Other Plant Sciences Commons^™

Patterns Of Intraspecific Trait Variation Along An Aridity Gradient Suggest Both Drought Escape And Drought Tolerance Strategies In An Invasive Herb, Shana R. Welles, Jennifer L. Funk

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Background and Aims

In water limited landscapes, some plants build structures that enable them to survive with minimal water (drought resistance). Instead of making structures that allow for survival through times of water limitation, annual plants may invoke a drought escape strategy where they complete growth and reproduction when water is available. Drought escape and resistance each require a unique combination of traits and, therefore, plants are likely to have a suite of trait values that are consistent with a single drought response strategy. In environments where conditions are variable, plants may additionally evolve phenotypically plastic trait responses to water …

The Physiology Of Invasive Plants In Low-Resource Environments, Jennifer L. Funk

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

While invasive plant species primarily occur in disturbed, high-resource environments, many species have invaded ecosystems characterized by low nutrient, water, and light availability. Species adapted to low-resource systems often display traits associated with resource conservation, such as slow growth, high tissue longevity, and resource-use efficiency. This contrasts with our general understanding of invasive species physiology derived primarily from studies in high-resource environments. These studies suggest that invasive species succeed through high resource acquisition. This review examines physiological and morphological traits of native and invasive species in low-resource environments. Existing data support the idea that species invading low-resource environments possess traits …