Abstract
Understanding why alien species become dominant in recipient communities requires a biogeographical perspective comparing the ecology of native and introduced populations. The genus Centaurea (Asteraceae) is well-known in invasion ecology because several aggressive invaders, including Centaurea melitensis L., belong to this genus. We compared the competitive ability of C. melitensis individuals from Spain (native range) and Chile (invaded range) when competing against Helenium aromaticum (Hook.) L.H. Bailey, a native relative from Chile. We performed germination bioassays and common garden competition experiments to compare: (1) the germination capacities of C. melitensis (Spain and Chile) and H. aromaticum (2) the potential allelopathic effect of leaf lixiviates of C. melitensis (Spain and Chile) on the seed germination of H. aromaticum, (3) the ability of C. melitensis from both origins to reduce the growth of H. aromaticum. No significant differences in the capacity of seed germination were found among C. melitensis from Chile and Spain and the native H. aromaticum. However, the seed germination of H. aromaticum was inhibited by the presence of C. melitensis leaves from Chile and Spain. Also, the biomass of H. aromaticum was reduced in the presence of C. melitensis, regardless of their origin. Our results demonstrate the competitive superiority of the invasive C. melitensis over H. aromaticum, but we found no evidence of an evolutionary increase in the competitive ability of the invader populations. Therefore, at least part of the invasive potential of C. melitensis seems to be acquired by selective processes in their original range.
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The datasets generated during the current study will be available in the FIGSHARE repository, https://figshare.com/s/affe156b5afb0ce37bc4.
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Acknowledgements
This study is part of the research activities of the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), funded by the Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (ANID PIA CCTE AFB-17008). Gastón J. Sotes was funded by a doctoral fellowship (ANID-21100246/2010). Susana Gómez-González was funded by ANID/FONDAP-15110009 and Lohengrin A. Cavieres by ANID/FONDECYT 1171005. The Asociación Universitaria Iberoamericana de Postgrado (AUIP, Spain) also financed some traveling expenses related to this project. Christine Harrower helped with English edition. The authors thank anonymous reviewers for their comments during the revision process.
Funding
This study is part of the research activities of the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), funded by the Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (ANID PIA CCTE AFB-17008). Gastón J. Sotes was funded by a doctoral fellowship (ANID-21100246/2010). Susana Gómez-González was funded by ANID/FONDAP-15110009 and Lohengrin A. Cavieres by ANID/FONDECYT 1171005. The Asociación Universitaria Iberoamericana de Postgrado (AUIP, Spain) also financed some traveling expenses related to this project.
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All of the authors contributed to the conception and design of this study. Preparation of materials, experiments, data collection and analyses were performed by Gastón J. Sotes. Gastón J. Sotes and Susana Gómez-González wrote the draft and Lohengrin A. Cavieres contributed substantially with important comments and editions. All of the authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Sotes, G.J., Cavieres, L.A. & Gómez-González, S. High competitive ability of Centaurea melitensis L. (Asteraceae) does not increase in the invaded range. Biol Invasions 23, 693–703 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-020-02396-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-020-02396-1