10.5061/DRYAD.2TK2040
Feng, Yanhao
German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research
University of Konstanz
Fouqueray, Timothée Donatien
University of Konstanz
van Kleunen, Mark
Taizhou University
University of Konstanz
Data from: Linking Darwin's naturalisation hypothesis and
Elton's diversity‐invasibility hypothesis in experimental grassland
communities
Dryad
dataset
2019
competitive exclusion
Darwin's naturalisation conundrum
Modern coexistence theory
competitive inequality
Invasion ecology
2019-08-13T00:00:00Z
2019-08-13T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13061
339252 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
1. Darwin's naturalisation hypothesis posing that phylogenetic
distance of alien species to native residents predicts invasion success,
and Elton's diversity‐invasibility hypothesis posing that diversity
of native communities confers resistance to invasion, are both rooted in
ideas of species coexistence. Because the two hypotheses are inherently
linked, the mechanisms underlying them may interact in driving the
invasion success. Even so, these links and interactions have not been
explicitly disentangled in one experimental study before. 2. To
disentangle the links between the two hypotheses, we used 36 native
grassland herbs to create greenhouse mesocosms with 90 grassland
communities of different diversities, and introduced each of five
herbaceous alien species as seeds and seedlings. We used phylogeny and
four functional traits (plant height, specific leaf area, leaf size, seed
mass) to calculate different measures of phylogenetic and functional
distance and diversity. Specifically, we tested how the alien‐native
distance (phylogenetic or functional) and the native diversity
(phylogenetic or functional) affected each other in their effects on
germination, seedling survival, growth and reproduction of the aliens. 3.
Overall, our results supported both hypotheses. Multivariate functional
distance based on four traits jointly had stronger positive effects than
phylogenetic distance and the univariate ones based on each trait
separately. Moreover, the aliens were more successful if they were more
competitive by being taller and having larger leaves with a lower SLA than
the native residents. Univariate functional diversity based on each trait
separately had stronger negative effects than phylogenetic and
multivariate functional diversity. Most importantly, we found that the
effects of alien‐native phylogenetic and multivariate functional distance
became stronger as diversity increased. Our analyses with single traits
also showed that the strength of the effects of both alien‐native
hierarchical functional distances (indicative of competitive inequalities)
and absolute functional distances (indicative of niche differences)
increased at higher diversities, where competition is more severe. 4.
SynthesisOur study explicitly demonstrates for the first time how the
mechanisms underlying the two classical invasion hypotheses interact in
driving invasion success in grassland communities. This may help to
explain some of the puzzling results of studies testing either of the two
hypotheses.
pfdivThis is a data file related to the paper entitled "Linking
Darwin's naturalisation hypothesis and Elton’s diversity-invasibility
hypothesis in experimental grassland communities"