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

摘要PI：西曼和罗杰斯研究所：威廉·马什·莱斯大学提案编号：Deb-9981654外来乌贼树是墨西哥湾沿岸的一种主要入侵者，它咄咄逼人地取代当地植物。这项研究将侧重于了解使该物种能够在广泛的墨西哥湾沿岸生态系统(城市栖息地、草原、阔叶林和泛滥平原森林)中建立、超越和取代本地植被以及保持自我替代的单一栽培的机制。实验将在主要景观类型中重复进行，以检查：(1)外来植物入侵的严重程度与缺乏草食动物和疾病之间的关系；(2)资源变化在控制入侵严重程度方面的重要性；以及(3)局部招募限制如何影响外来植物入侵。

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.