Abstract
The polycarpic perennial Bunias orientalis L. (Brassicaceae) introduced to Central Europe in the 18th century recently entered a phase of rapid spread accompanied by sudden establishments of extensive dominance stands mainly on roadside locations. We studied vegetation structure and expansion rate of B. orientalis stands and performed a series of experiments to investigate key factors that underlie the colonizing and establishment of B. orientalis. Reiterated observations exposed a high current expansion rate of B. orientalis populations and vegetation surveys of B. orientalis stands showed that these stands were mainly composed of Artemisietea and Arrhenateretea species. Regeneration experiments with root fragments revealed high regeneration capacities: root fragments of 3 cm length showed 93% regeneration, varying water content (10–50% water loss) and separation into root cortex and root stele yielded regeneration of 30 to 50%. In a field study high regrowth after mowing with varying mowing intensity indicates B. orientalis to be well adapted to disturbed sites as its preferential locations for development of dominance stands. Vegetative growth parameters were studied in two controlled growth experiments with elevated nutrient availabilities. B. orientalis exhibited a high sensitivity to nutrient addition and rosette sizes of maximal 90 cm were reached. Biomass was comparable or even higher than that of native ruderals grown in the same experiment. Measurements of reproductive parameters revealed a high reproductive effort (0.2 to 0.45 g g-1) even under intense mowing regimes, resulting in a dense seed bank with maximal values of about 400 fruits (≅550 seeds) l-1 soil. With respect to colonization and establishment of B. orientalis the results of our study enable the formulation of three hypotheses.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
AsmusU. 1988. Das Eindringen von Neophyten in anthropogen geschaffene Standorte und ihre Vergesellschaftung am Beispiel von Senecio inaequidens DC. Flora 180: 133–138.
VanBaalenJ., ErnstW. H. O., VanAndelJ., JanssenD. W. & NelissenH. J. M. 1990. Reproductive allocation in plants of Scrophularia nodosa grown at various levels of irradiance and soil fertility. Acta Botanica Neerlandica 39 (2): 183–196.
BakerH. G. 1974. The evolution of weeds. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 5: 1–24.
BakerH. G. 1986. Patterns of plant invasion in North America. pp. 44–55. In: MooneyH. A. & DrakeJ. A. (eds), Ecology of Biological Invasions of North America and Hawaii, Ecological Studies 58, Springer, Berlin.
BarrettS. C. H. & RichardsonB. J. 1986. Genetic attributes of invading species. pp. 21–33. In: GrovesR.H. & BurdonJ.J. (eds), Ecology of Biological Invasions, Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge.
BazzazF. A. 1986. Life history of colonizing plants: some demographic, genetic, and physiological features. pp. 44–55. In: MooneyH. A. & DrakeJ. A. (eds), Ecology of Biological Invasions of North America and Hawaii, Ecological Studies 58, Springer, Berlin.
BazzazF. A. & ParrishJ. A. D. 1982. Organization of grassland communities. In: EstesJ., TyrlR. J. & BrunkenJ. N. (eds), Grasses and Grasslands, University of Oklahoma Press, Oklahoma.
BornkammR. & SauerA. 1989. Untersuchungen zum Lebenszyklus zweijähriger Pflanzenarten. Verhandlungen der Gesellschaft für Ökologie Band XVII, 757–763.
BrandesD. 1991. Untersuchungen zur Vergesellschaftung und Ökologie von Bunias orientalis L. im Westlichen Mitteleuropa. Braunschweiger naturkundliche Schriften 3 (4): 857–875.
CrawleyM. J. 1987. What makes a community invasible? pp. 429–451. In: GrayA. J., CrawleyM. J. & EdwardsP. J. (eds), Colonization, succession and stability. Blackwell Scientific Pub., Oxford.
CrawleyM. J. & BrownS. L. 1995. Seed limitations and the dynamics of feral oilseed rape on the M25 motorway. Proceedings of the Royal Society London 259: 49–54.
