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Journal of Arid Land  2013, Vol. 5 Issue (3): 275-283    DOI: 10.1007/s40333-013-0161-3
Research Articles     
Invasion syndromes: hypotheses on relationships among invasive species attributes and characteristics of invaded sites
Lora B PERKINS1*, Robert S NOWAK2
1 Department of Natural Resource Management, South Dakota State University, Brookings SD 57007, USA;
2 Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno NV 89557, USA
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Abstract  As invasion science accepts that there is no single causal factor for biological invasion, the identification of groups of traits that are often associated, or “syndromes”, is a logical move forward. Invasion syndromes are proposed to identify suites of site conditions (biotic and environmental) that render a site vulnerable to invasion by different types of invaders. This paper proposed four invasion syndromes which relate invader attributes (competitive ability, niche construction, phenotypic plasticity, and phenological niche separation) to the biotic characteristics (biodiversity and enemies) and environmental conditions (resource abundance and fluctuation) of invaded sites. The four invasion syndromes described in this paper are a development of hypotheses of how the many factors that influence species invasion might be associated. Invasion Syndrome 1 proposes that sites with relatively high resource abundance and high diversity should be vulnerable to invasion by species with high competitive ability. Invasion Syndrome 2 hypothesizes that sites with relatively low resource abundance and low diversity should be vulnerable to invasion by species with niche construction ability. Invasion Syndrome 3 postulates that sites with moderate or fluctuating resources and moderate diversity should be vulnerable to invasion by species with high phenotypic plasticity. Invasion Syndrome 4 hypothesizes that species introduced into a site where it has phenological niche separation from natives will not have to contend with interference from the biotic community at a site (diversity or natural enemies) and may invade where ever site environmental conditions suit its life history. Further work is needed to support, contradict, or refine these hypotheses and almost certainly will identify more invasion syndromes.

Key wordsdrought      tree ring chronology      climate modeling      probability      central Prairie     
Received: 29 November 2012      Published: 10 September 2013
Fund:  

This work was supported by the US National Science Founda-tion (1047575)

Corresponding Authors:
Cite this article:

Lora B PERKINS, Robert S NOWAK. Invasion syndromes: hypotheses on relationships among invasive species attributes and characteristics of invaded sites. Journal of Arid Land, 2013, 5(3): 275-283.

URL:

http://jal.xjegi.com/10.1007/s40333-013-0161-3     OR     http://jal.xjegi.com/Y2013/V5/I3/275

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