Abstract
This paper addresses phenotypic variation among Paterson's Curse ( Echium plantagineum L.) populations in four different habitat types (tar road verges, dirt road verges, abandoned fields and natural areas) in the Western Cape region of South Africa. The species showed significant differences in plant height, seed size and seed weight with varying habitats. The reproductive index (Ri), comprising a ratio of total number of seeds to the height of the plant, demonstrated the plastic behavior of E. plantagineum in the various habitats. Results indicate that plastic responses to different habitat types contribute to E. plantagineum invasiveness, allowing range expansion and establishment through production of lighter and heavier seeds, respectively.
Highlights
Many organisms respond with substantial flexibility to a changing environment, generating an array of characteristics depending on the environment in which the developing organism finds itself
Local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity, are the two strategies to cope with heterogeneous environments (MacNally, 1995; Sultan, 2000; Joshi et al, 2001; Sultan, 2001), and contribute to the success of invaders in diverse habitats (Cordell et al, 1998; Lehmann and Rebele, 2005)
We suggest that Echium plantagineum L. (Paterson's Curse; Boraginaceae), an invasive alien weed is mainly a “plastic generalist” (Lehmann and Rebele, 2005), but local adaptation through plastic responses may play a role in its successful occupation of contrasting habitats
Summary
Many organisms respond with substantial flexibility to a changing environment, generating an array of characteristics depending on the environment in which the developing organism finds itself. Local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity, are the two strategies to cope with heterogeneous environments (MacNally, 1995; Sultan, 2000; Joshi et al, 2001; Sultan, 2001), and contribute to the success of invaders in diverse habitats (Cordell et al, 1998; Lehmann and Rebele, 2005). We hypothesize that the colonizing ability of an invader is a function of plasticity for fitness-related traits, enabling it to cope with and perhaps to benefit from habitat conditions. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the response, in terms of plant height and seed mass, of E. plantagineum to different habitats in the Western Cape, South Africa
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