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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fort Collins, Colorado » Center for Agricultural Resources Research » Rangeland Resources & Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #416659
Research Project: Developing Precision Management Strategies to Enhance Productivity, Biodiversity, and Climate Resilience in Rangeland Social-ecological Systems

Location: Rangeland Resources & Systems Research

Title: Can agricultural systems facing climate change benefit from a deeper understanding of invasive plant species?

Author
item NOSALEWICZ, ARTUR - Polish Academy Of Sciences
item BAJWA, ALI - La Trobe University
item Blumenthal, Dana
item EDWARDS, DAVID - University Of Western Australia
item FRANCA, MARCEL - Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais
item NIINEMETS, ÜLO - Estonian University Of Life Sciences
item OSBORNE, BRUCE - University College Dublin
item ZISKA, LEWIS - Columbia University - New York

Submitted to: Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/27/2024
Publication Date: 12/31/2024
Citation: Nosalewicz, A., Bajwa, A.A., Blumenthal, D.M., Edwards, D., França, M.G., Niinemets, Ü., Osborne, B.A., Ziska, L.H. 2024. Can agricultural systems facing climate change benefit from a deeper understanding of invasive plant species? Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. 381. Article e109464. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2024.109464.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2024.109464

Interpretive Summary: Agriculture is threatened by the combination of climate change and invasive alien plants. We highlight the potential to increase the resilience of agriculture through better understanding of invasive plants. By understanding the mechanisms that allow invasive plants to tolerate stresses, out-compete other species, and acquire nutrients we can provide a basis for genetic improvement of food and forage crops, making them more resilient to the impacts of climate change. This perspective will help scientists determine how to both control invasive species and make use of the traits that make them successful under changing climatic conditions.

Technical Abstract: Agriculture, under the influence of climate change, is additionally threatened by the associated pressure of invasive alien plants (IAS), resulting in a decline in the biodiversity of agricultural landscapes and a loss of productivity. The success of IAS under a wide range of environmental conditions is an indicator of their ability to establish and maintain long-lived populations despite varying abiotic constraints. In this analysis, we highlight the potential to increase the resilience of agriculture to climate change through advances in our knowledge of IAS. Monitoring the spread of IAS and understanding the mechanisms that allow them to tolerate various stresses, out-compete other species, and acquire nutrients in resource-limited environments could provide a basis for the genetic improvement of our major food and forage crops, making them more resilient to the impacts of climate change.