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Special Issue "Weed Ecology and Diversity"

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A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Diversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2023 | Viewed by 16475

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Dr. Ilias Travlos

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 118 55 Athens, Greece
Interests: agronomy; weed biology and ecology; herbicide resistance; integrated weed management; agroecological weed management
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Dear Colleagues,

We are surrounded by weeds; in all places humans set foot, weeds will follow, and, in some cases, they become so successful that they invade human-impacted and natural habitats. The term “weed” is rather subjective as we are the ones who decide what plants are called weeds, and the term usually carries a negative connotation. However, there is a reason why weeds grow where they grow and behave in their particular manner. Today, certain groups of weeds have become extremely rare, and some species have even gone extinct from areas where they were once abundant. Climate change also creates a huge challenge, and weeds often act as indicators of this change.

In this Special Issue, we intend to publish contributions assessing the ecology and diversity of weeds in natural and human-impacted ecosystems. We would like to focus on how ecology impacts weeds' distribution, abundance, and diversity and how anthropogenic factors create and destroy specific weed communities. Further topics to be addressed include: 1) The role of weeds in plant communities; 2) How weeds change plant communities; 3) The benefits of weeds; 4) Weeds as bioindicators; 5) Invasive weed species; 6) Preservation of weed diversity; 7) How weed ecology can guide weed management.

With this in mind, we hope to better understand the importance of diverse weed communities and make sure that we do not only see weeds as pests but also recognize their benefits and the need for integrated and holistic management.

Dr. Ilias Travlos
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Weed diversity
Weeds
Agro-ecology
Weed communities
Biodiversity
Competition
Indicators
Conservation practices

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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Open AccessArticle

Ecology and Diversity of Weed Communities in the Northern Andes under Different Anthropogenic Pressures

Yessica P. Duque

Carlos E. Giraldo-Sánchez

Mario A. Quijano-Abril

and

Jose M. Rojas

Diversity 2023, 15(8), 936; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15080936 - 17 Aug 2023

Viewed by 494

Abstract

Weeds can have both positive and negative effects on agricultural environments. However, despite the growing interest in the ecology of weed communities in agricultural areas, a few studies have been carried out in the northern region of the Andes of Colombia, where urban and agricultural expansion have generated highly disturbed scenarios. The aim of this study was to analyze the diversity of vegetation and weed seed banks in three agricultural production systems and a forest ecosystem in the northern Andes of Colombia. Hill numbers were used to compare diversity, Beta diversity to assess changes in composition, and range—abundance–dominance curves at different sites. Likewise, indicator species were analyzed to find species associations to each system. The results revealed differences in the composition of weeds between the forest ecosystem and the agricultural production systems, with higher equitability in the forest ecosystem and higher dominance in agricultural systems. Significant differentiation was observed among the dominant species within each agricultural system, particularly highlighting those species considered pests due to their unique life history traits. These traits confer them with a greater advantage in the face of various anthropogenic selection pressures. These findings highlight the impact of anthropogenic disturbances on the ecological dynamics of weed communities in different ecosystems, which should be considered when planning integrated weed management techniques. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weed Ecology and Diversity)

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Open AccessArticle

Wild Plant Diversity and Soil Characteristics of Desert Roadside Vegetation in the Eastern Desert

Heba Sallam

Mashail Nasser Alzain

and

Diversity 2023, 15(7), 874; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15070874 - 20 Jul 2023

Viewed by 400

Abstract

The wild vegetation of the Eastern Desert is characterized by openness and comprises perennials and ephemerals. The current study investigated the relationship between the edaphic factors of the natural vegetation along El Sheikh Fadl–Ras Gharib Road, Southwest Suez Gulf, in the northern sector of the Eastern Desert. The vegetation structure of the study area is relatively simple. The surveyed plants included 93 species from 22 families (51 perennials and 42 annuals). Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Amaranthaceae, and Fabaceae were the richest families, constituting the majority of plant species (53.76%). Therophytes were the most frequent life forms. About 83.87% of the total flora were pluriregional elements of different affinities. Most of the recorded taxa occupied the Irano-Turanian/Mediterranean/Saharo-Sindian/Sudano-Zambezian chorotypes. The application of TWINSPAN classification resulted in grouping the vegetation into three main vegetation groups (A, B, and C), representing distinct microhabitats. The CCA ordination indicates diversity in vegetation group A. Group B was highly associated with Na, Mg, CaCO₃, silt, clay, and C/N. Group C showed a high correlation with sand, K, and N. The differences in wild plant life forms, richness, and diversity along the studied desert roadsides, in association with the soil differences, provide a good indication of plant biodiversity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weed Ecology and Diversity)

