Department of Biology, College of Science, King Khalid University, 61413, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
Prince Sultan Bin-Abdul-Aziz for Environmental Research and Natural Resources Sustainability Center King Khalid University, 61413, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
Sci Rep. 2024 Jul 15;14(1):16285. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-65859-8.
Invasive alien species implications in ecological threats are attributed to their unique characteristics that are linked to their invasion. Veronica persica (Plantaginaceae family) is an alien weed species in Egypt. Regardless of its widespread globally in various regions, the growth traits and behavior of V. persica remain poorly understood. The comprehensive analysis, reveals the optimal germination (Gmax) was detected at 10/20 °C, 15/20 °C, and 20/25 °C at the moderate temperature regimes. The rapid germination rate (G rate) peaked at 10/20 °C regime, with a rate of 0.376 per day. Furthermore, under stress conditions, V. persica has 50% germination inhibition (G) and 50% of growth inhibition occurred at - 0.91 MPa and 0.75 MPa of osmotic pressure and 3225.81 ppm and 2677.1 ppm of salt stress (NaCl) respectively. The germination ranged from 6 to 9 pH, with the highest germination percentage occurring at a pH of 7 & 8, reaching 88.75% compared to the control group. There is a strong interaction effect between habitats and plant stages, the plant stages and habitats have significant effects (p ≤ 0.00) on V. persica growth. There was high and moderate plasticity in the response of morphological and growth features between stages. During the seedling-juvenile interval and the juvenile-flowering stages, respectively, there was a noticeable increase in both Relative Growth Rate and Net Assimilation Rate. Demographic surveys identified approximately 24 species across 11 families associated with V. persica in invaded areas. The Sorenson indices of qualitative index exhibited high similarity values in the invaded sites by (82.35%) compared to (72.72%) in non-invaded sites. However, interactions with native communities were reflected in lower richness, diversity, and evenness, displaying slightly higher Simpson index 1 (λ) values compared to invaded and non-invaded sites (0.043 and 0.0290) vs. (0.0207 and 0.268), in rangelands and F. carica orchards respectively. These results emphasize the substantially higher adaptability of V. persica to variable environmental conditions and abilities to invade a new community. This knowledge about invasive V. persica weeds germination and growth is itemized as the consistent predictive base for future invasion and informs strategic management priorities.
入侵的外来物种对生态威胁的影响归因于它们独特的特性，这些特性与它们的入侵有关。 Veronica persica（车前科）是埃及的一种外来杂草物种。尽管它在全球许多地区广泛分布，但 V. persica 的生长特性和行为仍知之甚少。综合分析表明，最适发芽温度（Gmax）在中温条件下分别为 10/20°C、15/20°C 和 20/25°C 下检测到。快速发芽率（G rate）在 10/20°C 条件下达到峰值，每天为 0.376。此外，在胁迫条件下，V. persica 的发芽抑制率（G）为 50%，生长抑制率在渗透胁迫下为-0.91 MPa 和 0.75 MPa，盐胁迫（NaCl）下分别为 3225.81 ppm 和 2677.1 ppm。发芽范围为 6 到 9 pH，最高发芽率出现在 pH 为 7 和 8 时，与对照组相比达到 88.75%。生境和植物阶段之间存在强烈的相互作用效应，植物阶段和生境对 V. persica 的生长有显著影响（p≤0.00）。在形态和生长特征方面，阶段之间存在高度和中度的可塑性。在幼苗-幼年期和幼年期-花期阶段，相对生长率和净同化率分别有明显增加。对入侵地区与 V. persica 相关的 11 个科的约 24 个物种进行了种群调查。在入侵地区，定性指数的 Sorenson 指数表现出高度相似性（82.35%），而非入侵地区为（72.72%）。然而，与本地群落的相互作用反映在丰富度、多样性和均匀度较低，与入侵和非入侵地区相比，Simpson 指数 1（λ）值略高（0.043 和 0.268），分别为（0.0207 和 0.268），在牧场和 F. carica 果园中。这些结果强调了 V. persica 对不同环境条件的适应能力更高，并且能够入侵新的群落。关于入侵的 V. persica 杂草发芽和生长的这些知识被列为未来入侵的一致预测基础，并为战略管理重点提供信息。
