Advance in invasion mechanisms of Ambrosia artemisiifolia

Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) is widely recognized as a noxious invasive alien weed species. It is a source of highly allergenic pollen that threatens human health. It also seriously affects agricultural production and biodiversity, when it invades farmland and natural ecosystem. The wide distribution and high invasiveness of the plant have aroused wide attention of scientists. Numerous studies on invasion mechanisms of common ragweed have been found worldwide. We reviewed studies and found that the invasion of the plant was closely related to its invasiveness, habitat invasibility and human disturbance. On the invasion mechanisms of common ragweed, the general conclusions included that common ragweed had high invasiveness because it had high propagule pressure, high utilization efficiency of water and fertilizer, phenotypic plasticity and genetic diversity. The habitat invasibility can be explained by suitable climatic conditions, rich available resource, weak competition of native species, low biodiversity, lack of natural enemies or competitive species in new areas. International trade, cultivation practice and global change were likely to promote the invasiveness of common ragweed and habitat invasibility. We suggest that more controlled experiments should be developed to better understand the underground invasion processes and the relationships between the invader’s biological characteristics, phenotypic plasticity, genetic diversity, native plants diversity and a successful invasion.