Thesis (M.S.)--Miami University, Dept. of Botany, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 22-29).

One theory concerning the invasiveness of exotic plants suggests that they exude allelopathic compounds that are novel in areas being invaded. Here, I tested for allelopathic effects of root exudates of the invasive plant Heracleum mantegazzianum (giant hogweed) in a series of experiments both in vitro and in the garden, and compared them with effects of its native congener H. sphondylium (common hogweed) and two less related native species. Moreover, I addressed intraspecific variability of allelopathy by comparing effects of 41 different maternal lines of H. mantegazzianum sampled from several areas and populations within the Czech Republic. Not only the effects, but also the identity of allelopathic compounds was investigated. In order to test also for the interaction of allelochemicals with soil microorganisms, I analysed the composition of soil microbial communities expressed as phospholipid and neutral lipid fatty acids (PLFA and NLFA, respectively) together with nutrient conditions and light availability at invaded sites in the Czech Republic. The results show that H. mantegazzianum is able to exert phytotoxic effects in vitro as well as in the garden experiment; however, its effects did not differ from the inhibition caused by the native species tested. Variation partitioning among areas,...

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