Huff and puff and blow down: invasive plants traits response to strong winds at the Southern Oceanic Islands

• Published in: Oikos
• Main Authors: Saiz, Hugo, Renault, D, Puijalon, Sara, Barrio, Miguel, Bertrand, Mathilde, Tolosano, Matteo, Pierre, Aurélien, Ferreira, Charly, Prouteau, Clémentine, Bittebiere, Anne-Kristel
• Other Authors: Universität Bern Bern, Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution Rennes (ECOBIO), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES), Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Ministère de l'Education nationale, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (M.E.N.E.S.R.), Équipe 2 - Écologie Végétale et Zones Humides (EVZH), Laboratoire d'Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés (LEHNA), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État (ENTPE)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État (ENTPE)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Équipe 1 - Biodiversité et Adaptation dans les Hydrosystèmes (BAH), Institut Polaire Francais Paul-Emile Victor IPEV 136, long-term research network on biodiversity in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic ecosystems (Zone Atelier InEE-CNRS Antarctique et Terres Australes); 2019-2020 BiodivERsA joint call for research proposals, under the BiodivClim ERA-Net COFUND programme; ANR French National Research Agency (ANR) ANR-20-EBI5-0004, ANR-20-EBI5-0004,ASICS,ASsessing and mitigating the effects of climate change and biological Invasions on the spatial redistribution of biodiversity in Cold environmentS(2020)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2021
• Subjects: environmental filter; functional traits; hypervolume; Iles Kerguelen; intraspecific variability; mechanical stress; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Antarctic; Kerguelen; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03366501; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03366501/document; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03366501/file/Saiz%20et%20al%20-%202021%20-%20Huff%20and%20puff%20and%20blow%20down.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.08249

International audience Invasions constitute a major driver of biodiversity changes. Insular plant communities are particularly vulnerable to invasions and are relevant models for investigating mechanisms supporting the establishment and spread of introduced plants. Terrestrial flora of sub-Antarctic islands must often thrive in highly windy habitats, thus imposing strong mechanical constraints on individuals. Many alien plants at the sub-Antarctic islands are of tropical or temperate origins, where they were exposed to less stringent wind conditions. As wind likely represents a strong environmental filter for the successful establishment and further geographic spread of plants, they should have developed responses to resist and successfully colonize the Iles Kerguelen. We studied responses to wind of three herbaceous species that are invasive at Iles Kerguelen. We sampled plant individuals at different locations, under windy and sheltered conditions. Traits related to wind avoidance and tolerance and to resource acquisition were measured. We additionally assessed individual performance (biomass) to determine the consequences of trait variations. We focused on trait mean and variance, in particular, through the calculation of hypervolumes. This study emphasized that wind has important effects on plant economics spectrum, including traits involved in mechanical avoidance and light acquisition, with varying strategies, which seem to depend on the biological type of the species (grass versus non-grass). Wind generally reduces individual performance, and this negative effect is not direct but operates through the modification of plant trait values. Furthermore, analyses performed at the hypervolume scale indicate that not only functional trait mean but also its variability account for plant performance. The existence of contrasting growth strategies to cope with local environmental conditions suggests that invaders will be able to occupy different niches, which may ultimately impact local communities. Our results ...