Open Access
How to translate text using browser tools
25 March 2021 Toxic effects of knotweed Polygonum cuspidatum s.l. rhizome on the mosses Atrichum angustatum and Thuidium delicatulum
Jessica Palmeri, Erik Kiviat
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Knotweed Polygonum cuspidatum s.l. is a large, suffrutescent, perennial forb native to northeastern Asia that was imported as an ornamental and has become a widespread invasive species in urban and rural environments of North America and Europe. Studies have demonstrated knotweed allelopathy to the germination and growth of many tracheophytes, but we have found no studies of knotweed toxicity to bryophytes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine if knotweed extracts affected the growth of the gametophytes of two mosses: Atrichum angustatum and Thuidium delicatulum. Both moss species were exposed to aqueous rhizome extracts of knotweed in concentrations of 0 (control), 10, 25, 50 and 75% for a total of nine days in the laboratory. All non-zero concentrations resulted in significant losses of green biomass, with the greatest losses occurring at the highest concentrations. Samples exposed to the three highest concentrations lost 80% of green mass after nine days. These results help explain the scarcity of moss growth on or near live knotweed crowns.

© 2021 The Authors. This is an Open Access article This work is licensed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY) . The license permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Jessica Palmeri and Erik Kiviat "Toxic effects of knotweed Polygonum cuspidatum s.l. rhizome on the mosses Atrichum angustatum and Thuidium delicatulum," Lindbergia 2021(1), (25 March 2021). https://doi.org/10.25227/linbg.01131
Accepted: 7 February 2021; Published: 25 March 2021
KEYWORDS
Fallopia japonica
invasive species
invasiveness
Reynoutria japonica
roof mosses
Back to Top