ArticleAnnals of botany2020
Earlier onset of flowering and increased reproductive allocation of an annual invasive plant in the north of its novel range.
Article in Annals of botany, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Overlooked giants: post-invasion interploidy dynamics of a cryptic cytotype of alien invasive Solidago gigantea (Asteraceae).BMC plant biology · 2026Article
- Latitudinal trends in an invasive plant: genetic differentiation, phenotypic plasticity, and the effects of heavy metals and herbivores on growth, defence and reproductive characteristics.Annals of botany · 2025Article
- Exploring the complex pre-adaptations of invasive plants to anthropogenic disturbance: a call for integration of archaeobotanical approaches.Frontiers in plant science · 2024Review
- Differential patterns of within- and between-population genetically based trait variation in Lupinus angustifolius.Annals of botany · 2023Article
- Does the effect of flowering time on biomass allocation across latitudes differ between invasive and native salt marsh grassEcology and evolution · 2022Article
- Latitudinal trends in the structure, similarity and beta diversity of plant communities invaded byFrontiers in plant science · 2022Article
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11 authors.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsIt remains unclear whether invasive species can maintain both high biomass and reproductive output across their invaded range. Along latitudinal gradients, allocation theory predicts that faster flowering onset at high latitudes results in maturation at smaller size and thus reduced reproductive output. For annual invasive plants, more favourable environmental conditions at low latitudes probably result in stronger competition of co-occurring species, potentially driving selection for higher investment in vegetative biomass, while harsher climatic conditions and associated reproductive uncertainty at higher latitudes could reduce selection for vegetative biomass and increased selection for high reproductive investment (stress-gradient hypothesis). Combined, these drivers could result in increased or constant reproductive allocation with increasing latitude.
methodsWe quantified life-history traits in the invasive annual plant Impatiens glandulifera along a latitudinal gradient in Europe. By growing two successive glasshouse generations, we assessed genetic differentiation in vegetative growth and reproductive output across six populations, and tested whether onset of flowering drives this divergence. KEY
resultsTrait variation was mainly caused by genetic differentiation. As expected, flowering onset was progressively earlier in populations from higher latitudes. Plant height and vegetative biomass also decreased in populations from higher latitudes, as predicted by allocation theory, but their variation was independent of the variation in flowering onset. Reproductive output remained constant across latitudes, resulting in increased reproductive allocation towards higher latitudes, supporting the stress-gradient hypothesis. We also observed trait genetic differentiation among populations that was independent of latitude.
conclusionsWe show that an annual invasive plant evolved several life-history traits across its invaded range in ~150 years. The evolution of vegetative and reproductive traits seems unconstrained by evolution of flowering onset. This genetic decoupling between vegetative and reproductive traits possibly contributes to the invasion success of this species.
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