Phragmites australis: How do genotypes of different phylogeographic origins differ from their invasive genotypes in growth, nitrogen allocation and gas exchange?

Abstract

It has been suggested that in plant invasions, species may develop intrinsically higher gas exchange and growth rates, and greater nitrogen uptake and allocation to shoots, in their invasive range than in their native habitat under excess nutrients. In this study, native populations of two old world Phragmites australis phylogeographic groups (EU and MED) were compared with their invasive populations in North America [NAint (M) and NAint (Delta)] under unlimited nutrient availability and identical environmental conditions in a common garden. We expected that both introduced groups would have higher growth, nitrogen uptake and allocation, and gas exchange rates than their native groups, but that these enhanced traits would have evolved in different ways in the two introduced ranges, because of different evolutionary histories. Biomass, leaf area, leaf nitrogen concentrations (NH4 + and NO3 −) and transpiration rates increased in introduced versus native groups, whereas differences in SLA, leaf pigment concentrations and assimilation rates were due to phylogeographic origins. Despite intrinsic differences in the allocation of C and N in leaves, shoots and rhizome due to phylogeographic origin, the introduced groups invested more biomass in above-ground tissues than roots and rhizomes. Our results support the concept that invasive populations develop enhanced morphological, physiological and biomass traits in their new ranges that may assist their competiveness under nutrient-enriched conditions, however the ecophysiological processes leading to these changes can be different and depend on the evolutionary history of the genotypes.