Intraspecific trait variability is relevant in assessing differences in functional composition between native and alien aquatic plant communities

Intraspecific trait variability is relevant in assessing differences in functional composition between native and alien aquatic plant communities

The loss of plant functional diversity associated with biological invasion is a main subject of invasion biology, but still understudied in case of aquatic plants. We calculated functional richness, evenness, divergence and community-weighted mean trait values of aquatic plant communities for 20 plo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hydrobiologia Vol. 851; no. 21; pp. 5071 - 5084
Main Authors: Koleszár, Gergő, Szabó, Sándor, Kékedi, Levente, Löki, Viktor, Botta-Dukát, Zoltán, Lukács, Balázs András
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01-12-2024
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Aquatic ecosystems
Aquatic plants
Biological invasions
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Composition
Diversity indices
Dry matter
Dry matter content
Ecological function
Ecology
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Introduced species
Invasive species
Leaf area
Leaves
Life Sciences
Macrophytes Functional Traits
Plant communities
Plant diversity
Plant layout
Zoology
Macrophytes
Community assembly
Intraspecific trait variability
Optimal pooling
Functional diversity
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Summary:The loss of plant functional diversity associated with biological invasion is a main subject of invasion biology, but still understudied in case of aquatic plants. We calculated functional richness, evenness, divergence and community-weighted mean trait values of aquatic plant communities for 20 plots, half invaded and half non-invaded by alien species, in a thermal effluent of West Hungary. Three traits [specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf area (LA)] were considered to explain how alien species alter ecosystem function. We differentiated interspecific and intraspecific trait variation and investigate its effect on the community-level functional diversity. We found that alien species invasion causes significant changes in the functional composition of aquatic plants whereby alien species become able to absorb light more efficiently, which will directly enhance their increased biomass production. Our study highlights the importance of local adaptation, showing that calculating functional diversity with global pooling of trait measurements causes significant over- or underestimation of functional diversity indices. Consequently, this can potentially result in erroneous conclusions regarding the impact of invasion.
ISSN:0018-8158
1573-5117
DOI:10.1007/s10750-023-05313-4