Publications by authors named "Nicky Lustenhouwer"
Unlabelled: Invasive plants along transportation corridors can significantly threaten ecosystems and biodiversity if they spread beyond anthropogenic environments. Rapid evolution may increase the ability of invading plant populations to establish in resident plant communities over time, posing a challenge to invasion risk assessment. We tested for adaptive differentiation in (stinkwort), an invasive species of ruderal habitat in California that is increasingly spreading away from roadsides into more established vegetation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRange expansions, whether they are biological invasions or climate change-mediated range shifts, may have profound ecological and evolutionary consequences for plant-soil interactions. Range-expanding plants encounter soil biota with which they have a limited coevolutionary history, especially when introduced to a new continent. Past studies have found mixed results on whether plants experience positive or negative soil feedback interactions in their novel range, and these effects often change over time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDittrichia graveolens (L.) Greuter, or stinkwort, is a weedy annual plant within the family Asteraceae. The species is recognized for the rapid expansion of both its native and introduced ranges: in Europe, it has expanded its native distribution northward from the Mediterranean basin by nearly 7 °C latitude since the mid-20th century, while in California and Australia the plant is an invasive weed of concern.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Dispersal is a key characteristic that influences how populations and communities evolve and interact within ecosystems.
- Experimental evolution studies are being used to explore different dispersal strategies and their implications, but they often involve small, short-lived organisms in controlled lab settings.
- By combining theoretical approaches, experimental evolution, and real-world observations, researchers can enhance their understanding of dispersal evolution and its impacts, particularly regarding interactions within complex biological environments.
Article Synopsis
- * In a study of 34 saprotrophic fungi, fungal growth rate was identified as the top predictor of wood decomposition, explaining up to 27% of variation in field conditions, while traits like moisture tolerance and enzyme production also influenced rates.
- * The research highlights a trade-off in fungal life history strategies, where slower-growing, drought-tolerant fungi are less effective at decomposition compared to faster-growing, competitive species, allowing for better predictions of wood decay patterns across North America.
Article Synopsis
- Seed dispersal is crucial for plant survival and biodiversity, yet existing models often overlook individual variations and complex dynamics.
- Advances in research highlight the significance of understanding intraspecific variation in seed dispersal, which influences plant fitness and community dynamics.
- The authors recommend a shift in focus towards incorporating these variations into models to better predict responses to environmental changes and enhance biodiversity outcomes.
Although climate warming is expected to make habitat beyond species' current cold range edge suitable for future colonization, this new habitat may present an array of biotic or abiotic conditions not experienced within the current range. Species' ability to shift their range with climate change may therefore depend on how populations evolve in response to such novel environmental conditions. However, due to the recent nature of thus far observed range expansions, the role of rapid adaptation during climate change migration is only beginning to be understood.
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