Prosopis juliflora is a perennial shrub introduced in the 1980s to the Baringo District in central Kenya, and became highly invasive starting around the late 1990s. This period coincides with a shift of the composition of ruminant herds from formerly cattle to goats in this area. To assess the...

Cenchrus ciliaris is one of the most important invasive plants in northwestern México and southwestern United States, threatening the conservation of desert and thorn scrub. Our knowledge about the mechanisms that underlie its capacity for invasion is limited. Here, we evaluate the effect of light, ...

Understanding the seed biology of the introduced weed rubber bush (Calotropis procera (Aiton, W.T.Aiton)) is critical to its management in northern Australia. We examined the numbers of seeds produced and the effects of environmental temperature and water stress on germination performance...

Bur cucumber (Sicyos angulatus L., SIYAN) is a troublesome invasive vine. Seeds of the plant possess a water-impermeable, hard seed coat exhibiting physical dormancy. Seed dormancy is employed by the invasive plants for persistence in soil seed bank, seedling recruitment and avoiding unfavorable...

Background: As global climate change transforms average temperature and rainfall, species distributions may meet, increasing the potential for hybridization and altering individual fitness and population growth. Altered rainfall specifically may shift the strength and direction of selection, also...

The soil seed bank provides an indication of the regenerative potential of forest ecosystems following disturbances. The present study was conducted to examine the spatial and temporal distribution of soil seed bank in three different forest communities identified in an upper montane forest...

Solidago gigantea Ait. (goldenrod) belongs to the most expansive environmental weeds, and it is the most dangerous plant-invader of American origin in Europe. The species easily propagates vegetatively, but it also produces large amounts of wind-disseminated achenes that contribute to the...

Seed dormancy and persistence in the soil seedbank play a key role in timing of germination and seedling emergence of weeds; thus, knowledge of these traits is required for effective weed management. We investigated seed dormancy and seed persistence on/in soil of Chenopodium hybridum, an annual...

Understanding the mechanisms involved in releasing seed dormancy is crucial for effective plant management and renewal of species in the arid zone. Zaleya pentandra is an emerging invasive weed of the arid areas of Pakistan. We investigated the effects of different dormancy breaking treatments on...

Identifying plant traits that promote invasiveness has been a major goal in invasion ecology. Germination plays a central role in the life cycle of plants and therefore could be a key trait in determining species invasiveness. In this study, seed germination of two confamilial, co-occurring species ...