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Invasive species are the third largest cause of biodiversity loss because of their ability to outcompete native species. The Garden lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus) is an invasive species in Sweden and is causing problems for native species by (I) outcompeting smaller plant species in terms of light, (II) it has nitrogen fixing abilities which causes unfavorable conditions for species that demands a more nutrient poor soil and (III) it also decrease the diversity of food sources for pollinators. The seeds of Garden lupine are physically dormant with hard seedcoats that are impermeable to water. In this study, different scarification methods were tested to improve water uptake in seeds and thereby improve germination. Scarification can be applied after a treatment which purpose is to fight the Garden lupine. This is to speed up germination time to determine the effects of the treatment sooner. The main purpose of the study was to examine the effect of scarification methods on germination and also to see if any of the methods could be standardized. The secondary purpose was to investigate how germination might be affected by the movement of soil masses. In the first experiment the effect on germination was tested by scarification with a scalpel, with sandpaper, sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and chilling. This was compared to a control group. In a second experiment the effect on germination was tested by shaking the seeds in either sand or gravel for 1, 5 or 15 minutes and was compared to the control. The results of the study showed that seeds scarified with a scalpel and sandpaper had a significantly higher germination percentage (95% and 91% respectively) compared to the control (6%). No difference in germination between treatment or time could be found for seeds that were shaken in sand or gravel. There was however a difference between seeds shaken in sand or gravel compared to the control group. This could indicate that the physical dormancy might break due to movement of soil masses containing seeds and thereby lead to further spread of the species. Invasiva arter är den tredje största orsaken till förlust av biodiversitet på grund av dess förmåga att konkurrera ut inhemska arter. Blomsterlupinen är invasiv i Sverige och skapar problem genom att skugga ut andra mer lågväxande arter, de fixerar kväve i marken vilket skapar ogynnsamma förhållanden för arter som kräver mer näringsfattig jord samt att de minskar variationen av födokällor för pollinatörer. Lupiner har fysiskt dormanta frön med hårda fröskal som har svårt att ta upp vatten. I denna studie testades olika skarifieringsmetoder för att förbättra vattenupptag och därmed öka frögroning. Skarifiering kan appliceras efter en behandling vilken syftar till att bekämpa lupiner. Detta för att snabba på frögroning och tidigare avgöra om behandlingen haft effekt. Syftet med studien var att pröva effekten av olika skarifieringsmetoder på frögroning samt att undersöka om någon metod kan standardiseras. Delsyftet med studien var att analysera hur frögroning kan påverkas vid förflyttning av jordmassor. Ett första experiment testade effekten på frögroning genom skarifiering med skalpell, sandpapper, svavelsyra (H2SO4), kyla och jämförde mot en kontrollgrupp. I ett andra experiment testades effekten av skarifiering genom skakning av frön i sand eller grus under 1, 5 eller 15 minuter och jämfördes mot kontrollgruppen. Resultaten av studien visade att det var en signifikant skillnad i procentuell frögroning hos frön behandlade med skalpell och sandpapper (95% respektive 91%) jämfört med kontrollgruppen (6%). Det var ingen skillnad i frögroning mellan behandling eller tider för frön som skakats i sand eller grus. Det var dock en signifikant skillnad mellan sand respektive grus jämfört med kontrollgruppen. Frön skakade i sand eller grus skilde sig signifikant från kontrollgruppen vilket kan indikera om att den fysiska dormansen kan brytas vid förflyttning av jordmassor som innehåller frön och därmed främja spridning av arten.

Blomsterlupin (Lupinus polyphyllus) är en iögonfallande invasiv växtart som i nuläget är spridd över större delen av Sverige utom nordvästra delen av Norrbotten. Framtagande av effektiva bekämpningsmetoder är av stor betydelse eftersom spridning av blomsterlupin hotar känsliga naturhabitat, exempelvis så kallade artrika vägkanter. Detta arbete fokuserar på värmebehandling, en metod som potentiellt kan användas för desinfektion av lösa jordmassor, som anses vara en av de största spridningsvektorerna för blomsterlupin. Arbetets syfte är att med hjälp av uppsamlade data undersöka om det finns en optimal temperatur och exponeringstid för effektiv minskning av antalet grodda blomsterlupinfrö. Utöver detta, utvärderas effekterna av förbehandling i form av rispning och blötläggning av frön. Inom experimentet behandlades blomsterlupinfrö med olika temperatur under olika exponeringstid. Hälften av fröna fick förbehandling i form av blötläggning efter rispning av skalet inför uppvärmningen. Frön värmebehandlades i 88˚C, 93˚C, 98˚C och 103˚C under 1, 3, 5 och 10 minuters tid. Efter värmebehandlingen fick fröna gro i ett odlingskåp. Resultatet visar att förbehandling, ökad temperatur och ökad exponeringstid bidrar till signifikant minskning av andel grodda blomsterlupinfrö. Ju högre temperaturen var, desto större var effekten av längre exponeringstid. Effekten av hög temperatur och lång exponeringstid var starkare om fröna var förbehandlade. Resultatet tyder på att värmebehandling potentiellt är en effektiv metod för bekämpning av blomsterlupinfrö. Vidare experiment krävs för att undersöka hur denna metod kan effektiviseras och tillämpas i praktiken, i synnerhet vid uppvärmning av stora volymer av jordmassor. Garden lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus) is an eye-catching invasive herb that is currently spread over the major part of Sweden except for the northwestern part of Norrbotten county. The development of effective control methods is of great importance because the spread of Garden lupine threatens sensitive natural habitats, for example species rich road verges. This work focuses on heat treatment, a method that can potentially be used for the disinfection of soil masses, which is considered one of the major dispersal vectors for Garden lupine. The purpose of this work is to use the collected data to investigate whether there is an optimal temperature and duration of exposure for effective reduction of the number of germinated Garden lupine seeds. In addition, this work evaluates the effects of pre-treatment in the form of scarifying and soaking of seeds. Within the experiment, Garden lupine seeds were treated with different temperatures and different duration of exposure. Half of the seeds received pre-treatment in the form of soaking after scarifying the seed coat before heating. After that, seeds were heat treated at 88˚C, 93˚C, 98˚C and 103˚C for 1, 3, 5 and 10 minutes. After the heat treatment, the seeds were allowed to germinate in a growth chamber. The result shows that pre-treatment, increased temperature and increased exposure time contribute to a significant reduction in the percentage of germinated Garden lupine seeds. The higher the temperature, the stronger was the effect of a longer exposure time. The effect of high temperature and long exposure time was stronger if the seeds were pre-treated. The result suggests that the heat treatment is potentially an effective control method for Garden lupine seed. Further experiments are required to investigate if this method could be made more efficient and applied in practice, particularly when heating large volumes of soil masses.

