Aims Invasive alien plants can greatly affect native communities and eco-system processes but only a small fraction of alien plant species become invasive.Barriers to establishment and invasion include reproductive li...Aims Invasive alien plants can greatly affect native communities and eco-system processes but only a small fraction of alien plant species become invasive.Barriers to establishment and invasion include reproductive limitations.Clematis vitalba L.has been a popular hor-ticultural species for the past century and is widely distributed and can be highly invasive.In Ireland,it is considered naturalized and potentially invasive.Despite this,little is known about its reproduc-tive biology.Methods We carried out manipulative field experiments in Ireland and com-pared fruit and seed set from a number of pollination treatments,namely cross-pollination,geitonogamy,autogamy and natural pol-lination.We also recorded floral visitation to C.vitalba through a series of timed observations.Important Findings We found that C.vitalba is capable of uniparental reproduction via geitonogamy and autonomous selfing,albeit at a reduced rate com-pared with outcrossing treatments.Clematis vitalba was visited by at least 10 native pollinator taxa,with hoverflies dominating visitation.Neither fruit set nor seed set in our study population was pollen limited.Given the lack of reproductive constraint,C.vitalba may easily spread in suitable habitats.This is of concern in Ireland,given its prevalence in some of the country’s most floristically diverse regions.展开更多
基金This work was supported by the Centre of Excellence,Czech Academy of Sciences[GACR 14-38336098G]the Grant Agency of the University of South Bohemia[GAJU 156/2013/P].
文摘Aims Invasive alien plants can greatly affect native communities and eco-system processes but only a small fraction of alien plant species become invasive.Barriers to establishment and invasion include reproductive limitations.Clematis vitalba L.has been a popular hor-ticultural species for the past century and is widely distributed and can be highly invasive.In Ireland,it is considered naturalized and potentially invasive.Despite this,little is known about its reproduc-tive biology.Methods We carried out manipulative field experiments in Ireland and com-pared fruit and seed set from a number of pollination treatments,namely cross-pollination,geitonogamy,autogamy and natural pol-lination.We also recorded floral visitation to C.vitalba through a series of timed observations.Important Findings We found that C.vitalba is capable of uniparental reproduction via geitonogamy and autonomous selfing,albeit at a reduced rate com-pared with outcrossing treatments.Clematis vitalba was visited by at least 10 native pollinator taxa,with hoverflies dominating visitation.Neither fruit set nor seed set in our study population was pollen limited.Given the lack of reproductive constraint,C.vitalba may easily spread in suitable habitats.This is of concern in Ireland,given its prevalence in some of the country’s most floristically diverse regions.
