Effects of surrounding landscape on the performance of Solidago canadensis L. and plant functional diversity on heavily invaded post-agricultural wastelands

Abstract

AbstractHigh invasiveness and well-documented negative impact on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning makeSolidago canadensisL. a species of global concern. Despite a good understanding of the driving factors of its invasions, it remains unclear how the surrounding landscape may shape invasion success of this species in human-transformed ecosystems. In our study, we investigated the impacts of different landscape features in the proximity of early successional wastelands onS. canadensisbiomass allocation patterns. Further, we examined the relationships between the surrounding landscape,S. canadensiscover, and plant functional diversity, used as a supportive approach for the explanation of mechanisms underlying successfulS. canadensisinvasion. We found that increasing river net length had positive impacts onS. canadensisrhizome, stem, and total above ground biomass, but negative effects on leaf biomass, indicating that vegetative spread may perform the dominant role in shaping the competitiveness of this invader in riverine landscapes. A higher proportion of arable lands positively influencedS. canadensisabove ground and flower biomass; thus promotingS. canadensisinvasion in agricultural landscapes with the prominent role of habitat filtering in shaping vegetation structure. Concerning an increasing proportion of settlements, flower biomass was higher and leaf biomass was lower, thereby influencingS. canadensisreproductive potential, maximizing the odds for survival, and indicating high adaptability to exist in an urban landscape. We demonstrated high context-dependency of relationships between functional diversity components and surrounding landscape, strongly influenced byS. canadensiscover, while the effects of surrounding landscape composition per se were of lower importance. Investigating the relationships between the surrounding landscape, invasive species performance, and plant functional diversity, may constitute a powerful tool for the monitoring, controlling, and predicting of invasion progress, as well as the assessment of ecosystem invasibility.