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Accepted manuscript

Alien plant invasion reduces the reproductive success of a critically endangered endemic tree species

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2026

Hasina Andriantsiresy Andriamihaja*
Affiliation:
Master student, AMAP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Montpellier, France
Arnaud Rhumeur
Affiliation:
Project manager, CBN-CPIE Mascarin, Saint-Leu, France
Baptiste Roux
Affiliation:
Project manager, CBN-CPIE Mascarin, Saint-Leu, France
Robin Pouteau
Affiliation:
Researcher, AMAP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Montpellier, France
*
Author for correspondence: Hasina Andriantsiresy Andriamihaja; Email: hasina.a.andriamihaja@gmail.com
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Abstract

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The decline of native plant species associated with alien plant invasion is often assumed to be driven by competitive exclusion. However, invasive alien plant species could also directly or indirectly impact native plants by limiting reproductive success. Here, we tested whether invasive alien plants influence seed production, viability and germination using the Benjoin, Terminalia bentzoe (L.) L.f. subsp. bentzoe, a critically endangered tree endemic to the Mascarene Islands (South-West Indian Ocean), as a model species. Seed production was estimated from seed densities under the canopy of adult individuals from one of the largest remaining subpopulations of the species (in Cirque de Mafate, Reunion Island). Seed viability was determined using a tetrazolium test on the different sets of seeds collected in the field. Densities of seeds and viable seeds were then tested for correlation with the percentage cover of invasive alien plant species in the liana, tree, shrub and herbaceous forest layers. Seed germination was studied by sowing seeds in soils where three alien invasive plants, three endemics and T. bentzoe subsp. bentzoe had previously been grown. Seed production and viability decreased with increasing abundance in invasive alien plants in the liana and tree strata but not in the lower vegetation strata. Mechanisms specific to tall-statured invasive alien plants could include competition for resources, interference with pollinator behavior and mechanical constraints. Seed germination was inhibited by the invasive alien succulent Mauritius hemp, Furcraea foetida (L.) Haw. and T. bentzoe subsp. bentzoe itself but enhanced by the endemic tree species Poupartia borbonica J.F.Gmel. These species may differ in their resource use intensity, associated microbial communities and allelopathic effects. Our findings therefore suggest that plant invasions can significantly contribute to the decline of native plants through reduced reproductive ability and induce an extinction debt due to a lack of regeneration.

Information

Type
Case Study
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Weed Science Society of America