Research Progress on Phenotypic Plasticity of Invasive Plants in Response to Drought Stress

Abstract

Biological invasion seriously threatens ecological stability and social development. One of the bases for forming invasion is alien species’ strong phenotypic plasticity. Phenotypic plasticity can help alien species adapt to environmental changes and enhance their invasive ability. China is one of the countries seriously affected by drought. Under the background of environmental drought, exploring the reasons why invasive plants can gain growth advantages and mastering the phenotypic changes of invasive plants in response to drought stress are conducive to helping us understand more about the invasion mechanism of invasive species. In this paper, the research progresses of invasive plants’ morphological plasticity and physiological plasticity under drought stress in recent years are reviewed, the invasive plants’ morphological and physiological metabolic characteristics under drought are summarized, and the growth advantages of invasive plants are discussed, which provided a scientific theoretical basis for alleviating the serious harm caused by biological invasion to China’s natural environment.