Interference of Factors in the Competitive Interaction of the Alien Species Pulmonaria saccharata (Mill) with a Seed Bank in the Conditions of Introduction.

In the experimental plantings of the alien species Bethlehem lungwort Pulmonaria saccharata, the transport of phytotoxic phenols with leaf leachates into the soil of the subcronal area was detected. At a concentration from 0 to 15.7 µg/mL in the leachates, the phenol content in the soil reached 13.9 µg/g. The biomass of vegetation growing from the seed bank depended significantly on the accumulation of phenolic substances by the soil, the intensity of vegetative reproduction of P. saccharate, and the solar illumination. The effect of density-dependent allelopathy caused a lag-phase in the accumulation of phenols by the soil. A model of the phenologically ordered interaction of competitive traits of a species, including an allelopathic factor, is proposed. It is noted that the proposed approach can help clarify the specificity of the influence of alien species on native species and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]