Plants That Evolved Under High Phylogenetic Diversity Have Higher Invasion Success, Particularly in Undisturbed...

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• The evolutionary imbalance hypothesis suggests that species from ecologically stable, high-competition regions are more invasive.
• Phylogenetic diversity (PD) in a species' native range may indicate this evolutionary imbalance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test if relative indigenous phylogenetic diversity (PD) predicts species' invasiveness.
• To determine if indigenous PD influences colonization and survival in grassland communities.

Main Methods:

• Conducted three seed addition experiments with 166 species in disturbed and undisturbed grassland plots.
• Assessed species colonization and survival rates based on their relative indigenous PD.

Main Results:

• Species with high relative indigenous PD showed high colonization and first-year survival, irrespective of disturbance.
• Species with low relative indigenous PD had lower colonization rates, primarily in disturbed plots.
• Indigenous PD did not significantly affect second-year survival.

Conclusions:

• High relative indigenous PD is a strong indicator of high invasion risk, even for intact communities.
• Phylogenetic diversity can help identify potentially invasive species and vulnerable ecosystems, aiding biosecurity.
• Further research is needed to understand long-term invasion dynamics.