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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Ecol. Evol.
Sec. Population, Community, and Ecosystem Dynamics
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fevo.2025.1571992
A Study on the Reproductive Characteristics and Invasiveness of Crassocephalum rubens and Crassocephalum crepidioides
Provisionally accepted- Puer University, Pu'er, China
Introduction: This study aims to explore the reproductive characteristics and invasiveness of Crassocephalum rubens and Crassocephalum crepidioides, offering valuable insights for the future management and control of invasive plant species. Methods: A series of experiments were conducted on the invasive plants C. rubens and C. crepidioides, including pollen viability determination, flowering dynamics observation, stigma receptivity tests, pollen-ovule ratio analysis, artificial bagging experiments, and seed germination tests. Results: The results indicated that: (1) C. rubens had significantly more florets per inflorescence (246.1 ± 70) compared to C. crepidioides (154.6 ± 16.3), and a longer floral longevity (11.3 ± 0.9 days vs. 8.5 ± 1.6 days); (2) The P/O ratio of C. rubens was 1020.8 ± 398.57, indicating a facultative outcrossing system, while that of C. crepidioides was 240 ± 69.28, suggesting a facultative selfing system; (3) The pollen viability of C. rubens remained above 80% (84.45%-59.85%) between days 3 and 5 of flowering, whereas C. crepidioides reached 80.59% only on day 5, with a shorter duration; (4) Both species exhibited high seed set rates under natural conditions (C. rubens: 92.97%, C. crepidioides: 95.53%), with reproductive modes including autogamy and self-compatibility; (5) Germination rates were 93.9% for C. rubens and 97.9% for C. crepidioides, with C. crepidioides germinating earlier and surpassing 50% germination sooner. Discussion: Both C. rubens and C. crepidioides possess traits such as self-compatibility, high seed set rates, high germination rates, and year-round growth, which enable them to rapidly establish and spread in new environments. While there is no significant difference in seed set or germination rates between the two species, C. rubens shows advantages in floral longevity and seed production. These factors may provide C. rubens with a stronger competitive edge in natural environments, potentially facilitating its dominance over C. crepidioides in certain conditions.
Keywords: Invasive plants, Floral longevity, mating system, Germination, Pollen vigor
Received: 06 Feb 2025; Accepted: 03 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Cui, Luo and Luo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Ya ting Luo, Puer University, Pu'er, China
Yin ling Luo, Puer University, Pu'er, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.