Plant phenology, i. e. the timing of life cycle events, is related to individual fitness and species distribution ranges. Temperature is one of the most important drivers of plant phenology together with day length. The adaptation of their phenology may be important for the success of invasive plant species. The present study aims at understanding how the performance and the phenology of the invasive legume Lupinus polyphyllus vary with latitude. We sampled data across a >2000 km latitudinal gradient from Central to Northern Europe. We quantified variation in phenology of flowering and fruiting of L. polyphyllus using >1600 digital photos of inflorescences from 220 individual plants observed weekly at 22 sites. The day of the year at which different phenological phases were reached, increased 1.3–1.8 days per degree latitude, whereas the growing degree days (gdd) required for these phenological phases decreased 5–16 gdd per degree latitude. However, this difference disappeared, when the day length of each day included in the calculation of gdd was considered. The day of the year of the earliest and the latest climatic zone to reach any of the three studied phenological phases differed by 23–30 days and temperature requirements to reach these stages differed between 62 and 236 gdd. Probably, the invasion of this species will further increase in the northern part of Europe over the next decades due to climate warming. For invasive species control, our results suggest that in countries with a large latitudinal extent, the mowing date should shift by ca. one week per 500 km at sites with similar elevations.

Purpose In cold climates, glyphosate residues may linger in soils, with effects on plant–microbe interactions and, consequently, plant performance. Here, we explore the influence of glyphosate residues on the endophytic microbiota (bacteria and fungi) and performance of the perennial nitrogen-fixing weed Lupinus polyphyllus. Methods In a common garden, we grew plants from six populations of L. polyphyllus in glyphosate-treated or untreated control soils, with or without additional phosphorus. We sampled plant microbiota (leaves, roots, nodules) and assessed plant performance based on six traits: height, retrogression probability (i.e. shrinkage), biomass, root:shoot ratio, nodule number, and nodule viability. Results The richness of plant endophytic microbial communities was determined by soil phosphorus level rather than by glyphosate treatment. However, for bacteria, the composition of these communities differed between glyphosate-treated and control soils across plant tissue types; no difference was observed for fungi. The plant bacterial communities in both soil types were dominated by potential nitrogen-fixing bacteria belonging to family Bradyrhizobiaceae, and particularly so in glyphosate-treated soils. Overall, though, these changes in plant bacterial communities had a minor effect on plant performance: the only difference we detected was that the probability of retrogression was occasionally higher in glyphosate-treated soils than in control soils. Conclusion Our findings indicate that glyphosate-based herbicides, when applied at the recommended frequency and concentration, may not have critical effects on the growth of short-lived weeds after the safety period has passed; however, the endophytic microbiota of such weeds may experience longer-lasting shifts in community structure.

Intraspecific variation in growth and defence among plant populations can be driven by differences in (a)biotic conditions, such as herbivory and resources. Introduction of species to novel environments affects simultaneously herbivory encountered by a plant and resource availability both directly and via altered competitive environment. Here, we address the question of how growth (leaf mass per area (LMA), plant size) and resistance traits (leaf alkaloids, leaf trichomes, resistance to a generalist snail) vary and covary between native and introduced populations of the garden lupine, Lupinus polyphyllus. We focused specifically on evolved differences among populations by measuring traits from plants grown from seed in a common environment. Plants from the introduced populations were more resistant against the generalist snail, Arianta arbustorum, and they had more leaf trichomes and higher LMA than plants from the native populations. The composition of alkaloids differed between native and introduced populations, with the native populations having more diversity in alkaloids among them. Resistance was positively associated with plant size and LMA across all populations. Other trait associations differed between native and introduced areas, implying that certain trade-offs may be fundamentally different between native and introduced populations. Our results suggest that, for the introduced populations, the loss of native herbivores and the alterations in resource availability have led to a lower diversity in leaf alkaloids among populations and may facilitate the evolution of novel trait optima without compensatory trade-offs. Such phytochemical similarity among introduced populations provides novel insights into mechanisms promoting successful plant invasions.

