Indicators of rapid adaptation of an exotic aquatic Poaceae to increased salinity

Abstract

The invasion process and the persistence of invasive species across environments can be explained by their tolerance to stressors, such as salinization. Urochloa arrecta (Poaceae) exhibits high invasive potential and has already established in various natural and artificial aquatic ecosystems. Here, we experimentally evaluate the effects of water salinity on the traits of three exotic populations of U. arrecta derived from naturally occurring populations across a salinity gradient. Specifically, we measured the difference in the number and perimeter of intercellular spaces for individuals from the different populations across three experimental treatments of salinity. Our results demonstrate that high water salinity levels affected anatomical traits in all populations. However, the traits of freshwater populations were the more significantly impacted by increasing salinity compared with populations sampled from naturally higher occurring salinity. Populations of U. arrecta established in places with certain degree of salinity can be more resistance to salt increases compared with populations established in freshwater habitats that are more distant geographically. However, the resistance of freshwater populations to certain high salinity levels suggests that these populations may exhibit rapid adaptation and to survive under some degree of salinity, demonstrating the species' high resilience across various environments.