Abstract
An attempt was made to understand the potential of Alternanthera philoxeroides, alligator weed to adapt to diverse conditions present in pond ecosystems, through a correlative investigation of its natural growth pattern and peroxidase level. Eleven ponds were graded into two subjective categories: “A. philoxeroides Infestation” (High, Medium, Low) and “Level of Pollution” (High and Low), to test for difference in mean peroxidase concentration in A. philoxeroides populations. Significant changes in mean peroxidase concentration in A. philoxeroides were found in ponds categorized on the basis of level of pollution, indicating the adaptability of this plant to propagate under pollution stress. On the other hand, there was no significant change in mean peroxidase concentration for plants growing in ponds categorized on the basis of infestation showed that dense, vegetative proliferation caused no stress in A. philoxeroides. An efficient method of assaying peroxidase in A. philoxeroides, under field conditions, using the best suited leaf group (Tips, Tips + 1st leaf pair”, 2nd leaf pair) was also explored. “Tips + 1st leaf pair” proved to be a better sample than mature leaves for estimation of peroxidase concentration in A. philoxeroides.
Highlights
Biological invasions by non-native species are one of the worst ecological components of global environmental change
The lowest value of the range for mean peroxidase concentrations was found for Group T in Pond 7 (6.71 μg/gm FW), for Group A in Pond 2 (6.72 μg/gm F.W.) and for Group B in Pond 3 (1.31 μg/gm F.W.)
This study shows evidence in favour of two specific traits of Alternanthera philoxeroides that are reported to facilitate plant adaptations in different environments, namely, its ability to grow even under high strand density and its ability to withstand a broad range of environmental conditions
Summary
Biological invasions by non-native species are one of the worst ecological components of global environmental change. Alternanthera philoxeroides (Martius) Griseb (Amaranthaceae), alligator weed, an invasive perennial wetland herb originating from South America (Maddox 1968), has many attributes of a successful invasive weed such as rapid growth and vegetative propagation (Tao et al 2009; Wang et al 2009) as well as a broad ecological amplitude (Geng et al 2007) This amphibious clonal plant has invaded many ecosystems worldwide (Julien et al 1995), including riparian zones (Pan et al 2006) and agricultural lands (Spencer and Coulson 1976), and is regarded as one of the worst weeds of the world (http://www.waikatoregion.nz). Invasive plants posses certain characteristics which make them more competent to adapt and propagate in newer environments/ habitats and understanding these mechanisms is crucial for managing invasive plant species (Mack et al 2000)
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