Abstract
Field studies have shown that native, parasitic plants grow vigorously on invasive plants and can cause more damage to invasive plants than native plants. However, no empirical test has been conducted and the mechanism is still unknown. We conducted a completely randomized greenhouse experiment using 3 congeneric pairs of exotic, invasive and native, non-invasive herbaceous plant species to quantify the damage caused by parasitic plants to hosts and its correlation with the hosts' growth rate and resource use efficiency. The biomass of the parasitic plants on exotic, invasive hosts was significantly higher than on congeneric native, non-invasive hosts. Parasites caused more damage to exotic, invasive hosts than to congeneric, native, non-invasive hosts. The damage caused by parasites to hosts was significantly positively correlated with the biomass of parasitic plants. The damage of parasites to hosts was significantly positively correlated with the relative growth rate and the resource use efficiency of its host plants. It may be the mechanism by which parasitic plants grow more vigorously on invasive hosts and cause more damage to exotic, invasive hosts than to native, non-invasive hosts. These results suggest a potential biological control effect of native, parasitic plants on invasive species by reducing the dominance of invasive species in the invaded community.
Highlights
Invasive plants threaten human economic interests as well as the natural functioning of ecosystems and are a subject of active research within ecology [1]
The deleterious effect (DE) of parasites to hosts was significantly negatively correlated with the mean parasite-free host relative growth rate (RGR) and positively correlated with the parasitism responses (PR) of host RGR; no significant correlation was observed between parasite DE to hosts and the RGR of hosts with parasites (Fig. 3), indicating that parasites caused more damage to hosts with a higher RGR, and a larger RGR plastic response
The results revealed in this study confirmed our original hypothesis that the parasitic plant, C. chinensis, caused significantly more damage to exotic, invasive hosts than to congeneric native, non-invasive hosts
Summary
Invasive plants threaten human economic interests as well as the natural functioning of ecosystems and are a subject of active research within ecology [1]. Invasive plants are commonly exposed to complex environments in the recipient community, where many biotic and abiotic factors interact. The interaction between plants and their novel natural enemies is considered a central aspect of the mechanism that underlies the success of plant invasions and the control of invasive species [2]. The use of biological control agents is considered a ‘‘green’’ alternative for pest management, as a result of its effectiveness, low cost and relatively high environmental safety [5]. One of the serious ecological drawbacks of biological control is the introduction of more exotic species into new ranges. Native enemies for exotic, invasive species may provide a viable control strategy [6]. If natural enemies cause more damage to exotic, invasive species than to native, non-invasive species, this strategy would be advantageous
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