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Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Genetic Diversity among Weedy Rice Accessions Differing in Herbicide Tolerance and Allelopathic Potential

and

Diversity 2022, 14(1), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14010044 - 11 Jan 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1630

Abstract

Increasing agricultural productivity is indispensable to meet future food demand. Crop improvement programs rely heavily on genetic diversity. The success of weeds in the ecosystem can be attributed to genetic diversity and plasticity. Weedy rice, a major weed of rice, has diverse morphology and phenology, implying wide genetic diversity. Study was conducted to genotype weedy rice accessions (n = 54) previously phenotyped for herbicide tolerance and allelopathic potential using 30 SSR markers. Cultivated rice (CL163, REX) and allelopathic rice (RONDO, PI312777, PI338047) were also included in the study. Nei’s genetic diversity among weedy rice (0.45) was found to be higher than cultivated rice (0.24) but less than allelopathic rice (0.56). The genetic relationship and population structure based on herbicide tolerance and allelopathic potential were evaluated. Herbicide-tolerant and susceptible accessions formed distinct clusters in the dendrogram, indicating their genetic variation, whereas no distinction was observed between allelopathic and non-allelopathic weedy rice accessions. Weedy rice accession B2, which was previously reported to have high allelopathy and herbicide tolerance, was genetically distinct from other weedy rice. Results from the study will help leverage weedy rice for rice improvement programs as both rice and weedy rice are closely related, thus having a low breeding barrier. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weed Ecology and Diversity)

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Open AccessArticle

Cultural Practices and Mechanical Weed Control for the Management of a Low-Diversity Weed Community in Spinach

Ioannis Gazoulis

Panagiotis Kanatas

and

Nikolaos Antonopoulos

Diversity 2021, 13(12), 616; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13120616 - 25 Nov 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1958

Abstract

Low-diversity weed communities are dominated by few species that are highly competitive to crops. The management of such weed communities should rely upon sustainable cultural and non-chemical practices, especially in crops such as spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.), where very few herbicides are available. A two-year field trial (2020 and 2021) was conducted to evaluate different fertilization practices (broadcast and banded), intra-row spacings (15 cm, 11 cm, 7 cm), and mechanical weed control treatments (untreated, one treatment, two treatments) for the management of a low-diversity weed community in spinach. Weed competition severely affected spinach commercial biomass (R² = 0.845). Compared to broadcast fertilization, banded fertilization reduced weed biomass and improved spinach yield and nitrogen use efficiency. Narrow intra-row spacing (7-cm) reduced weed biomass by 28 and 45% compared to intra-row spacings of 11-cm and 15-cm, respectively. Two mechanical weed control treatments resulted in 49% lower weed biomass compared to a single treatment. Commercial biomass increased with decreasing intra-row spacing (R² = 0.881) and increasing the number of mechanical treatments (R² = 0.911). More cultural and non-chemical practices should be evaluated for weed management in spinach, especially at sites infested with low-diversity weed communities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weed Ecology and Diversity)

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Open AccessArticle

High Differentiation among Populations of Green Foxtail, Setaria viridis, in Taiwan and Adjacent Islands Revealed by Microsatellite Markers

and

Diversity 2021, 13(4), 159; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13040159 - 07 Apr 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1958

