Biology of common crupina and yellow starthistle, two Mediterranean winter annual invaders in western North America

This paper reviews the biology of two closely related Mediterranean annuals, yellow starthistle and common crupina, which have invaded grassland, shrub steppe, and open woodland habitats in western North America. Despite the similarity of their winter annual life cycle, the two species differ signif...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Weed science 2001-07, Vol.49 (4), p.439-447
Main Authors: Roché, Cindy Talbott, Thill, Donald C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Achenes
after-ripening
Alien plants
Annuals
biological invasion case study
Biological invasions
Biology
Centaurea solstitialis
Crupina vulgaris
Ecological invasion
exotic plant pest
fecundity
fruits
Germination
Grasses
habitats
mortality
pest management
photoperiod
Plants
population growth
REVIEW ARTICLE
Seedlings
shrubs
Species
steppes
vernalization
weed science
woodlands
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This paper reviews the biology of two closely related Mediterranean annuals, yellow starthistle and common crupina, which have invaded grassland, shrub steppe, and open woodland habitats in western North America. Despite the similarity of their winter annual life cycle, the two species differ significantly in population dynamics. Common crupina has traits that favor persistence rather than rapid population growth: large, heavy achenes with an after-ripening requirement; lower fecundity but higher germination success; and reproduction regulated by vernalization and photoperiod in addition to thermal time. Persistence traits also foster invasion of undisturbed or less degraded steppe habitats. Yellow starthistle has more ruderal traits: small, light, rapidly germinating achenes; higher fecundity, with greater seedling mortality; and reproduction that is less sensitive to photoperiod and vernalization. These characteristics confer a greater adaptability for rapid spread and colonization of disturbance by yellow starthistle than by common crupina. An understanding of the relative differences in biological characters of each species and in their function in invaded environments is relevant to ecological management of these pest species. Nomenclature: Common crupina, Crupina vulgaris Cass., CJNVU; yellow starthistle, Centaurea solstitialis L., CENSO.
ISSN:0043-1745
1550-2759
DOI:10.1614/0043-1745%282001%29049%5B0439%3ABOCCAY%5D2.0.CO%3B2