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Traits Associated with Invasiveness in Alien Plants: Where Do we Stand? 103
Scale Relevant traits compared Results
Reg.
Reg.
Life strategy, height, lateral spread, flowering
time, propagule weight, growth form, clonal
growth, seed bank, dispersal mode, canopy
structure, habitat preference
Origin, height, life form, life strategy, dispersal
mode, pollen vector, human use, habitat preferences
Aliens more likely clonal, polycarpic perennials
with erect leafy stems than are native species, and
having transient seed banks
1. aliens more likely than natives to be C- and CRstrategists,
dispersed by humans, with preferences
for dry, warm and nutrient-rich habitats; 2. successful
aliens in seminatural habitats are tall
hemicryptophytes escaped from cultivation; 3. successful
aliens in human-made habitat are therophytes
or geophytes, introduced spontaneously
Reg. Dispersal mode Aliens, especially in seminatural habitats, more
often with fleshy fruits and dispersed by wind than
are natives
Reg.
Life form, height, seed weight, dispersal mode,
seedling relative growth rate, flowering time,
pollination mode
Aliens taller, with larger seeds, no or protracted
dormancy, flowering earlier or later, with more
pronounced r- or K-strategies
Reg.
Life form, max. height, spread (height:width),
leaf area, leaf shape, leaf longevity, age at 1st
flowering, flowering time, seedling relative
growth rate, season of seed dispersal, season
of germination, pollen vector, fertilization
method, breeding system, compatibility
Invasive species are tall, taller than wide, more
often phanerophytes, have large leaves, are insectpollinated
and prefer fertile habitats; natives tend
to be more often monoecious
Reg. Clonal growth Aliens are more often non-clonal
Reg.
Clonal growth, introduction pathways, habitat
preferences
Clonal aliens are more often introduced deliberately,
more likely to increase in numbers and less
likely to occur in dry habitats than are non-clonal
aliens
Reg. Growth form, height, flowering period Invading species are taller and have longer flowering
period than those that do not invade
Cont. Height Species are not taller in their introduced range