<p>Invasive plants threaten global ecosystems, yet traditional analyses of functional traits cannot fully explain their dominance over co-occurring natives. Metabolomics offers insights into plant invasions, but single-technique studies often miss critical biochemical mechanisms. We employ a multimodal metabolomics approach (¹H NMR, LC MS/MS, FT-ICR-MS, and MALDI-MSI) to investigate the biochemical basis of Lehmann lovegrass (<i>Eragrostis lehmanniana</i>) invasion in semi-arid North America, comparing it with a co-occurring native grass, Arizona cottontop (<i>Digitaria californica</i>). Our analysis reveals three metabolomic traits of Lehmann lovegrass compared to Arizona cottontop: Enhanced nitrogen allocation in shoots, reduced defensive metabolites in root layers; and increased root exudate modulation under stress conditions. These traits suggest Lehmann lovegrass succeeds through adaptation to increasing aridity rather than direct competition, demonstrating adaptation to nutrient-poor environments and high phenotypic plasticity in response to increasing aridity. This integrated metabolomic approach provides new mechanistic insights into invasion ecology and plant adaptation under environmental change.</p><p></p>

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Metabolite-driven mechanisms reveal chemical ecology of Lehmann Lovegrass (Eragrostis lehmanniana) invasion in North American semi-arid ecosystems

  • Ben Yang,
  • Mekayla Crawford,
  • Taylor A. Portman,
  • Jeffrey S. Fehmi,
  • Craig Rasmussen,
  • David W. Hoyt,
  • Jason Toyoda,
  • Rosalie K. Chu,
  • Chaevien S. Clendinen,
  • Dušan Veličković,
  • A. Elizabeth Arnold,
  • Malak M. Tfaily

摘要

Invasive plants threaten global ecosystems, yet traditional analyses of functional traits cannot fully explain their dominance over co-occurring natives. Metabolomics offers insights into plant invasions, but single-technique studies often miss critical biochemical mechanisms. We employ a multimodal metabolomics approach (¹H NMR, LC MS/MS, FT-ICR-MS, and MALDI-MSI) to investigate the biochemical basis of Lehmann lovegrass (Eragrostis lehmanniana) invasion in semi-arid North America, comparing it with a co-occurring native grass, Arizona cottontop (Digitaria californica). Our analysis reveals three metabolomic traits of Lehmann lovegrass compared to Arizona cottontop: Enhanced nitrogen allocation in shoots, reduced defensive metabolites in root layers; and increased root exudate modulation under stress conditions. These traits suggest Lehmann lovegrass succeeds through adaptation to increasing aridity rather than direct competition, demonstrating adaptation to nutrient-poor environments and high phenotypic plasticity in response to increasing aridity. This integrated metabolomic approach provides new mechanistic insights into invasion ecology and plant adaptation under environmental change.