Identification of anthecotuloide reveals a chemical mechanism underlying Anthemis cotula L. invasiveness

Clicks: 5
ID: 327817
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Emerging

Ranked #206 of 216 articles by views in Annals of botany

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 216 in total.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Abstract Background and Aims Allelopathy underpins the competitive success of many invasive plants, yet direct chemical ecological links remain scarce. Here, we combined untargeted metabolomics with bioassays to analyse the allelopathic role of the invasive Anthemis cotula, and examine how its signature allelochemical drives invasion dynamics through differential phytotoxic effects on co-occurring plant species. Methods LC-QTOF metabolite profiling of leaf litter, roots, root exudates, and soils from invaded and uninvaded sites was performed to identify signature metabolites. The sesquiterpene lactone anthecotuloide, characteristic of A. cotula, was structurally confirmed via 1H-NMR and isolated in pure form by targeted HPLC. Bioassays were conducted using four co-occurring plant species- Plantago lanceolata, Plantago major, Sisymbrium orientale, and Trifolium pratense- together with A. cotula itself. Seeds of these plants were exposed to anthecotuloide at the field-relevant concentration (1.06 µg mL−1) and at progressively higher concentrations to establish a dose-response relationship. Seed germination, seedling growth, biomass accumulation, and photosynthetic pigment content were subsequently measured. Key Results Anthecotuloide was exclusive to invaded soils and A. cotula tissues and exudates. Purified anthecotuloide exerted species-specific, concentration-dependent effects on germination, root development, biomass accumulation, and photosynthetic pigment content. P. lanceolata and P. major were the most sensitive species, S. orientale showed intermediate sensitivity, and T. pratense showed trait-dependent responses with weak germination sensitivity. In contrast, A. cotula showed comparatively high self-tolerance, maintaining germination, growth and pigment stability across most treatments. Conclusions The detection of anthecotuloide in A. cotula-derived tissues, root exudates and invaded soils, together with its inhibitory effects on co-occurring species, provides mechanistic evidence for soil-mediated chemical interference by A. cotula. These findings support an allelopathic mechanism consistent with the Novel Weapons Hypothesis, but reciprocal and field-based studies are required to validate its role under natural conditions.
Reference Key
openalex_W7211964094 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Showkat Nissar, Sagar Pandit, Zafar A Reshi, Manish Kumar, Shraddha Kankal
Journal Annals of botany
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/aob/mcag289
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag289
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.