Seedling morphological traits of some dicotyledonous invasive alien plant species (IAPS) of West Bengal, India: A case study for identification

Abstract

Morphological traits of seedlings of 65 invasive alien species of 55 genera under 26 families of dicotyledonous have been studied from West Bengal, India. The juvenile vegetative characters are often ignored or less emphasized for the classification of higher plants, still, in reality, they are as valid as floral characters for the delimitation of families and genera (Tomlinson, 1984). The investigated phanerocotylar seedlings have been categorized into six seedling types (types I to VI). Seedling taxa are further grouped into families, genera and species within each type in the form of an artificial key. So, 65 seedling species are identified easily from natural habitats. The species mostly have ± positive value to our ecosystem and human health. Identified seedlings may be considered for conservation and cultivation. Juvenile phase is also important for weed management programmes in crop fields.

Keywords

• Invasive alien plant species (IAPS)
• West Bengal
• artificial key
• juvenile traits

References

1. Adhikari D., Tiwary R., Barik SK. (2015). Modelling Hotspots for Invasive Alien Plants in India. PLoS ONE, 10(7): e0134665.
2. Angevine MW., Chabot BF. (1979). Seed germination syndromes in higher plants. In: Solbrig O., Jain S., Johnson GB., Raven PH. [eds.]. Topics in plant population biology, Columbia University Press, New York, New York, USA. ISBN: 978-1-349-04627-0. Pp. 188–206.
3. Bokdam J. (1977). Seedling morphology of some African Sapotaceae and its taxonomical significance. H. Veenman & Zonen B.V. Wageningen, Netherlands.
4. Burger HD. (1972). Seedlings of some tropical trees and shrubs mainly of South East Asia. Centre for Agricultural publishing and Documentation (PUDOC), Wageningen, Netherlands. ISBN: 9022004163.
5. Carlton JT. (2003). Community assemblage and historical biogeography in the North Atlantic Ocean: The potential role of human-mediated dispersal vectors. Hydrobiologia, 503: 1 – 8.
6. Chomas AJ., Kells JJ., Carey JB. (2001). Common weed seedlings of the north central states. North central regional extension publication No. 607.
7. Das A., Kamilya P. (2020). Describing morphological characters of seedlings of some dicotyledonous weeds for their identification and management. Indian Journal of Weed Science, 52(4): 366–377.
8. Das A. (2022). Dicotyledonous seedling flora of some forests of Uttar–and Dakshin Dinajpur Districts of West Bengal with reference to taxonomic potential. Department of Botany, University of Calcutta. (Ph.D. Thesis).

