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Mahaut L, Cheptou PO, Fried G, Munoz F, Storkey J, Vasseur F, Violle C, Bretagnolle F. Weeds: Against the Rules? TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 25:1107-1116. [PMID: 32600939 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2020.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Establishing laws of plant and ecosystems functioning has been an overarching objective of functional and evolutionary ecology. However, most theories neglect the role of human activities in creating novel ecosystems characterized by species assemblages and environmental factors that are not observed in natural systems. We argue that agricultural weeds, as an emblematic case of such an 'ecological novelty', constitute an original and underutilized model for challenging current concepts in ecology and evolution. We highlight key aspects of weed ecology and evolutionary biology that can help to test and recast ecological and evolutionary laws in a changing world. We invite ecologists to seize upon weeds as a model system to improve our understanding of the short-term and long-term dynamics of ecological systems in the Anthropocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Mahaut
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, UnivPaul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France.
| | - Pierre-Olivier Cheptou
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, UnivPaul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | - Guillaume Fried
- Anses, Laboratoire de la Santé des Végétaux, Unité Entomologie et Plantes invasives, 755 avenue du Campus Agropolis, 34988 Montferrier-sur-Lez, France
| | - François Munoz
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Physique (LIPhy), Université de Grenoble-Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | | | - François Vasseur
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, UnivPaul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France; Laboratoire d'Ecophysiologie des Plantes sous Stress Environnementaux (LEPSE), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRAE), Montpellier SupAgro, UMR 759, 34000 Montpellier, France
| | - Cyrille Violle
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, UnivPaul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | - François Bretagnolle
- Université Bourgogne Franche Comte, Biogeosciences, UMR 6282, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Dijon, France
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