Does Lack of Herbivory and Disease Explain the Success of an Alien Plant Species?: Experimental Tests

摘要pi: Siemann and Rogers研究所：William Marsh Rice University提案号：debb -9981654外来中华牛脂树（Chinese Tallow Tree）是墨西哥湾沿岸的主要入侵植物，其侵略性取代了本地植物。这项研究将集中于了解使该物种能够在墨西哥湾沿岸广泛的生态系统（城市栖息地、草原、阔叶林和洪泛区森林）中建立的机制，超越和取代原生植被，并维持自我替代的单一栽培。实验将在主要景观类型中重复进行，以检验：(1)外来植物入侵严重程度与草食动物和疾病缺乏之间的关系；(2)资源变化对控制入侵严重程度的重要性；(3)限制外来植物的本地招种对外来植物入侵的影响。了解植物入侵的机制对社会和生态都至关重要，因为外来物种的经济和政治影响越来越大，因为入侵在群落发展和生态系统功能中起着关键作用。

AbstractPI: Siemann and Rogers Institution: William Marsh Rice University Proposal Number: DEB-9981654The alien Chinese Tallow Tree is a major invader in the Gulf Coast which aggressively displaces native plants. This research will focus on understanding the mechanisms that allow this species to establish in a broad range of Gulf Coast ecosystems (urban habitats, prairies, hardwood forests and floodplain forests), to out-compete and displace native vegetation, and to maintain self-replacing monocultures. Experiments will be replicated across major landscape types to examine: (1) the relationship between severity of alien plant invasion and lack of herbivores and diseases; (2) the importance of resource alterations in governing invasion severity; and (3) how local recruitment limitation affects alien plant invasion. Understanding the mechanisms of plant invasion is critically important to both society, with increasing economic and political impacts of alien species, and ecology because invasion plays a key role in community development and ecosystem function.