Novel Weapons

Amanda Bertino, Adam Burt, Nikki Gautreau, Emily Mei

Introduction: Novel Weapons

Invasive species can be advantageous over native plants by possessing unique characteristics such as: Allelopathy Defense Antimicrobial

chemicals

Hypothesis:

Successfulness of an invasive species may be correlated with the possession of a novel weapon

Hypothesis Reasoning:

In the native range competitors coevolve with the weapon

In the invaded range native species are naïve to the weapon

Lack of coevolution leads to successfulness of invasive species

Examples:

• Spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa)

• Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)

Methods:

Collected data from Web of Science and Google Scholar on: Invader taxonomic group Native/invaded ecosystem Supports hypothesis Description of novel weapon

Results:

21 papers: 17 supported hypothesis 4 did not support hypothesis

Covered 11 different genera All species were plants

Native and Invaded Range Distributions:

Frequency of Genera in Literature:

Discussion:

The Novel Weapon hypothesis is strongly supported by the literature

Research Bias: Emphasis on plants

Geographic Bias: Native range: Europe Invasive range: North America

References:

Callaway, R. M., & Ridenour, W. M. (October 01, 2004). Novel Weapons: Invasive Success and the Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2, 8, 436-443.