic grasslands and nitrophilous fringes, suggesting spill-over from surrounding habitats. A total of 71.5% of the French weed flora was not captured in plot-based surveys at regional and national scales, and many rare and declining taxa were of Mediterranean origin. This result underlines the importance of implementing conservation measures for specialist plant species that are particularly reliant on arable fields as a habitat, while also pointing out biotic homogenization of agricultural landscapes as a factor in the declining plant diversity of farmed landscapes. Our dataset provides a reference species pool for France, with associated ecological and biogeographical information.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological Specialization and Rarity of Arable Weeds: Insights from a Comprehensive Survey in France

Munoz

Fried

Armengot

et al. 2020

Plants

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We tested the contributions of neutral-and niche-based processes to the AFR using arable weeds as a model. Weed flora in arable fields represents a relevant model to address biogeographical and macroecological theories (Mahaut et al, 2020 2 | MATERIAL S AND ME THODS…”

Section: Qualitative Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do ecological specialization and functional traits explain the abundance–frequency relationship? Arable weeds as a case study

Fried

Armengot

Storkey

et al. 2020

Journal of Biogeography

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

AimThe abundance–frequency relationship (AFR) is among the most‐investigated patterns in biogeography, yet the relative contributions of niche‐based processes related to ecological strategies, and of neutral processes related to spatial colonization–extinction dynamics, remains uncertain. Here, we tested the influences of ecological specialization and functional traits on local abundance and regional frequency, to determine the contribution of niche‐based processes.LocationFrance and the UK.TaxonVascular plants.MethodsWe used two arable weed surveys covering 1,544 fields in Western Europe (France, UK), along with functional traits related to resource acquisition, resource requirements, flowering phenology and dispersal. We quantified specialization both to arable habitat and to individual crop types, and performed phylogenetic path analyses to test competing models accounting for direct and indirect relationships between traits, specialization, abundance and frequency. We performed the analyses for all species in each country, as well as for a subset of the most abundant species.ResultsLocal abundance of weeds increased with their regional frequency, but the relationship became negative or null when considering only the most abundant weeds. Specialization to arable habitat and to individual crop type either had a similar or opposite effect on regional frequency and local abundance explaining these positive and negative relationships, respectively. Regional frequency was not directly explained by any trait but indirectly by resource requirement traits conferring specialization to the arable habitat. Conversely, high local abundance was directly related to low seed mass, high SLA, early and short flowering.Main conclusionsDirect/indirect effects of functional traits on local abundance/regional frequency, respectively, supports a significant role of niche‐based processes in AFR. Neutral spillover dynamics could further explain a direct linkage of abundance and frequency. Similar causal paths and consistent influences of traits on specialization and abundance in the two studied regions suggest genericity of these findings.

show abstract

“…Ideally, crop cultivars should be designed to counter the effects of both weed competition and climate change [139]. In fact, because weeds "break the rules" constituting the normal constraints of evolution creating novelty in the process, their innovative adaptations may actually be a great benefit to humanity [146].…”

Section: Management Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As Mahaut et al [146] contend, although the usual response to the various ways that weeds defy human management is frustration, the novel strategies of weeds have much to teach us. We have much to learn from the ten weedy issues described here amidst a changing climate: (1) general-purpose genotypes, (2) life history strategies, (3) ability to evolve rapidly, (4) epigenetic capacity, (5) hybridization, (6) herbicide resistance, (7) herbicide tolerance, (8) cropping systems vulnerability, (9) co-evolution of weeds with human management, and (10) the ability of weeds to ride the climate storm humans have generated.…”

Section: Management Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ten Ways That Weed Evolution Defies Human Management Efforts Amidst a Changing Climate

Clements

Jones

2021

Agronomy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The ability of weeds to evolve is key to their success, and the relationship between weeds and humans is marked by co-evolution going back to the agricultural revolution, with weeds evolving to counter human management actions. In recent years, climate change has emerged as yet another selection pressure imposed on weeds by humans, and weeds are likewise very capable of adapting to this latest stress of human origin. This review summarizes 10 ways this adaptation occurs: (1) general-purpose genotypes, (2) life history strategies, (3) ability to evolve rapidly, (4) epigenetic capacity, (5) hybridization, (6) herbicide resistance, (7) herbicide tolerance, (8) cropping systems vulnerability, (9) co-evolution of weeds with human management, and (10) the ability of weeds to ride the climate storm humans have generated. As pioneer species ecologically, these 10 ways enable weeds to adapt to the numerous impacts of climate change, including warming temperatures, elevated CO2, frequent droughts and extreme weather events. We conclude that although these 10 ways present formidable challenges for weed management, the novelty arising from weed evolution could be used creatively to prospect for genetic material to be used in crop improvement, and to develop a more holistic means of managing agroecosystems.

show abstract

Weeds: Against the Rules?

Cited by 36 publications

References 106 publications

Ecological Specialization and Rarity of Arable Weeds: Insights from a Comprehensive Survey in France

Ecological Specialization and Rarity of Arable Weeds: Insights from a Comprehensive Survey in France

Do ecological specialization and functional traits explain the abundance–frequency relationship? Arable weeds as a case study

Ten Ways That Weed Evolution Defies Human Management Efforts Amidst a Changing Climate

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About