Extension of the EICA hypothesis for invasive Chromolaena odorata

Invasive plants usually occur in limited areas in their native range but may spread into diverse environments in non-native ranges. Therefore, besides increasing competitive ability, evolution may also increase the tolerance of invading plants to environmental stress. In our previous study, we found that evolution facilitates invasive Chromolaena odorata by increasing the allelopathic effect. In this study, we compared drought tolerance of C. odorata between six native and six non-native populations. The results indicated that invasive C. odorata displayed higher drought tolerance than native conspecifics. This study proved that invasive C. odorata had not only evolved increased competitive ability but also drought tolerance, which may have contributed to its wide distribution in non-native ranges.

Automated summary

The study shows that the invasive Chromolaena odorata has not only evolved increased competitive ability, but also drought tolerance, which may have contributed to its wide distribution in non-native ranges.