Abstract

Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv., or green foxtail, is native to Eurasia and is the putative ancestor of foxtail millet. Due to the advantageous genetic characteristics of S. viridis, it is a model species for C4 plants. However, S. viridis has seriously spread to the agricultural system around the world because of its wide adaptability. This study is aimed to understand the distribution of S. viridis in Taiwan, and also to investigate the genetic diversity and relationships among different wild populations. A total of 141 S. viridis collected at 10 sites with sampling sizes ranging from 8 to 24 plants in Taiwan were analyzed by 13 highly polymorphic SSR markers, and 6.1 alleles per locus were detected in our study. The relationships of collected S. viridis mostly corresponded to its distribution in different parts of Taiwan revealed by PCoA and phylogenetic tree. Similarly, the results for population structure showed the significance of collecting site or geographical factors. Finally, the extent of gene flow was studied with the genetic differentiation (F_ST) and Nm values, and two S. viridis populations were found to significantly contain the existence of gene-flow events. In conclusion, S. viridis showed a pattern of low diversity and heterozygosity within a population, but high differentiation among populations because of its selfing attribute and the barriers of sea and mountain range for gene flow. In addition, the founder effect may be the other reason for this pattern of population genetic structure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weed Ecology and Diversity)

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Open AccessArticle

Detection of Target-Site Herbicide Resistance in the Common Ragweed: Nucleotide Polymorphism Genotyping by Targeted Amplicon Sequencing

and

Diversity 2021, 13(3), 118; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13030118 - 10 Mar 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2102

Abstract

Background: The spread of herbicide-resistance Ambrosia artemisiifolia threatens not only the production of agricultural crops, but also the composition of weed communities. The reduction of their spread would positively affect the biodiversity and beneficial weed communities in the arable habitats. Detection of resistant populations would help to reduce herbicide exposure which may contribute to the development of sustainable agroecosystems. Methods: This study focuses on the application of target-site resistance (TSR) diagnostic of A. artemisiifolia caused by different herbicides. We used targeted amplicon sequencing (TAS) on Illumina Miseq platform to detect amino acid changes in herbicide target enzymes of resistant and wild-type plants. Results: 16 mutation points of four enzymes targeted by four herbicide groups, such as Photosystem II (PSII), Acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS), 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) and protoporphyrinogen IX oxidase (PPO) inhibitors have been identified in common ragweed populations, so far. All the 16 mutation points were analyzed and identified. Out of these, two mutations were detected in resistant biotypes. Conclusions: The applied next-generation sequencing-targeted amplicon sequencing (NGS-TAS) method on A. artemisiifolia resistant and wild-type populations enable TSR detection of large sample numbers in a single reaction. The NGS-TAS provides information about the evolved herbicide resistance that supports the integrated weed control through the reduction of herbicide exposure which may preserve ecological properties in agroecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weed Ecology and Diversity)

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Open AccessArticle

Do Weeds Hinder the Establishment of Native Plants on a Reclaimed North American Boreal Mine Site?

Kaitlyn E. Trepanier

Brea Burton

and

Bradley D. Pinno

Diversity 2021, 13(2), 76; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13020076 - 12 Feb 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1508

Abstract

The majority of plant diversity in the boreal forest of northern Alberta, Canada is comprised of native understory plant species that are continuously facing competition from other species, including both undesirable native and weedy species. In oil sands mine reclamation, cover soils rich in organic matter are used to cap overburden materials. The aim of this study is to understand the role of weeds on different reclamation cover soils (forest floor-mineral mix and peat-mineral mix) and determine if they hinder the establishment of the native plant community. This study was conducted four growing seasons after site establishment in June 2019. At that time, both soil types had approximately 45% total cover, had 21 species per plot, and were composed of mainly native vegetation. Competition from non-native forbs (11% average cover, mainly Sonchus arvensis and Melilotus alba) did not seem to impact the development of the native vegetation community on either soil type given the high cover and richness of native forbs. However, native graminoids (predominantly Calamagrostis canadensis) were associated with reduced native forb cover and richness at graminoid cover greater than 17%. Overall, non-native forbs appeared to have little impact on the native forb community on either soil type while native graminoids had a negative influence. We suggest that the classification of what is considered an undesirable weedy species should be evaluated in the context of ecosystem management goals rather than simply the presence of non-native species. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weed Ecology and Diversity)

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Review

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Open AccessReview

Invasive Alien Plant Species—Raising Awareness of a Threat to Biodiversity and Ecological Connectivity (EC) in the Adriatic-Ionian Region

Ioannis Gazoulis

Nikolaos Antonopoulos

and

Diversity 2022, 14(5), 387; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14050387 - 13 May 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3477