The manuscript presents the first comprehensive assessment of alien vascular plants in Kostroma Oblast (Upper Volga, central European Russia), a region with low human density and high proportions of natural and seminatural habitats (boreal forests). The data set combines literature published for 1866–2020 and direct field observations made in 2011–2020. Among the 1200 vascular taxa listed for this region, 330 are neophytes, including 125 casual and 172 naturalized species, with 21 species considered invasive; 33 casual species recorded for the region have vanished. Additionally, we identified 14 naturalized species as potentially invasive. Overall, naturalized alien plants made up ca. 14% of the vascular flora of Kostroma Oblast. Elodea canadensis, Erigeron canadensis, Heracleum pubescens, Lupinus polyphyllus, and Matricaria discoidea are the most widely distributed invasive species across the region. The majority of naturalized taxa originated from Eurasia (i.e., Europe, the Mediterranean, and Asia), while in invasive flora, there is a clear dominance of species from North America. Biennial/perennial herbs are the most common naturalized plants, followed by annuals, while woody species are poorly represented. Twenty-five naturalized species (ca. 8% of all neophyte taxa) were recorded in at least half of all districts in the region. The number of naturalized species per district was notably uneven, increasing in districts with higher human population densities. Compared to other European regions in Russia, Kostroma Oblast has poor alien and particularly naturalized flora; this condition is linked to the socioeconomic features and climatic conditions of the region.

The biochemical drivers of phosphorus (P) availability and cycling are sensitive to changes in soil pH. However, reports of lime-induced pH modification effects on P availability are (1) inconsistent, (2) focused mainly on chemical changes, and (3) often limited to the bulk soil. Using lupin as an indicator species, we aimed to evaluate the effects of lime-induced soil pH change, from 5.3 to 6.0, on biochemical processes responsible for P mobilization and dynamics in the rhizosphere of two different lupin species. Indicator species, blue lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) and Russell lupin (Lupinus polyphyllus), were grown in a P-deficient acid grassland soil without P inputs for 11 weeks in a glasshouse. The rhizosphere soils were analyzed for enzyme activity, microbial P, and carboxylates. Both bulk and rhizosphere soils were analyzed for P fractions, exchangeable aluminum (Al), and pH. Plant yields and shoot P uptake were measured. Labile inorganic P (Pi) increased in the rhizospheres of both lupin species, likely due to Pi desorption combined with labile organic P (Po) mineralization, induced by rhizosphere pH elevation after liming. Soil pH increase promoted microbial P immobilization and reduced phosphomonoesterase activity in the rhizosphere, leading to an accumulation of Po mainly as moderately labile and stable Po forms. Total carboxylate concentration (TCC) increased with soil pH increase. Variation in shoot P uptake was mostly explained by TCC. These results indicate that (1) lime application strongly affects P biochemical processes and dynamics in the rhizosphere of lupins. (2) Russell lupin utilizes less P than blue lupin and is unresponsive to liming.

Background Lupins are cultivated as human consumption grains and forage legumes. The chromosomes of lupins are too small to be karyotyped by conventional techniques, because they reveal a general lack of distinctive cytological features. In the current study, Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH) was used to locate 5S and 45S ribosomal gene sites on the chromosomes of Lupinus albus ssp albus, Lupinus albus ssp graecus, Lupnus termis (all with 2n = 50), and Lupinus polyphyllus lindl var. polyphyllus (2n = 48), FISH together with seed storage protein electrophoretic patterns were used to find out the relationship among these species. Results The double-target FISH on the chromosomes of the studied species with rDNA probes revealed that the two types of rRNA genes are located on different chromosomes. The detected loci of rRNA genes partially reflected the taxonomical similarity among the two Lupinus albus subspecies and L. termis. Lupinus polyphyllus lindl var. polyphyllus was exception by having unique large chromosome mostly is covered by one signal of 45S rDNA, whereas its homologous chromosome seems to be normal-sized and have the other 45S rDNA locus. The similarity matrix among the Lupinus species as computed according to Jaccardʼs Coefficient from the SDS-PAGE, showed that L. albus ssp. Albus and L. albus ssp. Graecus are the most similar species (~ 97%), and then comes L. termis, and L. polyphyllus lindl var. polyphylus has been placed in separate clade and still the most related species to it among the studied species is L. termis (~ 70%). Conclusion It could be postulated from FISH and seed storage protein electrophoretic patterns that the relationships among the studied species is as follows, Lupinus albus ssp albus, is the most related species to Lupinus albus ssp graecus then comes Lupnus termis and Lupinus polyphyllus lindl var. polyphyllus at a distal position.

