Abstract
Although it is well-documented that invasion of invasive plants is promoted with allelopathic effects by inhibiting the growth and phenotypic performance of native plants, little is known conversely. In this study, the allelopathy effects of a native plant, Humulus scandens (Lour.) Merr., on a typical invasive species Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb., was investigated by exposing A. philoxeroides seedlings to three chemical solvent extracts (i.e., petroleum ether extract (PE), ethyl acetate extract (EE), and n-butanol extract (NE) of H. scandens root (HR). The three chemical extracts inhibited the growth, stem length, node number, leaf number, leaf area, and root number, and increased malondialdehyde (MDA) content of A. philoxeroides seedlings, which indicated that the extracts inhibited the plant growth by damaging the membrane system of leaves. And the synthetical effect of allelopathy (SE) index indicated that EE had the greatest inhibition on the growth of A. philoxeroides. Fifty compounds were identified from the three extracts of HR using GC–MS analysis, among which 5 compounds (dibutyl phthalate, stigmasta-3,5-diene, 2,6-Di-tert-butylphenol campesterol, and neophytadiene) were identified from H. scandens root extracts for the first time. And n-hexadecanoic acid exists in all three extracts. The findings of the present study provide a novel method to potentially control the invasion of A. philoxeroides. However, field monitoring under natural conditions would be necessary to confirm in practice the results obtained with the bioassays.
Highlights
Bioinvasion has become a serious environmental problem in the world in general and is considered as the second biggest threat to biodiversity
The present study focused on two questions: (1) Does H. scandens root extract have allelopathic inhibition on the growth of A. philoxeroides? (2) What are the main secondary metabolites in H. scandens that potentially have allelopathy effects on A. philoxeroides? By answering these important questions, this study aimed to develop a potential method to control the invasion of A. philoxeroides by making use of the allelopathy effects of native plants if they exist
Allelopathy is ubiquitously existing among plant species, generally being tested with the effects on the plant seedling growth[34]
Summary
Bioinvasion has become a serious environmental problem in the world in general and is considered as the second biggest threat to biodiversity. (an Amaranthaceae family member, generally named alligator weed), is a worldwide invasive plant species[1] of which invasion was reported in 32 different countries[2,3,4]. Physical methods are mainly to remove invasive plants by manual and mechanical methods; chemical methods are to spray chemical herbicides such as glyphosate to cause plant death; biological methods are mainly to control plant growth by natural enemies, soil animals and soil microorganisms. One of the limited study showed that extracts of Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin inhibited the growth of invasive plant A. philoxeroides, providing a potential means to control this invasive p lant[24]. By answering these important questions, this study aimed to develop a potential method to control the invasion of A. philoxeroides by making use of the allelopathy effects of native plants if they exist The present study focused on two questions: (1) Does H. scandens root extract have allelopathic inhibition on the growth of A. philoxeroides? (2) What are the main secondary metabolites in H. scandens that potentially have allelopathy effects on A. philoxeroides? By answering these important questions, this study aimed to develop a potential method to control the invasion of A. philoxeroides by making use of the allelopathy effects of native plants if they exist
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