A theoretical analysis of the Allee effect in wind-pollinated cordgrass plant invasions

Authored by James T Murphy, Mark P Johnson

Date Published: 2015

DOI: 10.1016/j.tpb.2015.10.004

Sponsors: Irish Research Council EMPOWER Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Scheme

Platforms: C++ Unix

Model Documentation: Other Narrative Mathematical description

Model Code URLs: Model code not found

Abstract

A new individual-based model is presented for investigating an important group of invasive plant species, from the genus Spartina, that threaten biodiversity in coastal and intertidal habitats around the world. The role of pollen limitation in influencing the early development of an invasion is explored in order to gain a greater understanding of the mechanistic basis for an apparent Allee effect (causal relationship between population size/density and mean individual fitness) observed in populations of invasive Spartina species: The model is used to explore how various factors such as atmospheric stability, wind direction/speed, pollen characteristics and spatial structure of the population affect the overall invasion dynamics and reproductive success. Comparisons were also made between invasive species of Spartina (S. alterniflora, S. anglica) and a non-invasive species (S. foliosa), showing a reduced Allee effect was associated with invasion success. Furthermore, the conclusions drawn here may give insights into some of the fundamental processes affecting the growth and population dynamics of other invasive wind-pollinated plants. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tags

China ecology Model Control strategies San-francisco bay Spartina-alterniflora Pollen limitation Anglica Foliosa Estuary