All species on Earth occupy limited geographic space. More than a century of observational, experimental, and theoretical work investigating the factors that drive species distributions have demonstrated the importance of the interactions between abiotic, biotic, and demographic factors in determining why species are found where they are. However, it is still unclear when and where these factors interact to set species range limits. Filling the existing knowledge gaps is imperative for the accurate predictions of how species will respond to global change, and particularly for invasive species, many of which are expected to benefit from global change. Here, I sought to investigate the mechanisms that enable, as well as limit, the range expansion of the globally invasive plant Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers. (Johnsongrass). I performed a series of field and laboratory experiments to study population and range dynamics throughout Johnsongrass's North American distribution, and test for the effects of climate, local habitat, and competition on multiple functional traits. I found Johnsongrass consistently demonstrated impressive performance across varying environments, often growing more than 3 m tall, producing hundreds of flowering culms within a single growing season, and maintaining positive population growth rates, even under intense competition with resident weeds. I also found evidence that seed germination has adapted to varying climates encountered during Johnsongrass's range expansion resulting in a shift in the germination temperature niche from warmer to cooler as Johnsongrass spread from warmer climates in the south to more temperate climates in higher latitudes. This shift in the germination temperature niche may have been an important contributing factor in the range expansion of Johnsongrass by enabling the optimization of seed germination in varying climates. On the other hand, results from a field study suggested a possible trade-off between flowering time and growth in populations originating from the range periphery (i.e., range boundary) which may be limiting, or slowing, continued range expansion of Johnsongrass. Together, the outcomes of this work contribute to our understanding of the factors involved in the distribution of species, which is a fundamental goal of Ecology, and essential to accurately predict how invasive species will respond to global change. / Doctor of Philosophy / Invasive species threaten our natural ecosystems, our agricultural systems, and even our infrastructure, and we spend billions of dollars each year attempting to control them and reduce their negative impacts. Climate change, habitat destruction, and other forms of global change, will benefit many of these species, magnifying their impacts and promoting their invasion into new territories. Because of the damaging effects of invasive species, and the costs to control them, it is imperative that we are able to predict how they will respond to global change so that we can improve plans to reduce their impact and spread. First, we need to understand the processes that promote their invasion across large swaths of land. Just as importantly, we must study the processes that prevent their invasion of certain areas. Here, I investigated some of the processes that have facilitated, as well as hampered, the spread of the invasive plant Johnsongrass. For this work, I used Johnsongrass plants originating from different habitats, including regions where Johnsongrass is highly invasive and those where Johnsongrass is very rare. I found Johnsongrass originating from regions where it is highly invasive were able to grow very large and produce thousands of seeds that were able to germinate under a range of conditions. These traits may have contributed to the invasion success of this species. However, I found a different pattern for plants that originated from regions where Johnsongrass is rare. These plants reached reproductive age earlier and grew smaller across all environmental conditions, potentially due to the less hospitable climates of these range edges. These findings allow us to project into future climate change scenarios, because it is likely that, as temperatures warm, invasive species will be able to invade new regions, where they will impact the work of conservationists, natural resource professionals, agricultural produces, and other land managers.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/95884 |
| Date | 27 November 2019 |
| Creators | Fletcher, Rebecca A. |
| Contributors | Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science, Barney, Jacob, Haak, David C., Atwater, Daniel Z., Seiler, John R. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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