Plant invasions are among the key drivers of global biodiversity and ecosystem change. They often cause reductions in native species richness and overall biodiversity. Nitrogen-fixing plants are problematic as they affect soil nutrient availability and outcompete species of nutrient-poor sites. Here we assessed the impacts of the legume Lupinus polyphyllus on species and functional diversity of mountain meadow communities in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Rhön. We compared species diversity (richness, evenness and effective species number), functional diversity (functional richness, evenness, divergence and dispersion) and similarity of plots in three characteristic vegetation types (Nardus grassland, mesic and wet mountain hay meadows) between different lupine cover classes. We calculated community weighted means (CWMs) of single plant traits and plotted them against lupine cover classes. The invasion of L. polyphyllus homogenizes vegetation composition since the similarity among plots of the different vegetation types increased with increasing lupine cover. It significantly affected species diversity in terms of richness and effective species number and the functional divergence of the vegetation. The trait set of species occurring together with lupine was shifted towards more competitive trait values. We demonstrate strongly negative impacts of L. polyphyllus on different mountain meadow vegetation types since L. polyphyllus, fosters the growth of competitive species and leads to overall more productive plant communities.

Knowledge on the spatio-temporal distribution of invasive plant species is vital to maintain biodiversity in grasslands which are threatened by the invasion of such plants and to evaluate the effect of control activities conducted. Manual digitising of aerial images with field verification is the standard method to create maps of the invasive Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl. (Lupine) in semi-natural grasslands of the UNESCO biosphere reserve “Rhön”. As the standard method is labour-intensive, a workflow was developed to map lupine coverage using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-borne remote sensing (RS) along with object-based image analysis (OBIA). UAV-borne red, green, blue and thermal imaging, as well as photogrammetric canopy height modelling (CHM) were applied. Images were segmented by unsupervised parameter optimisation into image objects representing lupine plants and grass vegetation. Image objects obtained were classified using random forest classification modelling based on objects’ attributes. The classification model was employed to create lupine distribution maps of test areas, and predicted data were compared with manually digitised lupine coverage maps. The classification models yielded a mean prediction accuracy of 89%. The maximum difference in lupine area between classified and digitised lupine maps was 5%. Moreover, the pixel-wise map comparison showed that 88% of all pixels matched between classified and digitised maps. Our results indicated that lupine coverage mapping using UAV-borne RS data and OBIA provides similar results as the standard manual digitising method and, thus, offers a valuable tool to map invasive lupine on grasslands.

In order to manage invasive plant species efficiently, it is necessary to have a thorough understanding of different strategies of population control, including the underlying mechanisms of action and the consequences for target populations. Here, I explored the effectiveness of biomass removal as a method of control for the invasive perennial herb Lupinus polyphyllus. More specifically, using seed material from 11 populations, I assessed among-population variation (if any) in plant compensatory growth as a response to annual biomass removal under standardised growing conditions over two consecutive years, and quantified the demographic effects of a single biomass-removal event. In all study populations, annual biomass removal reduced plant size, flowering probability, and shoot and root biomass. Biomass removal also reduced plant survival and the number of flowering shoots, but these effects were pronounced at certain time points only. A population-level demographic analysis revealed that a single biomass-removal event considerably decreased the long-term population growth rate (λ); this decline in λ was due to a reduction in plant fecundity followed by survival and growth. These findings suggest that annual mowing has the potential to curb invasions of L. polyphyllus because plants are not able to fully compensate for drastic biomass loss.

Seed extracts of Nymphia alba Linn. and Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl. were analyzed for fatty acid composition, functional group analysis and antioxidant activity. The petroleum ether extract of seeds were found dominant in unsaturated fatty acids with oleic acid (39.9%) and linoleic acid (29.6%) in L. polyphyllus and linoleic (37.5%) and oleic acid (10.9%) in N. alba. All the defatted seed extracts of N. alba and L. polyphyllus found to have powerful DPPH, ABTS, H2O2 and NBT antioxidant radical scavenging activity with reference to butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT). The defatted seed extracts were further analyzed with functional group analysis through FTIR found to contain numerous functional groups which may be responsible for their antioxidant activity.

The ecological impacts of invasive species may change or accumulate with time since local invasion, potentially inducing further changes in communities and the abiotic environment. Yet, time since invasion is rarely considered when investigating the ecological impacts of invasive non-native species. To examine the effect of time since invasion on the ecological impacts of Lupinus polyphyllus, a perennial nitrogen-fixing herb, we surveyed vascular plant communities in the presence and absence of L. polyphyllus in young, intermediate, and old semi-natural grassland sites (ca. 5, 10, 15 years representing both time since lupine invasion and plant community age). We analyzed vascular plant community composition, vascular plant species richness, and the cover of various ecological plant groups and L. polyphyllus. In contrast to our hypotheses, we found no change in the mean cover of L. polyphyllus (about 35%) with time since local invasion, and an ordination did not suggest marked changes in plant community composition. L. polyphyllus was associated with lower species richness in invaded plant communities but this effect did not change with time since invasion. Invaded plant communities were also associated with lower occurrence of generalist, oligotrophic (low-nutrient-adapted) and copiotrophic (nutrient-demanding) species but no temporal dynamics were detected. We conclude that even the intermediate cover of L. polyphyllus can reduce plant species richness, but the ecological impact caused by this invader might not dramatically change or accumulate with time since invasion.

