Dissertation Research: Comparative Ecological Studies Between a Native (Lonicera sempervirens) and an Introduced Congener (L. japonica)

入侵植物的研究往往强调试图对入侵植物的生活史特征进行概括，并描述其遗传变异。在这些尝试中，经常比较气候和栖息地差异很大的物种。结果往往是物种的比较，只有他们的入侵能力是共同的。人们一再建议对本地物种与入侵性同源物进行比较研究，以更清楚地了解实际上使一个物种成为入侵性物种的属性。这种类型的比较研究也有助于了解植物入侵者可能会影响它们发生的社区的变化。本研究将进行这样的比较。这项研究的重点将是原产于亚洲的日本马蹄莲和原产于美国东南部的美洲马蹄莲。这项调查将在美国东南部进行，那里的L。自世纪初以来，日本一直是一种入侵物种。本研究将包括种子出苗，幼苗存活率，生长速率，光利用的时间变化，以及任何影响偏好草食动物可能对两个物种之间的生长和建立的比较检查。传粉者竞争对种群生物学的潜在影响将通过观察这两种同源物种群内和种群间的传粉情况来研究。植物群落结构的变化将通过在一系列连续的老田地中取样群落组成来测量。拟议的项目将有助于更好地了解入侵物种与本地物种相比可能具有的优势，它们的存在可能对演替和植物群落结构产生的影响。

The study of invasive plant species has often emphasized attempts to make generalizations about the life history characteristics of invaders and descriptions of their genetic variability. In these attempts, species native to widely divergent climates and habitats are often compared. The results are often a comparison of species that only have their invasive ability in common. Comparative study of a native species growing with an invasive congener has been repeatedly suggested as a means of gaining a clearer understanding of the attributes that actually do enable a species to become invasive. This type of comparative study could also contribute to an understanding of the changes plant invaders may affect in the communities in which they occur. This study will perform such a comparison. The focus of the study will be Lonicero japonica native to Asia, and Lonicera sempervirens native to the southeastern United States. This investigation will be conducted in the southeastern United States where L . japonica has been an invasive species since the early 19th century. This study will include a comparative examination of seed emergence, seedling survival, growth rates, temporal variation in light utilization, and any effects preferential herbivory may have on growth and establishment between the two species. The potential effects of pollinator competition on population biology will be examined through observations of pollination within and among populations of these two congeners. Changes in plant community structure will be measured by sampling community composition in a series of successive old fields. The proposed project will contribute to an improved understanding of the possible advantages invading species have as compared to native species, the effects their presence may have on succession and plant community structure.