02318nas a2200217   4500008004100000245013300041210006900174300001500243490000700258520162300265653001901888653001601907653001701923653001301940653001401953653001601967100001601983700001601999700001902015856006602034       2012                        eng d00aThe invasive Lespedeza cuneata attracts more insect pollinators than native congeners in tallgrass prairie with variable impacts0 ainvasive Lespedeza cuneata attracts more insect pollinators than  a1045 -10590 v143 a<p>Invasive plant species can potentially exert competitive or facilitative effects on insect pollination services of native species. Factors that influence these effects include the degree of shared pollinator species, synchronous flowering phenology, similar flower morphology and color, relatedness of invasive and natives, and showiness and densities of flowers. We investigated such plant-pollinator dynamics by comparing the invasive Lespedeza cuneata and three native congeners, all sympatric with synchronous flowering, using in situ populations over 2 years during peak floral displays. Insect visitation rates of the invasive were significantly higher per plant in both years than on the native species. The invasive exerted a competitive effect on visitation of the two native species with fewer shared pollinators, and a facilitative effect on visitation of the native species with the highest degree of shared insect visitors. Positive correlations were found between floral density and visitation rate per plant in all the native species. Although no such correlation was found for the invasive, floral density in L. cuneata was at least twenty times higher than in the native species and likely saturated the response of the pollinator community. Analyses of insect visitor taxonomic data indicated the insect communities visiting each of the Lespedeza species were generally similar though with species-specific differences. The main exception was that the common honeybee, Apis mellifera, was a primary visitor to the invasive plant species, yet was never observed on the native Lespedeza species.</p>10aApis mellifera10aCompetition10aFacilitation10aInvasive10aLespedeza10aPollination1 aWoods, T.M.1 aJonas, J.L.1 aFerguson, C.J.  uhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10530-011-0138-002142nas a2200241   4500008004100000245013000041210006900171300001500240490000700255520136500262653001601627653002401643653001301667653001401680653001601694653002501710653002301735653002201758100001601780700001901796700001901815856006601834       2009                        eng d00aHigh propagule production and reproductive fitness homeostasis contribute to the invasiveness of Lespedeza cuneata (Fabaceae)0 aHigh propagule production and reproductive fitness homeostasis c  a1913 -19270 v113 a<p>Comparative studies of congeneric native and exotic species have proved fruitful in understanding plant traits that foster invasion. Using this approach, we investigate the complex reproductive system of the invasive Lespedeza cuneata (Dum.-Cours.) G. Don in relation to three native congeners in the variable environment of the North American tallgrass prairie. Lespedeza species produce both chasmogamous (CH) and cleistogamous (CL) flowers, and propagate clonally via vegetative buds. Utilizing multiple natural populations over 2 years, we investigated reproductive modes of individuals from bagged and unbagged treatments of each species. We found that L. cuneata produced a mean of five times as many seeds and a significantly greater number of vegetative buds than any native studied, and over twenty times as many CH flowers. Insect visitation significantly affected seed set in CH flowers, though some autonomous CH selfing occurred in all species. The invasive relied relatively less on selfing than the natives and exhibited less variation in reproductive output from both modes of reproduction. We conclude that the diverse reproductive biology and wide regeneration niche of L. cuneata in relation to its native congeners confer a fitness homeostasis that facilitates the successful spread of this invasive under a wide range of conditions.</p>10aCleistogamy10aFitness homeostasis10aInvasive10aLespedeza10aPollination10aPropagule production10aRegeneration niche10atallgrass prairie1 aWoods, T.M.1 aHartnett, D.C.1 aFerguson, C.J.  uhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10530-008-9369-0