Comparative studies of closely related species may provide useful insights into the effect of species traits on invasion success since some of the biases associated with multispecies studies, such as phylogenetic effects, are considerably reduced by virtue of the experimental design. In this study seed and seedling traits of three congeneric alien species in Europe, differing in their region of origin, invasion status and history (Impatiens glandulifera, I. parviflora, I. capensis), were compared with the native I. noli-tangere in laboratory and common garden experiments. Seeds of I. glandulifera required the shortest period of stratification, germinated well both under laboratory and experimental garden conditions and the seedlings produced more biomass than those of the other species. Seeds of I. parviflora required a longer period of stratification, had the highest percentage germination but seedling emergence in the experimental garden was poorer than in I. glandulifera. Neither of these two species invasive in the Czech Republic formed soil seed banks. The native I. noli-tangere had the lowest percentage germination and formed a short-term persistent seed bank. Impatiens capensis germinated well in the laboratory, had the highest seedling emergence in the garden and its seed remained viable in the soil for three years. This indicates that in terms of germination and emergence, this species is comparable with the two invasive alien congeners and there appear to be no constraints to its invasion in the Czech Republic where it does not occur yet. Its absence may be due to a low propagule pressure; in the national flora I. capensis is listed as a potential future invader without mentioning it being cultivated in this country. Our results indicate that differences in the invasiveness of three alien species of balsams in the temperate zone of Central Europe can be attributed, at least in part, to their differing performances in the early stages of their life cycle. The short period of time required for seed stratification and the high seedling biomass of I. glandulifera might have increased its invasion potential compared to other Impatiens species occurring in the Czech Republic.
Isoëtes echinospora, a submerged aquatic quillwort, is native in northern latitudes and a rare glacial relict in mountain lakes in temperate Central Europe. A relic population of this quillwort in the Plešné jezero lake has recovered recently from a 30-year period of failure to reproduce caused by acidification. Early ontogenetic stages of the quillwort are considered to be the most vulnerable to environmental changes. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the phenology of germination of I. echinospora. In a two-year experiment, we examined the time course of germination of micro- and macrospores and establishment of sporelings under (i) natural in situ conditions in the Plešné jezero lake and (ii) at various temperatures (6–17 °C) in the laboratory. We developed a mathematical model that describes the temperature-specific temporal changes in the early ontogeny of I. echinospora. Our experiments clearly show that spores do not germinate at once but gradually over time if exposed to favourable temperatures. Generally, percentage germination tended to increase during the course of a season under most temperature regimes but was inhibited at the lowest temperature. With increasing temperature, microspores germinated earlier and more successfully than macrospores, as described by the model. Sporelings also developed faster at the higher temperature. However, the highest temperature used in the experiments (17 °C) desynchronized the phenology of germination in I. echinospora as it resulted in the two types of spore not being available for fertilization at the same time. Thus, climate change might affect interactions between temperature and the phenology of quillwort reproduction and threaten the survival of this species in Central Europe.
The distribution of Alisma gramineum in the Czech Republic was determined using herbarium specimens, data in the literature and the authors’ own records. Comparison of records from four periods (before 1900, 1901–1945, 1946–1970, 1971–2001) revealed that the total number of localities has not decreased, but the occurrence changed considerably both in terms of the localities and regions where the species is found. Abundant populations were observed on exposed shores of water reservoirs. It has colonized the Třeboň Basin, S Bohemia, over the last few decades. Effect of water regime, light/darkness regime and temperature on germination and dormancy was studied. A. gramineum is adapted to germinate in water and in the dark; germination occurs in late spring, i.e. a period of high temperature. The high variation in the germination response to particular environmental factors may be accounted for the irregular occurrence of A. gramineum at certain localities. Best conditions for seed production are shallow water and recently exposed shores of water reservoirs, where plants can grow and set seed within one growing season. The ability to survive in a vegetative stage is more important in deep water, but seed banks in the mud at the bottom of reservoirs is the only way the species can persist when adult plants die.
This paper describes the reproductive characteristics of 93 neophytes (alien species introduced after 1500 A.D.) of the flora of the Czech Republic and compares trait values between naturalized invasive and naturalized non-invasive neophytes. Species were sampled and seed collected in the field from multiple localities in the Czech Republic. Traits related to seed production (propagule number per plant and per population), dispersal (propagule size, length/width ratio and weight; buoyancy; epizoochory; terminal velocity) and establishment (germination; seedling relative growth rate; seedling establishment) were measured for each species either in the field, in a common garden experiment or in the laboratory. Invasive species significantly differ from naturalized non-invasive species in propagule length/width ratio (by having lower ratio, i.e. more rounded propagules) and fecundity (invasive species are more fecund, both per individual plant and in terms of the population propagule production). Invasive species have proportionally fewer seedlings establishing in the autumn and better capacity for dispersal by wind than non-invasive species. The results for several traits differ depending on whether or not the effect of phylogeny is included in analytical models. Considering species relatedness expressed as a taxonomic hierarchy, invasive species have lighter propagules and higher population propagule numbers, and marginally significantly differ in producing more propagules per plant and having higher capacity for dispersal bywater.We found that most variation in invasiveness is linked to variation among species within genera. This distribution of relatedness means that predictions of whether a species will become invasive cannot be based on traits of the relatives of the given species at higher taxonomic levels. The distinction made in this paper, i.e. invasive species vs. naturalized but non-invasive species, can potentially contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of traits associated with invasiveness because the crucial transition from the naturalized to invasion stage is rarely addressed in invasion ecology.