The Best of Both Worlds? Hybridization Potentiates Exotic Bohemian Knotweed’s (Reynoutria × bohemica) Impacts on Native Plant and Faunal Communities

Abstract

The Asian knotweed species complex gathers some of the world’s most successful plant invaders including the Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica), the giant knotweed (R. sachalinensis) and the hybrid of these two species, the Bohemian knotweed (R. × bohemica). Hybrid species often present higher competitive abilities compared to their parent species. While several studies have focused on the effects of knotweed invasion on plant communities, few have simultaneously considered (i) effects of the three taxa on native plant communities and (ii) effects on litter and soil faunal components. In this study, we compared the differential effects of three Asian knotweeds on vegetation and soil macroinvertebrates communities across seven sites on a regional scale in North Western France. All three knotweed species displayed similar negative effects on local plant species richness, while promoting the taxonomic richness of litter-dwelling macroinvertebrates. Belowground macroinvertebrate taxonomic richness appeared strongly reduced by the presence of the hybrid R. × bohemica, significantly more so than those of sites colonized by R. japonica or R. sachalinensis. These changes of belowground communities were correlated to associated changes of composition and richness within plant communities. This study provides new insight into the consequences of ecosystem invasion by these species, especially revealing the even further strength of impacts of the hybrid Bohemian knotweed on local vegetation and belowground macroinvertebrates than those of other Asian knotweeds, which points to the need for monitoring the spatial spread of R. × bohemica and describing further its effects on ecosystem properties.