Short-term responses to warming vary between native vs. exotic species and with latitude in an early successional plant community
Welshofer, K. B., Zarnetske, P. L., Lany, N. K., & Read, Q. D. (2018). Short-term responses to warming vary between native vs. exotic species and with latitude in an early successional plant community. Oecologia, 187(1), 333-342. PDF.
Summary
Invasive plant species are expected to generally benefit from climate change compared to native species because of their wide climatic tolerances and phenological plasticity. However, there have been few experimental field studies to measure the responses of plant communities to warming climates, especially in highly invaded early successional, mid-latitudinal plant communities. Welshofer et al. (2018) conducted an in-situ field experiment at two sites in Michigan to measure the relative effects of warming on cover, phenology, and leaf herbivory for non-native vs. native species. They established control plots and treatment plots which were artificially warmed using passive, open-top chambers. The authors recorded the flowering and seed date for each species within the treatment and control plots. At the end of the growing season, after the treatment plots were warmed for a full year, the authors estimated the cover of each species and amount of leaf herbivory. At the more northern site, there was an increase in non-native species cover and decrease in native species cover in the warmed plots relative to the control plots. There was not a marked difference phenology or herbivory between natives vs. non-native.
Take home points
Warming affected phenology and herbivory of natives and non-natives equally, with the plants in warmed plots exhibiting earlier spring green-up, earlier flowering, and a twofold increase in herbivory.
The percent cover of native plants at the northern site decreased under warming conditions, while the non-natives increased in percent cover.
Changes in percent cover varied by species.
Management implications
The responses of plants to increased temperatures vary widely depending on the species. Managers in more southern regions will be the first to observe responses of non-natives to warming temperatures. Communicating with counterparts in more northern regions may help managers better anticipate how invasive species are likely to respond under warming temperatures in their systems.
Keywords
Shifting Seasons; Impact Study; Observation; Invasive Plant; Terrestrial Habitat