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Competencia Entre la Especie Nativa Populus deltoides y la Invasiva Tamarix ramosissim a y las Implicaciones para Reintegrar Perturbaciones Causadas por Inundaciones
Author(s) -
Sher Anna A.,
Marshall Diane L.,
Gilbert Steven A.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
conservation biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.2
H-Index - 222
eISSN - 1523-1739
pISSN - 0888-8892
DOI - 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2000.99306.x
Subject(s) - tamarix , invasive species , introduced species , plant ecology , seedling , dominance (genetics) , biology , competition (biology) , flooding (psychology) , native plant , ecology , ecosystem , agronomy , psychology , biochemistry , psychotherapist , gene
Changes in historical disturbance regimes have been shown to facilitate non‐native plant invasions, but reinstatement of disturbance can be successful only if native colonizers are able to outcompete colonizing invasives. Reintroduction of flooding in the southwestern United States is being promoted as a means of reestablishing Populus deltoides subsp. wislizenii , but flooding can also promote establishment of an introduced, invasive species, Tamarix ramosissima . We investigated competition between Populus and Tamarix at the seedling stage to aid in characterizing the process by which Tamarix may invade and to determine the potential ability of Populus to establish itself with competitive pressure from Tamarix . We planted seedlings of Tamarix and Populus in five ratios at three densities for a total of 15 treatments. The growth response of each species was measured in terms of height, above‐ground biomass, and tissue concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorous. These measurements across treatments were modeled as three‐dimensional response surfaces. For both species, Populus density was more important than Tamarix density for determining growth response. Both species were negatively affected by increasing numbers of Populus seedlings. Due to the larger size of the native Populus , we predict that its superior competitive ability can lead to its dominance when conditions allow native establishment. Our results suggest that even in the presence of an invader that positively responds to disturbance, reestablishment of historical flooding regimes and post‐flood hydrology can restore this ecosystem by promoting its dominant plant species.