Species in the grass family (Poaceae) have caused some of the most damaging invasions in natural ecosystems, but plants in this family are also among the most widely used by humans. Therefore, it is important to be able to predict their likelihood of naturalisation and impact. We explore whether plant height is of particular importance in determining naturalisation success and impact in Poaceae by comparing naturalisation of tallstatured grasses (TSGs; defined as grass species that maintain a self-supporting height of 2 m or greater) to non-TSGs using the Global Naturalised Alien Flora database. We review the competitive traits of TSGs and collate risk assessments conducted on TSGs. Of the c.11,000 grass species globally, 929 qualify (c. 8.6%) as TSGs. 80.6% of TSGs are woody bamboos, with the remaining species scattered among 21 tribes in seven subfamilies. When all grass species were analysed, TSGs and non-TSGs did not differ significantly in the probability of naturalisation. However, when we analysed woody bamboos separately from the other grasses,
Tall-statured grasses: a useful functional group for invasion science / Canavan, Susan; Meyerson, Laura A.; Packer, Jasmin G.; Pysek, Petr; Maurel, Noelie; Lozano Masellis, Vanessa Lucia; Richardson, David M.; Brundu, Giuseppe Antonio Domenic; Canavan, Kim; Cicatelli, Angela; Cuda, Jan; Dawson, Wayne; Essl, Franz; Guarino, Francesco; Guo, Wen-Yong; van Kleunen, Mark; Kreft, Holger; Lambertini, Carla; Pergl, Jan; Skalova, Hana; Soreng, Robert J.; Visser, Vernon; Vorontsova, Maria S.; Weigelt, Patrick; Winter, Marten; Wilson, John R. U.. - In: BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS. - ISSN 1387-3547. - 21:1(2019), pp. 37-58. [10.1007/s10530-018-1815-z]
Tall-statured grasses: a useful functional group for invasion science
Lozano Masellis, Vanessa LuciaWriting – Original Draft Preparation
;Brundu, Giuseppe Antonio DomenicConceptualization
;Guarino, FrancescoMembro del Collaboration Group
;
2019-01-01
Abstract
Species in the grass family (Poaceae) have caused some of the most damaging invasions in natural ecosystems, but plants in this family are also among the most widely used by humans. Therefore, it is important to be able to predict their likelihood of naturalisation and impact. We explore whether plant height is of particular importance in determining naturalisation success and impact in Poaceae by comparing naturalisation of tallstatured grasses (TSGs; defined as grass species that maintain a self-supporting height of 2 m or greater) to non-TSGs using the Global Naturalised Alien Flora database. We review the competitive traits of TSGs and collate risk assessments conducted on TSGs. Of the c.11,000 grass species globally, 929 qualify (c. 8.6%) as TSGs. 80.6% of TSGs are woody bamboos, with the remaining species scattered among 21 tribes in seven subfamilies. When all grass species were analysed, TSGs and non-TSGs did not differ significantly in the probability of naturalisation. However, when we analysed woody bamboos separately from the other grasses,I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
