Evolutionary tradeoffs for nitrogen allocation to photosynthesis versus cell walls in an invasive plant

Yu Long Feng, Yan Bao Lei, Rui Fang Wang, Ragan M. Callaway, Alfonso Valiente-Banuet, Inderjit, Yang Ping Li, Yu Long Zheng

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

303 Scopus citations

Abstract

Many studies have shown that individuals from invasive populations of many different plant species grow larger than individuals from native populations and that this difference has a genetic basis. This increased vigor in invasive populations is thought to be due to life history tradeoffs, in which selection favors the loss of costly defense traits, thereby freeing resources that can be devoted to increased growth or fecundity. Despite the theoretical importance of such allocation shifts for invasions, there have been no efforts to understand apparent evolutionary shifts in defense-growth allocation mechanistically. Reallocation of nitrogen (N) to photosynthesis is likely to play a crucial role in any growth increase; however, no study has been conducted to explore potential evolutionary changes in N allocation of introduced plants. Here, we show that introduced Ageratina adenophora, a noxious invasive plant throughout the subtropics, appears to have evolved increased N allocation to photosynthesis (growth) and reduced allocation to cell walls, resulting in poorer structural defenses. Our results provide a potential mechanism behind the commonly observed and genetically based increase in plant growth and vigor when they are introduced to new ranges.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1853-1856
Number of pages4
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume106
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 10 2009

Keywords

  • Defense
  • Invasiveness

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