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Reproductive biological characteristics potentially contributed to invasiveness in an alien invasive plant B idens frondosa
Author(s) -
Yan Xiao Hong,
Zhou Bing,
Yin Zeng Fang,
Wang Ning,
Zhang Zheng Guang
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
plant species biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.419
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1442-1984
pISSN - 0913-557X
DOI - 10.1111/1442-1984.12092
Subject(s) - biology , achene , germination , phenology , sowing , facultative , reproductive success , botany , stamen , pollinator , horticulture , gynoecium , pollination , population , pollen , demography , sociology
B idens frondosa L . ( A steraceae) is a widespread invasive weed in C hina. By experimental observation and bagging treatment, the reproductive biological characteristics of this species, such as phenology of flowering, floral syndrome, breeding system and seed germination characteristics, were studied to assess the association of these reproductive characteristics with invasiveness. Flowers of B . frondosa bloom from S eptember to O ctober every year in J i'an city, J iangxi province. The lifespan of a single capitulum is approximately 4 to 5 days, with 30 to 60 florets per capitulum. The capitulum diameter, anthocaulus length, floret length and width, stamen length and pistil length were 6.1, 30.9, 2.2, 0.6, 3.0 and 2.7 mm, respectively. The seed set percentage of 48.5% in the treatment of bagging flowers without emasculation suggests B . frondosa is self‐compatible; meanwhile, the percentage of 63.1% in the treatment of bagging with emasculation and manual xenogamy suggests it also is cross‐compatible. P/ O ratio per capitulum of this species was 450.5, which suggests that the breeding system of B . frondosa is facultative xenogamous, and it needs pollinators to some degree. The main floral visitors were insects of H ymenoptera, D iptera and L epidoptera. The 1000‐achenes weight was 1.97 g. The achenes emerged as a small germination peak from the fourth to fifth day, and had a high accumulated germination rate of up to 84.0% on day 20 after sowing. Our experimental findings suggested that the reproductive biological characteristics, such as the versatile mating system of self‐ and cross‐pollination, high seed production, a special method of achene dispersal and germination peak, accompanied by a high accumulated germination rate, might contribute to the invasive ability of B . frondosa .