Allelopathic Impacts of the Invasive Tree Cedrela odorata L. (Meliaceae, Sapindales = Magnoliidae) in the Galapagos Flora

Abstract

Some non-native plant species present the potential to outcompete native plants and have the capacity to spread quickly and colonize recipient areas, becoming invasive. One of the most known and widely tested mechanisms promoting invasive plant colonization is allelopathy or the potential that certain plant species have to produce chemical compounds that inhibit germination or growth of native species. Despite of the wide range of plant habitats and ecological levels where allelopathy has been recorded to occur, there are comparatively very few studies detailing the presence of this explanatory mechanism in one of the most invaded biomes of the globe, oceanic islands.