10.5061/DRYAD.2JM63XSK9
Helsen, Kenny
0000-0001-6856-7095
KU Leuven
Van Cleemput, Elisa
KU Leuven
Bassi, Leonardo
KU Leuven
Graae, Bente
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Somers, Ben
KU Leuven
Blonder, Benjamin
Arizona State University
Honnay, Olivier
KU Leuven
Inter- and intraspecific trait variation shape multidimensional trait
overlap between two plant invaders and the invaded communities
Dryad
dataset
2020
specific leaf area (SLA)
leaf dry matter content
leaf area
specific stem density
Functional uniqueness
Impatiens glandulifera
trait hypervolume
Research Foundation - Flanders
https://ror.org/03qtxy027
1202817N
2020-01-17T00:00:00Z
2020-01-17T00:00:00Z
en
103860 bytes
3
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Invader success and ecosystem impact are both expected to be largely
driven by the functional trait distinctiveness of the resident species
relative to the invaded communities. To understand the importance of trait
distinctiveness for plant invasions, and the native community’s trait
response to the invasion, it is key to measure multiple traits
simultaneously, and to incorporate intraspecific trait variation. Here we
explored multidimensional patterns of inter- and intraspecific trait
variation during the invasion of two functionally contrasting species. We
constructed multidimensional trait hypervolumes for the invaders, their
invaded communities, and uninvaded reference communities. The functional
distinctiveness hypothesis predicts that invaders will occupy a mostly
unique part of the trait hypervolume and that invasion will shift the
trait composition of the native community to minimize trait overlap with
the invader. Impatiens glandulifera was characterized by acquisitive
traits, while Rosa rugosa had more resource conservative traits,
reflecting their respective invaded habitats. Both invaders showed
relatively little hypervolume overlap with the uninvaded communities,
although this overlap was higher for R. rugosa (31.9%) than for I.
glandulifera (14.3%). Both invaders affected community traits, mainly due
to intraspecific trait changes of the resident species. As expected,
invasion by R. rugosa reduced trait overlap between invader and community
to 18.3%. Invasion by I. glandulifera, however, resulted in an increased
trait overlap to 26.7%. In both cases the community traits shifted towards
a more resource acquisitive strategy following invasion, irrespective of
the invader’s trait composition. This suggests that invasion-driven
community-level intraspecific trait shifts are likely caused by increased
competition for light under the invader, rather than by niche overlap.
These, at first sight contradictory, results demonstrate the need for
better trait-based invasion and community ecology theory. Our results
furthermore show that invaders can shift the trait occupancy of resident
communities.
See the linked Helsen et al. (2020) Oikos paper
soil_data_Impatiens_and_Rosa_dataset.xlsx: contains soil nutrient data for
each vegetation plot of both the 'Impatiens dataset' and the
'Rosa dataset'. Traits_Impatiens_dataset.xlsx: all measured
traits per plot x species combination of the 'Impatiens
dataset'. See the linked Helsen et al. (2020) Oikos paper for
description of sampling design and hypervolume ID codes
Traits_Rosa_dataset.xlsx: all measured traits per plot x species
combination of the 'Rosa dataset'. See the linked Helsen et al.
(2020) Oikos paper for description of sampling design and hypervolume ID
codes