Modeling invasive weeds in grasslands: the role of allelopathy in Acroptilon repens invasion

Abstract

We used an individual plant-based simulation model (ECOTONE) to evaluate the importance of allelopathy and soil texture to the invasion of semiarid grasslands by the non-native perennial C 3 forb Acroptilon repens. We also assessed the sensitivity of model results to the negative effects of allelochemicals on recruitment and growth of perennial grasses. ECOTONE simulates the recruitment, growth, and mortality of individual plants on a small plot (0.12 m 2) through time at an annual time step. A daily time step, multi-layer model of soil water dynamics (SOILWAT) was incorporated into ECOTONE to represent competition for soil water on a finer temporal scale. The model was parameterized for a shortgrass community in eastern Colorado, USA, using data available from the literature. Experimental simulations examined the effects of four soil textures and a range of levels of plant sensitivity to allelochemicals on the aboveground biomass of A. repens and of native perennial grasses. Simulation results showed that A. repens dominated the aboveground biomass on a plot only if native species were affected by allelopathic interactions. At moderate levels of plant sensitivity, A. repens became dominant faster and reached a higher proportion of the total biomass on fine- than on coarse-textured soils. Community composition and rate of A. repens dominance were more affected by the sensitivity of plant growth to allelochemicals than the sensitivity of species recruitment. Allelopathic interactions were an important component of the invasion dynamics of this perennial invasive weed, and further field investigations are warranted.