9. Debnath A., Debnath B. (2017). Diversity, Invasion Status and Usages of Alien Plant species in northeastern Hilly state of Tripura: A confluence of Indo-Barman Hotspot. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 8: 212-235. Dey R., Mandal R., Kamilya P. (2022). Identification of some Indian Euphorbia L. (Euphorbiaceae) at seedling stage and their numerical analysis in relation to taxonomy. Pleione, 16(1): 19-27.
10. Dogra KS., Sood SK., Dobhal PK., Sharma S. (2010). Alien plant invasion and their impact on indigenous species diversity at global scale: A review, Journal of Ecology and the Natural Environment, 2(9):175-186.
11. Duke JA. (1965). Keys for the identification of seedlings of some prominent woody species in eight forest types in Puerto Rico. Ann. Miss. Bot. Gard., 52: 314-350.
12. Duke JA. (1969). On tropical tree seedlings. I. Seeds, seedlings, systems and systematic. Ann. Miss. Bot. Gard., 56: 125-161.
13. Elgersma KJ., Ehrenfeld JG., Yu S., Vor T. (2011). Legacy effects overwhelm the short-Term Effects of exotic plant invasion and restoration on soil microbial community structure, enzyme activities, and nitrogen cycling. Oecologia, 167: 733–745.
14. Ellstrand NC., Schierenbeck KA. (2000). Hybridization as a stimulus for the evolution of invasiveness in plants? Proc .Nat. Acad. Sci, USA., 97: 7043-7050.
15. Hajra PK. (1997). Flora of West Bengal (Vol.-I), The Director Botanical Survey of India Publication, India, pp. 1-485.
16. Hickey LJ. (1973). Classification of architecture of dicotyledonous leaves. Amer. J. Bot., 60 (1): 17-33.
17. Holway DA., Lach L., Tsutsui ND., Case TJ. (2002). The causes and consequences of Ant invasions. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst., 33: 181 – 233.
18. IUCN (2000). IUCN Guidelines for the Preservation of Biodiversity Loss caused by Alien Invasive Species. Gland, Switzerland. Available: https://portals.iucn.org/library/efiles/documents/Rep-2000-052.pdf [Accessed: 14.10.2022].
19. Klebs G. (1885). Beitrage zur morphologie und Biologie der Keimung, Unters Bot. Inst. Tubingen, 1:536-635.
20. Kowarik I. (2003). Human agency in biological invasions: secondary releases foster naturalisation and population expansion of alien plant species. Biological Invasions, 5(4): 293±312.
21. Lakshminarasimhan P., Dash SS., Singh P., Chowdhery HJ. (2019). Flora of West Bengal (Vol.-IV). The Director Botanical Survey of India publication, India. ISBN: 8181770554-4.
22. Langmaier M., Lapin K. (2020). A Systematic Review of the Impact of Invasive Alien Plants on Forest Regeneration in European Temperate Forests. Frontiers in Plant Science, 11: 524969.
23. Leonard J. (1957). Genera des cyno metreae et des amherstieae africaines (Leguminosae-caesalpinioideae). Esai de blastogenic appliqué a la systematique. Mem. Acad. Roy. Belg., Classe des Sci., 30(2):1-312.
24. Lockwood JL., Hoopes MF., Marchetti MP. (2007). Invasion Ecology. Willy-Blackwell: A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication, Second edition, Oxford. ISBN: 978-1-4443-3365-7.
25. Mandal R., Dey R., Kamilya P. (2022). Role of juvenile traits for identification of some crop field dicotyledonous weeds in relation to their taxonomy and management. Research Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, 10(2): 1-18.
26. Manri´quez GI., Ramos MM., Oyama K. (2001). Seedling functional types in a lowland rainforest in Mexico. American Journal of Botany, 88(10): 1801–1812.
27. Muller FM. (1978). Seedlings of the North-Western European lowland; a flora of seedlings. Centre for Agricultural Publishing and Documentation (PUDOC), Wageningen, Netherlands.
28. Painia DR., Shepparda AW., Cook DC., Barroe PJD., Worner SP., Thomas MB. (2016). Global threat to agriculture from invasive species, PNAS, 113(27): 7575–7579.
29. Paria N., Kamilya P. (1999). Seedling Morphology of some Indian Euphorbiaceae with reference to taxonomy and conservation of biodiversity. In: R.K. Tandon and Pritipal Singh (eds). Biodiversity, Taxonomy and Ecology. Scientific Publication, India. pp. 97 - 129.
30. Parkinson H., Mangold J., Menalled F. (2013). Weed seedling identification guide for Montana and the Northern Great Plains. Montana State University Extension.
31. Paul TK., Lakshminarasimhan P., Chowdhery HJ., Dash SS., Singh P. (2015). Flora of West Bengal (Vol.-II). The Director Botanical Survey of India Publication, India, ISBN: 81-8177-063-3. pp. 1-411.
32. Pimentel D., Zuniga R., Morrison D., (2005). Update on the environmental and economic costs associated with alien-invasive species in the United States, ecological economics, Elsevier, 5 (3): 273-288.
33. Rai PK., Lalramnghinghlova H. (2011). Ethnomedicinal plants of India with special reference to an Indo-Burma hotspot region: an overview. Ethnobotany Res. Appl., 9:379-420.
34. Rai PK., Singh JS. (2020). Invasive alien plant species: their impact on environment, ecosystem services and human health, Ecological Indicator, 111(2020): 106020.
35. Ranjan V., Lakshminarasimhan P., Dash SS., Chowdhery HJ. (2016). Flora of West Bengal (Vol.-III.). The Director Botanical Survey of India Publication, India. ISBN: 818177075-7. pp. 1-470.
36. Reddy CS. (2012). Assessment of plant invasions across different habitats of India. Bioheral, 1:110.
37. Reddy CS., Bagyanarayana G., Reddy KN., Raju VS. (2008). Invasive alien flora of India. National Biological Information Infrastructure, US Geological Survey, USA.
38. Sandilyan S. (2018). Invasive alien species of India, Centre for Biodiversity Policy and Law [CEBPOL], National Biodiversity Authority, Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change Government of India,1-85.
39. Sekar KC. (2012). Invasive Alien Plants of Indian Himalayan Region-Diversity and Implication. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 3: 177-184.
40. Silvertown J., Franco, M., Pisanty I., Mendoza A. (1993). Comparative plant demography- relative importance oflife-cycle components to the finite rate of increase in woody and herbaceous perennials. Journal of Ecology, 81(3): 465–476.
41. Stone CM., Witt ABR., Walsh GC., Foster WA., Murphy ST (2018). Would the control of invasive alien plants reduce malaria transmission? A review. Parasites &Vectors, 11: 76.
42. Takhtajan A. (2003). Diversity and classification of flowering plants. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh Publication, India. ISBN: 81-211-0211-1.
43. Teixeira LH., Yannelli FA., Ganade G., Kollmann J. (2020). Functional Diversity and Invasive Species Influence Soil Fertility in Experimental Grasslands. Plants, 9(53): 1-14.
44. Tomlinson PB. (1984). Vegetative morphology - some enigmas in relation to plant systematic. In V.H. Heywood and D.M. Moore (eds.), current concept in plant taxonomy, Systematic association, special volume, Academic press, London. 25: 50-66.
45. Vogel de EF. (1980). Seedlings of dicotyledons: Structure, development, types, Descriptions of 150 woody Malesian taxa. Centre for agricultural publishing and Documentation (PUDOC), Wageningen, The Natherlands. ISBN: 90-220-0696-4.
46. Ye N. (1983). Studies on the seedlings types of dicotyledonous plants (Magnoliophyta, Magnoliopsida). Phytologia, 54 (3): 161-189.