Sveriges vägdiken och vägkanter är hem till många blommor och växtarter. Lupin-blomman Lupinus polyphyllus är en invasiv växtart som kom till Sverige under 1800-talet. Lupinblommans egenskaper gör att växten konkurrerar ut andra växtarter och negativt påverkar svensk biologisk mångfald. Naturvårdsverket och Trafikverket övervakar och hanterar lupinspridningen i Sverige. Det finns dock inget uppsatt digitalt system för övervakning utan myndigheterna förlitar sig mycket på inrapportering av lupinblommor. I denna studie utforskades metoder och parametrar för att med hjälp av GIS och klassificering identifiera lupinblommor med hjälp av högupplösta UAV-foton. Huvudmoment var att undersöka hur väl klassificeringsmetoderna random forest (RF) och maximum likelihood (MLC) identifierar lupiner, vilken flyghöjd för UAV och segmentering vid bildhantering som bör väljas. En tidsnotering på hur länge de olika metoderna tog att bearbeta för programmet utfördes även. Endast övervakad klassificering inom programmet ESRI ArcGIS Pro genomfördes. I studien användes rasterdata insamlad via två UAV längstseparata två vägsträckor på 200 m med flyghöjd från 10 till 120 m. Studien utfördes med segmenteringsparametrarna 1, 5, 10, 15 och 20 i spektrala detaljnivå över ett mindre testområde med 20 m flyghöjd. På dessa segmenteringar testades klassificeringsmetoderna MLC och RF. Baserat på resultaten ifrån dessa tester valdes en klassificeringsmetod ut och med denna utfördes tester på flyghöjd för att få fram var optimal flyghöjd låg. De flyghöjder som testades var 20 m, 50 m och 85 m. Vid varje processnoterades även tidsåtgången. Resultaten kontrollerades via Confusion Matrix och överklassificering för att identifiera den mest effektiva och noggranna metoden. Resultaten ifrån segmenteringen visade att metoden MLC generellt gav godast resultat med en överklassificering mellan +1 % och +3 % och noggrannhet på +90 %. RF gav resultat som låg på +1 % till +9 % överklassificering och noggrannhet var även här +90 %.Flyghöjdstesterna visade att 20m hade en noggrannhet på 97% och överklassificering på4,04 %. 50 m visade en noggrannhet 99 % och överklassificering på 8,17 %. 85 m hade noggrannhet på 53 % och överklassificering på 4,19 % Tidkontrollen visade att de objektbaserade metod var runt 33 % snabbare att utföra än pixelbaserad. Inga stora skillnader mellan klassificeringsmetoder hittades. Generellt visade resultaten att en objektbaserad MLC metod på 20 m gav godast resultat och går snabbast att utföra. Det är möjligt att 30 eller 40 m ger lika goda resultat men dessa höjder fanns ej tillgängligt att testa. Skillnaderna mellan klassificeringsnoggrannheter med RF och MLC var marginella. Roadsides in Sweden are home to several different plant species. The lupine flower Lupinus polyphyllus is an invasive species originally from North America. Naturvårdsverket and Trafikverket are responsible for monitoring and handle lupine spread in Sweden. This study examined the use of GIS and aerial photos in lupine control and more specifically what parameters and classification methods that are suitable in identifying Lupinus polyphyllus. The two main classification methods were random forest (RF) and maximum likelihood classifiers(MLC). Other factors were the altitude of the UAV collecting the photos and what segmentation parameters were optimal for classification. Processing time when performing the different parameters and methods were also collected. The study used raster data from two drones with altitudes from 10 m to 120 m and the program used to perform these tests were ArcGIS Pro. The segmentation spectral detail levels tested were 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20, these were tested on a smaller area with a flight altitude of 20 m and both RF and MLC were tested on all detail levels. Based on these tests a classification method and segmentation parameters were chosen and tested on differing flight altitudes. These altitudes were 20, 50 and 85 m. A confusion matrix and overestimation of classes were used to determine accuracy and overclassification. Results show that supervised object-based MLC on a raster generated from a 20 m flight altitude gave generally the best results. In this case the accuracy was around 90 % and overclassification was around 1-3 %. Object-based classification was around 33 % faster than pixel-based classification but classification method did not alter the time any noticeable amount. However, it should be noted that a flight height of 30 or 40 m might give equally as good results as 20 m but those altitudes were not available for testing. It should also be pointed out that the difference between RF and MLC was not huge but the desired accuracy and over classification might be stringier depending on the needs of the user.

