Theory and empirical work have demonstrated that diverse communities can inhibit invasion. Yet, it is unclear how diversity influences invader impact, how impact varies among exotics, and what the relative importance of diversity is versus extrinsic factors that themselves can influence invasion. To address these issues, we established plant assemblages that varied in native species and functio...

Ecological impacts of invasive plant species are well documented, but the genetic response of native species to invasive dominance has been often overlooked. Invasive plants can drastically alter site conditions where they reach dominance, potentially exerting novel selective pressures on persistent native plant populations. Do native plant populations in old exotic invasions show evidence of s...

Dirofilariosis caused by the Dirofilaria repens nematodes is widely dispersed in southern Europe, Asia and Africa among dogs, cats, other carnivores and occasionally, humans. The first case of D. repens infection, found in Poland in 2007, concerned humans. In 2009, dirofilariosis was first registered in dogs in 3 focuses in central Poland, Warsaw, Pruszków and Zyrardów, whose range grew conside...

Plant species richness and productivity often show a positive relationship, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood, especially at the plant species level. We examined how growing plants in species mixture influences intraspecific rates of short-term carbon (C-) translocation, and determined whether such short-term responses are reflected in biomass yields. We grew monocultures a...

Due to extensive mining activities, strip vegetation and soil contamination with heavy metals have become common. One of the approaches ecological restoration is phytostabilization, which uses plants stabilize reduce mobility in soil. In this study, six species grasses – namely, Alloteropsis semialata (R.Br.) Hitchc., Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf, Dinochloa acutiflora (Munro) Soenarko, Imper...

Soil C sequestration may mitigate rising levels of atmospheric CO2. However, it has yet to be determined whether net soil C sequestration occurs in N-rich grasslands exposed to long-term elevated CO2. This study examined whether N-fertilized grasslands exposed to elevated CO2 sequestered additional C. For 10 years, Lolium perenne, Trifolium repens, and the mixture of L. perenne/T. repens grassl...