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Non-native species litter reduces germination and growth of resident forbs and grasses: allelopathic, osmotic or mechanical effects?

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Abstract

Non-native plant species may contain allelopathic substances that might help to out-compete native vegetation. These allelochemicals may be released from live or dead plant tissues and be accumulated in the soil. We tested whether non-native species leaf litter and their leachates reduced seedling establishment and growth of native species. We subjected seeds of six native species to the effect of litter leachates of three of the most important invasive plants in Europe and to mannitol solutions with similar osmotic potential in germination chamber experiments. Additionally, we measured the effect of the same litter on emergence and growth of the native species in an outdoor pot experiment. Litter leachates delayed and reduced germination and affected initial root growth of all native species. The effects of leachates were significantly higher than those of mannitol, indicating the action of toxic, most probably allelochemical substances. Emergence of seedlings in pots was also reduced, but total biomass per pot was not affected and biomass per seedling increased. Allelochemicals may affect germination and early stages of seedling recruitment. However, these negative effects seem to cease shortly after germination, when other mechanisms such as competition may be more important. Consequently, litter-borne allelochemicals are unlikely to drive the invasion of the studied non-native species, but they may contribute to maintain mono-dominant stands reinforcing invasion success.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partly funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation by means of a postdoctoral fellowship (A. L.). We thank Jafargholi Imani, Hans-Werner Koyro, Lena Kretz, Roland Pfanschilling, Diedrich Steffens and Joseph Scholz-vom Hofe for invaluable help during the experiment. Travis Belote and two anonymous reviewers supplied insightful comments, which significantly improved this manuscript.

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  1. A. Loydi

    Present address: Centro de recursos naturales renovables de la zona semiárida (CERZOS), CONICET and Departamento de biología, bioquímica y farmacia, UNS, Camino La Carrindanga Km7, B8000FWB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina

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  1. Institute of Landscape Ecology and Resource Management, Research Centre for BioSystems, Land Use and Nutrition (IFZ), Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany

    A. Loydi, T. W. Donath, R. L. Eckstein & A. Otte

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Loydi, A., Donath, T.W., Eckstein, R.L. et al. Non-native species litter reduces germination and growth of resident forbs and grasses: allelopathic, osmotic or mechanical effects?. Biol Invasions 17, 581–595 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-014-0750-x

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