In Sweden, the garden lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus) has a negative effect on the native flora and fauna as it is a highly competitive plant, with high dispersal and growth rates and nitrogen-fixing ability. Landscape metrics are important tools to analyse and understand landscape structure, and could also support the planning of control measures for the invasive lupine. The aim of this study was to use a modelling analysis to evaluate fifty study areas with varying lupine density, ranging from single or sparse to dense or dominant. Several landscape metrics were used to quantify the frequency of lupine presence, and to try to quantify the threat for the modelled species-rich road verges. The study aim was to assess which landscape metrics could predict the weighted mean area of lupine. The research questions in this study were “is there a correlation between different landscape metrics and the weighted mean area of lupine stands?” and “how well can different landscape metrics quantify the threat for road verge communities , in terms of the amount of lupines in the landscape?”. The study area is located in the Heby-region, Uppland (Sweden). Bivariate linear regression was used to test if the mean length, Proximity (Px), distance to nearest neighbour or the number of lupine stands had any significant relation to the weighted mean area. The results showed a significant relationship between the weighted mean area and the mean length of the lupine stands (R²=0.366) and between the weighted mean area and the Px (R²=0.117). This analysis shows that, when data of lupine density are not available, mean stand length and Px might be suitable alternatives. Using this method could assist the work of prioritizing which invaded areas to manage. The method might also be cost-and time-efficient when data of lupine density is unavailable. I Sverige har trädgårdslupinen (Lupinus polyphyllus) en negativ effekt på den inhemska floran och faunan då det är en mycket konkurrenskraftig växt, med hög spridnings- och tillväxthastighet och kvävebindande förmåga. Landskapsmått är viktiga verktyg för att analysera och förstå landskapets struktur, och skulle också kunna stödja planeringen av bekämpningsåtgärder av den invasiva lupinen. Syftet med studien var att använda en modelleringsanalys för att utvärdera femtio studieområden med varierande lupintäthet, från enstaka eller glesa till täta eller dominerande. Flera landskapsmått användes för att kvantifiera frekvensen av lupinförekomst och för att försöka kvantifiera hotet för de modellerade artrika vägkanterna. Studiens syfte var att bedöma vilka landskapsmått som kunde förutsäga den viktade medelarean för lupinbestånden. Forskningsfrågorna i denna studie var "finns det ett samband mellan olika landskapsmått och den viktade medelarean för lupinbestånd?" och "hur väl kan olika landskapsmått kvantifiera hotet för artrika vägkanter, i fråga om mängden lupiner i landskapet?". Studieområdet är beläget i Heby-regionen, Uppland (Sverige). Bivariat linjär regression användes för att testa om medellängden, Proximity (Px), avståndet till närmsta lupinbestånd eller antalet lupinbestånd hade ett signifikant samband till lupinbeståndens viktade medelarea. Resultaten visade ett signifikant samband mellan den viktade medelarean och medellängden av lupinbestånden (R²=0,366) och mellan den viktade medelarean och Px (R²=0,117). Analysen visar att, när data om lupinbeståndens täthet inte finns tillgängliga, kan lupinbeståndens medellängd och Px vara lämpliga alternativ. Att använda denna metod skulle kunna underlätta arbetet med att prioritera vilka invaderade områden som ska förvaltas. Metoden kan också vara kostnads- och tidseffektiv när data om lupintäthet inte finns tillgänglig.

Invasiva arter är ett av de största hoten mot biologisk mångfald i världen och gör stor skada på ekonomin och miljön. Särskilt hotade är vägkanter av den invasiva växten blomsterlupin (Lupinus polyphyllus) som tränger undan inhemska arter och göder marken. Vägkanterna i Sverige täcker sammanlagt stora ytor och är hem till många växter som en gång funnits i det gamla odlingslandskapet. Syftet med denna kandidatuppsats är att med hjälp av information om blomsterlupinens biomassa dynamik bestämma det optimala datumet för slåtter: när biomassan underjord är som lägst och om det finns någon skillnad i biomassa i två regioner. I fem lokaler i Brattfors, respektive i Karlstad samlades blomsterlupiner, som senare vägdes i ett laboratorium för att få fram biomassa ovan jord och underjord, över en tidsperiod på 4 månader. Resultaten visade inte på någonskillnad i max- eller minimum värdena för den totala biomassan i Brattfors och Karlstad. Jämförelsevis upptäcktes en skillnad i biomassan ovan- som under jord mellan skördtillfällena i Brattfors och Karlstad. Biomassan underjord var som lägst den 9:e juni och 22:a juni i Brattfors, respektive 9:e juni till 14:e juli i Karlstad. Den 15 juli har beskrivits som slutet för blomningen av blomsterlupin och med det ett datum som skötsel bör ske innan. För att bättre kunna bestämma det optimala datumet för slåtter och hur regionerna kan variera behövs det fler studier på hur kritiska punkter i växters utveckling påverkar ansamlingen av biomassa. Invasive species are one of the biggest threats toward biological diversity in the world and do a lot of harm to the economy and environment. Especially threatened are road verges by the invasive plant Garden lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus) that crowd’s native species and fertilizes the soil. The road verges in Sweden cover in total large areas and are home to many species that were once found in the old agricultural landscape. This bachelor's thesis means to, with the help of information about garden lupines biomass dynamic, decide the optimal date for mowing, when biomass is at its lowest underground and if there is any difference in biomass between two regions. In five places in Brattfors, respectively five places in Karlstad, garden lupines were gathered, and later weighed at a laboratory to get the biomass above- and underground, over a time period of 4 months. The results did not show any difference in the max- or minimum values for the total biomass in Brattfors and Karlstad. Comparatively a difference in biomass between the collecting dates was found in both Brattfors and Karlstad. The biomass underground was at its lowest on 9 June and 22 June in Brattfors, respectively 9 June to 14 July in Karlstad. The 15 July has been described as the end of the flowering period of garden lupine and with that a date management should be before. More studies on critical points in plant development are needed to better understand when the optimal date for mowing is and how regions can vary in growth.

