Geobiology and Geochemistry Division, Cardiff School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK.
Department of Natural Sciences, Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NP, UK.
Sci Rep. 2024 Aug 20;14(1):19275. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-69710-y.
The highly invasive Impatiens glandulifera (Himalayan balsam) is one of the most prolific and widespread invasive plants in the British Isles. Introduced in the early nineteenth century, it has now been reported in almost every vice county across the UK and is a fierce competitor that has adverse effects on the local community structure. Despite the negative impacts that invaders like I. glandulifera have on local communities, there have been very few studies which address the morphological changes that invasive plant populations have undergone since their initial introduction. This is the first study of its kind to investigate the morphological changes that have occurred in I. glandulifera. 315 herbarium specimens dating from 1865 to 2017 were used to measure changes in morphological traits such as leaf size, flower length and stomatal characteristics. We found that since 1865, there has been a significant reduction in overall leaf size, a significant reduction in stomatal density and a significant increase in the overall flower length. These results highlight the importance of monitoring the evolutionary change in prolific alien species over the course of their invasion, providing useful insights into changes in competitive ability which may prove useful in managing dispersal and providing options for potential management.
高度入侵的凤仙花（喜马拉雅凤仙花）是不列颠群岛上繁殖力最强、分布最广的入侵植物之一。它于 19 世纪初引入，现在几乎在英国的每个县都有报道，是一种具有不良影响的凶猛竞争者，对当地的社区结构造成了负面影响。尽管像 I. glandulifera 这样的入侵者对当地社区有负面影响，但很少有研究探讨入侵植物种群自最初引入以来所经历的形态变化。这是首次针对 I. glandulifera 进行的此类研究，旨在调查其形态变化。我们使用了 1865 年至 2017 年的 315 份植物标本，测量了叶片大小、花长和气孔特征等形态特征的变化。我们发现，自 1865 年以来，总叶片大小显著减小，气孔密度显著降低，总花长显著增加。这些结果强调了监测繁殖力强的外来物种在入侵过程中进化变化的重要性，为研究竞争能力的变化提供了有用的见解，这些变化可能有助于管理扩散，并为潜在的管理提供选择。