DrakeJ. A., MooneyH. A., DiCastriF., GrovesR. H., KrugerF. J., RejmanekM. & WilliamsonM. 1989. Biological invasions: a global perspective. Scope 37. John Wiley & Sons, Chicester, UK.
EllenbergH. 1986. Vegetation Mitteleuropas mit den Alpen. 4th edition. Ulmer, Stuttgart.
GrimeJ. P. & HuntR. 1975. Relative growth rate: its range and adaptive significance in a local flora. Journal of Ecology 63: 393–422.
HartmannE., SchuldesH., KüblerR. & KonoldW. 1995. Neophyten — Biologie Verbreitung und Kontrolle ausgewŠhlter Arten, ecomed, Landsberg.
HuntR. 1978. Plant Growth Analysis, The Institute of Biology's Studies in Biology no. 96, E. Arnold, London.
JägerE. J. 1988. Möglichkeiten der Prognose synathroper Pflanzenausbreitungen. Flora 180: 101–131.
KolbeckJ., LecjaksováS. & HärtelH. 1994. The integration of Heracleum mantegazzianum into the vegetation: an example from Central Bohemia. Biologia, Bratislava 49: 41–51.
LohmeyerW. 1971. Uber einige Neophyten als Bestandesglieder der bach- und flußbegleitenden nitrophilen Staudenfluren in Westdeutschland, Natur und Landschaft 46, 166–168.
MeuselH., JägerE. J. & WeinertE. 1965. Vergleichende Chorologie der zentraleuropŠischen Flora; 2 Vols. Gustav Fischer, Jena.
MooneyH. A. & DrakeJ. A. 1986. The Ecology of Biological Invasions of North America and Hawaii. Springer, New York.
OberdorferE. 1990. Pflanzensoziologische Exkursionsflora. Ulmer. Stuttgart.
RejmánekM. 1989. Invasibility of plant communities. pp. 369–388. In: DrakeJ. A. (ed.), Biological invasions: a global perspective, J. Wiley & Sons, Chichester.
DeRouwA. 1991. The invasion of Chromolaena odorata (L.) King & Robinson (ex Eupatorium odoratum), and competiton with the native flora, in a rain forest zone, south west Côte d'Ivoire, Journal of Biogeography 18, 13–23.
RoyJ. 1990. In search of the characteristics of plant colonizers. pp. 335–352. In: diCastriF., HansenA. & DebusscheM. (eds), Biological Invasions in Europe and the Mediterranean basin, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, Holland.
SchlüterH. 1993. Zur Einbürgerung des Perückenstrauches (Cotinus coggygria Scop.) an einem xerothermen Muschelkalkhang bei Jena in Thüringen. Phytocoenologia 23: 637–650.
Schug, B. 1990. Verbreitung und Gesellschaftsanschluß bestandesbildender Neophyten (Bunias orientalis L., Rumex thyrsiflorus Fingerh.) an Straßenrändern in Nordbayern. Magister thesis, Univ. Würzburg.
SteinleinT., HeilmeierH. & SchulzeE. D. 1993. Nitrogen and carbohydrate storage in biennials originating from habitats of different resource availability. Oecologia 93: 374–382.
TutinT. G., HeywoodV. H., BurgesM. A., MooreD. M., ValentineD. H., WaltersS. M., WebbD. A. (1964–1980). Flora Europaea, 5 Vols. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
UllmannI., HeindlB., FleckensteinM. & MenglingI. 1988. Die straßenbegleitende Vegetation des Mainfränkischen Wärmegebietes. Berichte der ANL 12, 141–187, Laufen.
UllmannI., HeindlB. & SchugB..1990. Naturräumliche Gliederung der Vegetation auf Straßenbegleitflächen im westlichen Unterfranken. Tuexenia 10: 197–222.
WeaverS. E. & CaversP. B. 1980. Reproductive effort of two perennial weed species in different habitats. Journal of Ecology 17: 505–513.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Steinlein, T., Dietz, H. & Ullmann, I. Growth patterns of the alien perennial Bunias orientalis L. (Brassicaceae) underlying its rising dominance in some native plant assemblages. Vegetatio 125, 73–82 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00045206
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00045206