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Positive interactions among native and invasive vascular plants in Antarctica: assessing the “nurse effect” at different spatial scales

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Abstract

Antarctica is a stressful ecosystem with few vascular plants, an ideal system to test positive interactions. Here, plants such as Deschampsia antarctica could generate more suitable micro-environmental conditions for the establishment of other plants (facilitation). We examined the co-occurrence of vascular plant species in the Antarctic Peninsula and assessed the potential nurse effect by D. antarctica on the native Colobanthus quitensis and the invasive Poa annua. We also measured the ecophysiological performance and survival of C. quitensis within and outside the canopy of D. antarctica in two study sites differing in stress levels. In addition, a survival experiment was conducted with the invasive Poa annua individuals within and outside D. antarctica individuals. In sites where present, target species co-occurred with D. antarctica in both Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula. In agreement with the stress gradient hypothesis, we found evidence of facilitation between vascular Antarctic plant species. Specifically, we found that D. antarctica facilitates the native C. quitensis and the invasive P. annua and that the effect is stronger in more stressful sites. Additionally, C. quitensis distribution is compatible with an influence of either direct or indirect facilitation from D. antarctica. Facilitation between vascular plants may play a role structuring Antarctic plant communities. Thus, distribution of native species should be considered when assessing the introduction and spread of invasive species. Also, our results together with those from previous studies showed that the type and magnitude of biotic interactions may change with time and can depend on the plant traits considered.

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Acknowledgements

We thank INACH, the Chilean Navy and the Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station for their logistical support and measurements of field data. To conduct all manipulative experiments in the field, we have taken into account the international permits and authorizations given by the INACH. This work was funded by CONICYT Project (PII20150126). Luis R. Pertierra was supported by “ALIENANT” Project Granted by the Spanish MINECO I+D programme (CTM2013-47381-P). P. Aragón was supported by the “UNITED” Project (CGL2016-78070-P, MINECO). This article contributes to the SCAR biological research programmes “Antarctic Thresholds - Ecosystem Resilience and Adaptation” (AnT-ERA) and “State of the Antarctic Ecosystem” (AntEco).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Anatomía y Ecología Funcional de Plantas, Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Campus Curauma, Valparaíso, Chile

    Cristian Atala

  2. Departamento de Biogeografía y Cambio Global, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN), Madrid, Spain

    Luis R. Pertierra & Pedro Aragón

  3. Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile

    Fernando Carrasco-Urra

  4. Laboratorio de Complejidad Microbiana y Ecología Funcional, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile

    Paris Lavín

  5. Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Ecología Molecular y Funcional, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Avda. Lircay s/n, Talca, Chile

    Jorge Gallardo-Cerda & Marco A. Molina-Montenegro

  6. Departamento de Ecología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Natalia Ricote-Martínez

  7. Laboratorio de Genómica y Biodiversidad (LGB), Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Bío-Bío, Chillán, Chile

    Cristian Torres-Díaz

  8. Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Áridas (CEAZA), Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile

    Marco A. Molina-Montenegro

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  1. Cristian Atala
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  2. Luis R. Pertierra
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  4. Fernando Carrasco-Urra
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  8. Cristian Torres-Díaz
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  9. Marco A. Molina-Montenegro
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Atala, C., Pertierra, L.R., Aragón, P. et al. Positive interactions among native and invasive vascular plants in Antarctica: assessing the “nurse effect” at different spatial scales. Biol Invasions 21, 2819–2836 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-019-02016-7

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