Effects of Glyphosate Application on Physiologically Integrated Clones of the Invasive Plant Carpobrotus edulis

Management of invasive alien species is a high priority for biodiversity conservation. Here, we studied the effects of glyphosate application, at 0.06 g/m2 concentration, on physiologically integrated basal and apical ramets of the invasive clonal plant Carpobrotus edulis. Physiological integration...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Diversity (Basel) 2022-01, Vol.14 (1), p.47
Main Authors: Roiloa, Sergio R., Yu, Fei-Hai, Barreiro, Rodolfo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Biodiversity
biological invasions
Biomass
biomass partitioning
Carpobrotus
Carpobrotus edulis
chemical control
chlorophyll fluorescence
clonal growth
Ecosystems
Experiments
Flowers & plants
Glyphosate
Herbicides
Introduced species
Invasive plants
Invasive species
Nonnative species
Photochemicals
Physiology
Wildlife conservation
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Summary:Management of invasive alien species is a high priority for biodiversity conservation. Here, we studied the effects of glyphosate application, at 0.06 g/m2 concentration, on physiologically integrated basal and apical ramets of the invasive clonal plant Carpobrotus edulis. Physiological integration allows the transport of resources and other substances between connected ramets in clonal plants. We found a significant reduction of growth and photochemical efficiency both in basal and apical ramets of C. edulis after glyphosate application. Interestingly, we also observed a significant growth reduction in untreated basal ramets when they remained connected to apical ramets treated with glyphosate. This result was interpreted as a cost for basal ramets due to supporting severely stressed apical ramets. Therefore, local application of glyphosate to apical ramets of C. edulis can negatively affect not only their own growth, but also the growth of their interconnected, untreated basal ramets. Our results suggest that glyphosate effectiveness can be maintained when applied only to one part of the clone so that the amount of herbicide used in eradication programs can be greatly reduced, which can minimize the negative impact of chemical herbicides on ecosystems.
ISSN:1424-2818
1424-2818
DOI:10.3390/d14010047