Currently, less than 33% of arable land is used in Meshchovskoye Opolye. Optimizing technology elements of resource-saving development of synanthropic fallow phytocenoses with complex invasion is relevant. The article is devoted to analysis of development of self-organizing phytocenoses with varying invasion degrees and their use on lands temporarily withdrawn from active agricultural use. Field experiments were carried out on postagrogenic gray forest loamy soils in Kaluga Research Institute of Agriculture in 2006-2018. Influence of mineral fertilizers as an optimization element of technology of fallow development was studied using transects and permanent survey sites on the area of 12.0 ha. The reasons for change in productivity and its determining elements in hayfields in autogenous - allogenic phytocenoses were analysed. We established that economic value of plant communities was determined by potential of constituent species and variability of their productivity in years with various environmental conditions. 12 years later phytocenoses become homogeneous and consist of 10-12 main plant species, determining green mass productivity by 75%. Compared to native species invasive plant species have 1.4-2.0 fold higher productivity which accounts for 60% and more productivity of phytocenoses. Transforming role of Erigeron canadensis L., Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl. and Solidago gigantea Ait. on their expansion into aboriginal herb (share in mowed mass - 40% or more) communities was shown; their high adaptive potential for ecological-soil conditions of Meshchovskoye Opolye (center of Nonchernozem Zone of Russia) was established. Application of mineral fertilizers (P40K90) in the secondary Trifolium medium phytocenoses (more than 40%) contributed to 2.4-fold increase in its productivity (from 1.38 to 3.29 kg/m2) and increased productivity stability by 60%, reducing low-value species in crop structure by 1.6 times. The total area of cenopopulations increased by 10.4-21.5%, yields - from 2.31 to 4.41 kg/m2.

This article continues the series of publications devoted to the classification of communities with invasive plant species in the Southern Urals (Abramova, 2011, 2015; Abramova, Golovanov, 2016b). The information on communities with four aggressive neophytes of North American origin Solidago canadensis L., S. gigantea Ait., Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl. and Phalacroloma annuum (L.) Dumort. s. l. (Table 1) is given. All species are included in the «black list» of the Republic of Bashkortostan (Abramova, Golovanov, 2016a), and the «Black book of the flora of Central Russia» (Vinogradova et al., 2010). The studies was conducted in the period 2016–2018 on the republic territory. The wide distribution of species and their naturalization in the meadow and semi-natural communities of the Southern Urals are noted (Abramova, 2011, 2014; Abramova et al., 2016; Abramova, Golovanov, 2018). In the centers of invasion of the studied species, 83 geobotanical relevés of communities were performed on sample areas of 10–100 mІ. Location, date, area of the described area, total cover, mean and maximum height of grass layer were indicated for each sample plot. The classification of communities involving these invasive species was carried according to Braun-Blanquet method with Kopecký–Hejný approach (Kopecký, Hejný, 1974). The identified syntaxa were compared with the units previously described in the studied area and other regions. Ecological regimes of communities are determined using the weighted average of the Landolt’s optimum ecological scales by IBIS 6.2 software (Zverev, 2007). The weighted average values are calculated according to the following scales: moisture (F), acidity (R), soil richness with mineral nutrients (N), humus content (H), light (L) and continentality (K). The Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA-ordination) method was applied using the CANOCO 4.5 software package to identify the patterns of ecological differentiation of invasive communities. Herbaceous perennials plants Solidago canadensis and S. gigantea left the decorative culture and now are naturalized in meadows along roadsides, forest edges, wastelands, fallow lands, around gardens near large cities. The most common species is S. canadensis, common in the vicinity of human settlements. S. gigantea is first recorded only in 2017 in the North-West of the republic, where it formed monodominant communities on the territory of abandoned garden plots. The ass. Rudbeckio laciniatae–Solidaginetum canadensis Tüxen et Raabe ex Anioł-Kwiatkowska 1974 (Tables 2, 3) with 2 variants: Solidago canadensis (Fig. 1) and Solidago gigantea and the derivate community Solidago canadensis–Poa angustifolia [Molinio-Arrhenatheretea/Artemisietea vulgaris] (Table 4, Fig. 2) is described. Association variants reflect the dominance of Solidago canadensis or S. gigantea, the derivative community is characterized by the presence of two large groups of species: meadow species of the class Molinio-Arrhenatheretea Tx. 1937 and sinanthropic two- and long-term species of the class Artemisietea vulgaris Lohmeyer et al. in Tx. ex von Rochow 1951. Lupinus polyphyllus is an ornamental herbaceous plant, also dissapeared fr om culture and naturalized in meadow communities. Within the studied area it is sporadically recorded in the Cis-Urals, but invasive populations of sufficiently large in size form only in the north-western districts of the republic on the territories of abandoned horticultural plots, along the roads on the meadows, occasionally on abandoned fields. A derivative community Lupinus polyphyllus[Arrhenatheretalia elatioris] (Tables 6, 7) with 2 variants: typica (Fig. 3) and Convolvulus arvensis, which represent meadow or ruderalized communities, has been identified. The annual Phalacroloma annuum is confined to the areas of the northern Cis-Urals, wh ere it is widely naturalized in meadows, but has no a transforming effect on the meadow coenoflora. Thay is why var. Phalacroloma annuum as part of the association of low-grass meadows of the hay and pasture use within ass. Agrostio tenuis–Festucetum pratensis Yamalov 2015 (Table 9) as well as derivate community Phalacroloma annuum–Cirsium setosum [Arrhenatheretalia elatioris/Artemisietea vulgaris] (Table 10) for semi-natural communities in abandoned garden plots and fields with a large proportion of synanthropic species in floristic composition are suggested. All four invasive species are intruded and naturalized in meadows of varying degrees of anthropogenic disturbance, as well as in semi-natural phytocenoses of the final stages of succession. The ordination analysis (DCA-ordination) confirmed the suggested floristic classification (Fig. 4). The first axis is associated with two differently directed factors — soil acidity (correlation coefficient — 0.10) and humus content (correlation coefficient — –0.29). The distribution of communities along the second axis is associated with the substrate moistening (correlation coefficient is 0.10) and the community light conditions (correlation coefficient is –0.57), these vectors also have different directions. All communities with these species are well differentiated in the space of the two main ordination axes, which indirectly confirms the correctness of the syntaxonomic decision, and also indicates the wide ecological amplitude of the species and their use of different ecological niches in similar types of meadow and semi-natural communities of the Southern Urals. The leading factors in the community distribution are both those characterizing the soil properties (moisture, acidity, humus content) and habitat ones (light conditions). The high invasive potential of these neophytes makes possible to predict their further distribution over the territory of the Republic of Bashkortostan.