Abstract

Improving ecological connectivity (EC) within landscapes by establishing corridors and ecological networks has been proposed to counteract the negative effects of habitat fragmentation and climate change on biodiversity. To be functional, ecological networks should be kept free of opportunistic invasive species that can disrupt EC between protected areas and cause biodiversity loss. The present study focused on perennial herbaceous species whose occurrence in the Adriatic-Ionian region has increased in the last two decades, namely common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus), Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica), Bohemian knotweed (Reynoutria × bohemica), giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum), giant goldenrod (Solidago gigantea), Canadian goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), and Bermuda buttercup (Oxalis pes-caprae). All species have a high potential to spread in grasslands, abandoned agricultural fields, forest edges, and riparian areas and pose a significant threat to native plant communities and biodiversity. Restoring heavily infested sites is a major challenge because these perennial invaders are very persistent and tend to alter the soil environment in invaded habitats and prevent the recolonization of native plant communities. Therefore, early action should be taken to prevent the spread of these environmental weeds in ecological networks and protected areas with high conservation value. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weed Ecology and Diversity)

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Open AccessReview

Farming Intensity Affects Soil Seedbank Composition and Spontaneous Vegetation of Arable Weeds

Philipp Köllmann

and

Rainer Waldhardt

Diversity 2022, 14(2), 111; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14020111 - 04 Feb 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1397

Abstract

Former studies carried out in the 2000s in the Lahn-Dill region located in the middle-east of the German state Hesse stated a depletion of arable weeds on the field scale and more diverse weed flora on the landscape scale. Current study, having started in 2018, aims to contribute to a better understanding of the interactions between arable weed species diversity, farming intensity, grown crops and landscape area. Moreover, the potential of organic farming methods for conservation and promotion the arable weed diversity is aimed to be assessed with the study. In total, 42 fields in two landscape regions were sampled—six seedbank samples were collected from each field; additionally, data on spontaneous arable weed flora were recorded each spring from 2019 to 2021; emerged aboveground weeds were identified in the fields and their coverage was documented. Four factors were considered in the field trial: Farming practice, landscape area, soil depth and the current crop. Effects of these factors on arable weed species diversity were calculated with a Generalized Linear Model (GLM), resulting in significant effects of the management system, the area and the current crop. Among the four organic farming systems that were sampled, the time period of organic growing had a significant effect on weed seed numbers in the soil with an increase in seed numbers. Average seedbank species numbers were around twice as high in organic farming systems (18 species) compared to conventional managed fields (nine species). Evidence of an ongoing species decline in the region on the landscape scale could be detected by comparison with a former study. Especially rare and endangered weed species are a concern due to seedbank and current vegetation depletion tendencies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Weed Ecology and Diversity)

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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Genetic diversity among US weedy rice genotypes with differential herbicide tolerance and allelopathic potential
Authors: Tseng, Te-Ming Paul
Affiliation: Department of Plant and Soil Sciences Mississippi State University
Abstract: Increasing agricultural productivity is indispensable to meet future food demand. Crop improvement programs rely heavily on genetic diversity. The success of weeds in the ecosystem can be attributed to genetic diversity and plasticity. Weedy rice, a major weed of rice crop, has diverse morphology and phenology, implying wide genetic diversity. A study was conducted to genotype weedy rice accessions (n =54) previously phenotyped for herbicide tolerance and allelopathic potential using 30 SSR markers. Non-allelopathic (CL163, REX) and allelopathic (RONDO, PI312777, PI338047) rice cultivars were also included in the study. The Nei’s genetic diversity among weedy rice (0.45) was found to be higher than cultivated rice (0.24) but less than allelopathic rice (0.56). Genetic relationship and population structure based on herbicide tolerance and allelopathic potential were evaluated. Herbicide-tolerant and susceptible accessions formed distinct clusters in the dendrogram, indicating their genetic variation, whereas no distinction was observed between allelopathic and non-allelopathic weedy rice accessions. Weedy rice accession B2, which was previously reported to have high allelopathic and herbicide tolerance potential, was genetically distinct from other weedy rice accessions. Results from the study will help leverage weedy rice for rice improvement programs as both rice, and weedy rice are closely related to each other, thus having a low breeding barrier.

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