AUTHOR=Zhao Wenxuan , Liu Tong , Sun Mingming , Wang Hanyue , Liu Xuelian , Su Pei 

TITLE=Rapid monitoring of Ambrosia artemisiifolia in semi-arid regions based on ecological convergence and phylogenetic relationships

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.926990

DOI=10.3389/fevo.2022.926990

ISSN=2296-701X

ABSTRACT=<p>Rapid monitoring and early elimination are important measures to control the spread of invasive plants. <italic>Ambrosia artemisiifolia</italic> is a globally distributed harmful invasive weed. The aim of this study was to clarify the invasion habitat preferences of <italic>A. artemisiifolia</italic> and the interspecific associations or phylogenetic relationships between this and native species in the Yili River Valley of Xinjiang, China. We identified the preferred habitat types of <italic>A. artemisiifolia</italic>, and investigated the composition and distribution of native species at the early stage of invasion by targeted sampling at 186 sites. By comparing the associations and phylogenetic distance between <italic>A. artemisiifolia</italic> and native species with those in Xinjiang and worldwide, we assessed the feasibility of using native species as indicators for rapid monitoring of <italic>A. artemisiifolia</italic>. <italic>A. artemisiifolia</italic> displayed an obvious invasive preference for semi-arid areas, particularly road margins (27.96%), forest (21.51%), farmland (19.35%), wasteland (12.37%), residential areas (10.75%), and grassland (8.06%). The composition and distribution of native species were similar across habitats, with more than 50% co-occurrence of <italic>A. artemisiifolia</italic> with <italic>Setaria viridis</italic>, <italic>Poa annua</italic>, <italic>Arrhenatherum elatius</italic>, <italic>Artemisia annua</italic>, <italic>Artemisia vulgaris</italic>, <italic>Artemisia leucophylla</italic>, <italic>Cannabis sativa</italic>, and <italic>Chenopodium album</italic>. <italic>A. artemisiifolia</italic> was more likely to show co-occurrence with closely related species. Overall, 53.85% of the above indicator native species with high co-occurrence were widely distributed in the potential suitable areas for <italic>A. artemisiifolia</italic> in Xinjiang. Globally, the species with the highest occurrence belonged to the genera <italic>Chenopodium</italic> (58%), <italic>Bromus</italic>, <italic>Poa</italic>, <italic>Setaria</italic>, and <italic>Trifolium</italic> (&gt;40%). Therefore, native species with the strong association and phylogenetic distant relationship to <italic>A. artemisiifolia</italic> can be employed as indicators for rapid and accurate monitoring in semi-arid areas.</p>