Simple Summary Aggressive-invasive species often interact with native ones, thus considerably changing the biological communities, with ecological, economic, and even social effects. It is a challenge to evaluate the direction and the rate of microevolution in native and introduced populations. One of the ways to do this is to estimate the genetic diversity. An introduction often imposes a reduction in population size (genetic drift, bottleneck, founder effect), which has the potential to reduce genetic diversity. However, after a lag, the genetic diversity can be restored due to repeated invasions (multiply introductions), hybridization between individuals from two different subspecies or species in the invaded ranges, as well as during rapid genetic changes under selection pressures in the novel environment. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of genetic diversity in successful invasive species Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl. and Heracleum sosnowskyi Manden. from Russia and Ukraine, and whether it may be associated with the strategy of their further expansion. Abstract In our study, two aggressive-invasive species, Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl. and Heracleum sosnowskyi Manden. from Russia and Ukraine, were investigated. The success in naturalization of both species is associated with human activities, since they have been used in agriculture and floriculture and both have qualities such as environmental tolerance, high fertility and phenotypic plasticity. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of genetic diversity of both species. For Heracleum sosnowskyi Manden., genetic diversity was compared in invasive and native populations. For Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl., the genetic diversity was compared in variety, feral and invasive populations. A genetic diversity was formulated using RAPD, ISSR and REMAP. For Heracleum sosnowskyi Manden., the average genetic diversity within the invasive population was similar (0.432), but slightly less (0.502) than within the native Caucasian population. This may suggest the successful naturalization of invaders and almost complete reconstruction of their genetic diversity. For Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl., the genetic diversity for the invasive population was the highest, with an average of 0.294, while for variety, it was the lowest, with an average of 0.194. The feral population had an intermediate place with an average of 0.248, which could suggest an increase of diversity in the process of naturalization.

Eradication of alien invasive species in the soil with steam as an alternative to chemical fumigation may allow contaminated soil to be reused. We have investigated steam disinfestation of soil to combat invasive plant species in three experiments including different temperatures and exposure durations using a prototype stationary soil-steaming device. The experiments included effects on seed germination of bigleaf lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus Lindl.), ornamental jewelweed (Impatiens glandulifera Royle), and wild oat (Avena fatua L.; one population from Poland and one from Norway), as well as effects on sprouting rhizome fragments of Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis L.) and Bohemian knotweed (Reynoutria x bohemica Chrtek & Chrtková). In Experiment 1, we tested four different soil temperatures of 64, 75, 79, and 98 C with an exposure duration of 90 s. In Experiments 2 and 3, we tested exposure durations of 30, 90, and 180 s and 90, 180, and 540 s, respectively, at 98 C. Seed pretreatment of 14 d cooling for L. polyphyllus and I. glandulifera, no seed pretreatment and 12-h moistening for A. fatua populations, and 5- and 10-cm cutting size for R. x bohemica were applied. Our results showed germination/sprouting was inhibited at 75 C for I. glandulifera (for 90 s) and 98 C for the other species; however, longer exposure duration was needed for L. polyphyllus. While 30 s at 98 C was enough to kill A. fatua seeds and S. canadensis and R. x bohemica rhizome fragments, 180-s exposure duration was needed to kill L. polyphyllus seeds. The results showed promising control levels of invasive plant propagules in contaminated soil by steaming, supporting the steam treatment method as a potential way of disinfecting soil to prevent dispersal of invasive species.