Humans have spread plants globally for millennia, inadvertently causing ecological disruptions. Apart from their negative effects, biological invasions provide a unique opportunity to study how species modify their niche when confronted with novel environments. Focusing on the Mediterranean Basin, we assessed (1) which traits influence niche dynamics, and (2) whether niche conservatism or niche shift promotes invasion success. We selected the 80 most widespread alien vascular plant species in Mediterranean Europe and compiled data on their distributions in their native and invaded ranges. We then tested how a species' residence time, biogeographic origin, dispersal ability, functional traits, and intraspecific trait variability (ITV) influence its niche dynamics following invasion. Using already published independent data, we finally assessed whether niche dynamics can explain different dimensions of invasion success (quantified as regional spread or local abundance). We found that niche shifts were common (71% of species) and were mostly driven by species failing to occupy all suitable environments in their invaded range (unfilling), regardless of residence time. Niche unfilling and niche expansion were more important in species with high intraspecific trait variability introduced from non-Mediterranean biomes (temperate or tropical). Niche expansion was also greater in species with long-distance dispersal, a narrow native niche, and bigger seeds. Interestingly, invasion success correlated more with a species' ability to conserve its niche and residence time than with niche expansion. Niche shifts were better predicted by species traits than residence time. For example, high adaptive and acclimatization potential (inferred from high intraspecific trait variability) favored niche shifts in general, and long-distance dispersal favored niche expansion. Understanding how these traits relate to niche dynamics is important since a species' ability to conserve and fill its niche is, in turn, a good predictor of invasion success.

• Klíčová slova
• acclimatization, invasion success, invasive species, niche dynamics, niche filling, phenotypic plasticity, rapid adaptation, species traits,
• MeSH
• distribuce rostlin * MeSH
• ekosystém * MeSH
• rostliny * klasifikace   MeSH
• zavlečené druhy * MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa MeSH
• Středomoří MeSH

Human factors and plant characteristics are important drivers of plant invasions, which threaten ecosystem integrity, biodiversity and human well-being. However, while previous studies often examined a limited number of factors or focused on a specific invasion stage (e.g., naturalization) for specific regions, a multi-factor and multi-stage analysis at the global scale is lacking. Here, we employ a multi-level framework to investigate the interplay between plant characteristics (genome size, Grime's adaptive CSR-strategies and native range size) and economic use and how these factors collectively affect plant naturalization and invasion success worldwide. While our findings derived from structural equation models highlight the substantial contribution of human assistance in both the naturalization and spread of invasive plants, we also uncovered the pivotal role of species' adaptive strategies among the factors studied, and the significantly varying influence of these factors across invasion stages. We further revealed that the effects of genome size on plant invasions were partially mediated by species adaptive strategies and native range size. Our study provides insights into the complex and dynamic process of plant invasions and identifies its key drivers worldwide.

• MeSH
• biodiverzita MeSH
• délka genomu MeSH
• ekologie MeSH
• ekosystém * MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• rostliny genetika   MeSH
• státní občanství * MeSH
• zavlečené druhy MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Interactions between ecological factors and seed physiological responses during the establishment phase shape the distribution of plants. Yet, our understanding of the functions and evolution of early-life traits has been limited by the scarcity of large-scale datasets. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the germination niche of temperate plants is shaped by their climatic requirements and phylogenetic relatedness, using germination data sourced from a comprehensive seed conservation database of the European flora (ENSCOBASE). METHODS: We performed a phylogenetically informed Bayesian meta-analysis of primary data, considering 18 762 germination tests of 2418 species from laboratory experiments conducted across all European geographical regions. We tested for the interaction between species' climatic requirements and germination responses to experimental conditions including temperature, alternating temperature, light and dormancy-breaking treatments, while accounting for between-study variation related to seed sources and seed lot physiological status. KEY RESULTS: Climate was a strong predictor of germination responses. In warm and seasonally dry climates the seed germination niche includes a cold-cued germination response and an inhibition determined by alternating temperature regimes and cold stratification, while in climates with high temperature seasonality opposite responses can be observed. Germination responses to scarification and light were related to seed mass but not to climate. We also found a significant phylogenetic signal in the response of seeds to experimental conditions, providing evidence that the germination niche is phylogenetically constrained. Nevertheless, phylogenetically distant lineages exhibited common germination responses under similar climates. CONCLUSION: This is the first quantitative meta-analysis of the germination niche at a continental scale. Our findings showed that the germination niches of European plants exhibit evolutionary convergence mediated by strong pressures at the macroclimatic level. In addition, our methodological approach highlighted how large datasets generated by conservation seed banking can be valuable sources to address questions in plant macroecology and evolution.

• Klíčová slova
• Climate, ENSCONET, evolution, germination, macroecology, plant regeneration, seed dormancy, seed trait,
• MeSH
• Bayesova věta MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• klíčení * fyziologie   MeSH
• Magnoliopsida * MeSH
• rostliny MeSH
• semena rostlinná fyziologie   MeSH
• teplota MeSH
• vegetační klid MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• metaanalýza MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Soil seed viability and germinability dynamics can have a major influence on the establishment and spread of plants introduced beyond their native distribution range. Yet, we lack information on how temporal variability in these traits could affect the invasion process. To address this issue, we conducted an 8-year seed burial experiment examining seed viability and germinability dynamics for 21 invasive and 38 naturalized herbs in the Czech Republic. Seeds of most naturalized and invasive species persisted in the soil for several years. However, naturalized herbs exhibited greater seed longevity, on average, than invasive ones. Phylogenetic logistic models showed that seed viability (but not germinability) dynamics were significantly related to the invasion status of the study species. Seed viability declined earlier and more sharply in invasive species, and the probability of finding viable seeds of invasive species by the end of the experiment was low. Our findings suggest that invasive herbs might take advantage of high seed viability in the years immediately after dispersal, while naturalized species benefit from extended seed viability over time. These differences, however, are not sufficiently strong to explain the invasiveness of the species examined.

• MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• půda MeSH
• semena rostlinná MeSH
• semenná banka * MeSH
• zavlečené druhy * MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• půda MeSH