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Tall-statured grasses: a useful functional group for invasion science

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Abstract

Species in the grass family (Poaceae) have caused some of the most damaging invasions in natural ecosystems, but plants in this family are also among the most widely used by humans. Therefore, it is important to be able to predict their likelihood of naturalisation and impact. We explore whether plant height is of particular importance in determining naturalisation success and impact in Poaceae by comparing naturalisation of tall-statured grasses (TSGs; defined as grass species that maintain a self-supporting height of 2 m or greater) to non-TSGs using the Global Naturalised Alien Flora database. We review the competitive traits of TSGs and collate risk assessments conducted on TSGs. Of the c. 11,000 grass species globally, 929 qualify (c. 8.6%) as TSGs. 80.6% of TSGs are woody bamboos, with the remaining species scattered among 21 tribes in seven subfamilies. When all grass species were analysed, TSGs and non-TSGs did not differ significantly in the probability of naturalisation. However, when we analysed woody bamboos separately from the other grasses, the percentage of TSGs that have naturalised was 2–4 times greater than that of non-TSGs for both bamboos and non-bamboo groups. Our analyses suggest that woody bamboos should be analysed separately from other TSGs when considering naturalisation; within the ≥ 2 m height class they do not naturalise at the same rate as other TSGs. Rapid growth rate and the capacity to accumulate biomass (a function of height) give many TSGs a competitive advantage and allow them to form monospecific stands, accumulate dense and deep litter mats, reduce light availability at ground level, and alter fire and nutrient-cycling regimes, thereby driving rapid ecosystem transformation. While the height distribution in grasses is continuous (i.e. no obvious break is evident in heights), the 2 m designation for TSGs defines an important functional group in grasses that can improve predictive modelling for management and biosecurity.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the University of Sassari, Italy, for hosting the PhragNet 2016 planning meeting and creating the space that facilitated this manuscript. SC, DMR and JRUW acknowledge support from the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology and the National Research Foundation of South Africa (Grant 85417 to DMR). SC and JRUW acknowledge support from the South African National Department of Environment Affairs through its funding of the South African National Biodiversity Institute Invasive Species Programme. PP, JP, JČ, WYG and HS were supported by long-term research development Project RVO 67985939 (The Czech Academy of Sciences), Projects No. 14-36079G, Centre of Excellence PLADIAS and No. 14-15414S (Czech Science Foundation) and PP acknowledges support by Praemium Academiae award from The Czech Academy of Sciences. MvK and MW acknowledge support from the German Research Foundation (DFG, MvK: 264740629; MW: FZT 118), and FE was supported by the Austrian Science Foundation (FWF, Grant I2086-B16). JGP acknowledges support from the Faculty of Sciences and Environment Institute (Travel Grant 13116630) of The University of Adelaide.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, 7602, South Africa

    Susan Canavan, David M. Richardson & John R. U. Wilson

  2. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, Private Bag X7, Claremont, 7735, South Africa

    Susan Canavan & John R. U. Wilson

  3. Department of Natural Resources Science, The University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, 02881, USA

    Laura A. Meyerson

  4. Environment Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia

    Jasmin G. Packer

  5. Department of Invasion Ecology, Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, 252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic

    Petr Pyšek, Jan Čuda, Wen-Yong Guo, Jan Pergl & Hana Skálová

  6. Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 44, Prague, Czech Republic

    Petr Pyšek & Jan Čuda

  7. Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78467, Constance, Germany

    Noëlie Maurel & Mark van Kleunen

  8. Department of Agriculture, University of Sassari, Viale Italia 39, 07100, Sassari, Italy

    Vanessa Lozano & Giuseppe Brundu

  9. Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Grahamstown, South Africa

    Kim Canavan

  10. Department of Chemistry and Biology ‘‘A. Zambelli’’, University of Salerno, 84084, Fisciano, SA, Italy

    Angela Cicatelli & Francesco Guarino

  11. Department of Biosciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

    Wayne Dawson

  12. Division of Conservation, Vegetation and Landscape Ecology, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030, Vienna, Austria

    Franz Essl

  13. Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation, Taizhou University, Taizhou, 318000, China

    Mark van Kleunen

  14. Biodiversity, Macroecology and Biogeography, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany

    Holger Kreft & Patrick Weigelt

  15. Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL), University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany

    Holger Kreft

  16. Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ole Worms Allé 1, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark

    Carla Lambertini

  17. Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA

    Robert J. Soreng

  18. Department of Statistical Sciences, Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa

    Vernon Visser

  19. African Climate and Development Initiative, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa

    Vernon Visser

  20. Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AE, UK

    Maria S. Vorontsova

  21. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany

    Marten Winter

  22. Leipzig University, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04109, Leipzig, Germany

    Marten Winter

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Correspondence to Susan Canavan.

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Canavan, S., Meyerson, L.A., Packer, J.G. et al. Tall-statured grasses: a useful functional group for invasion science. Biol Invasions 21, 37–58 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-018-1815-z

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