TY - JOUR

T1 - Successful Alien Plant Species Exhibit Functional Dissimilarity From Natives Under Varied Climatic Conditions but Not Under Increased Nutrient Availability

AU - Milanović, Marija

AU - Bakker, Jonathan D.

AU - Biederman, Lori

AU - Borer, Elizabeth T.

AU - Catford, Jane A.

AU - Cleland, Elsa

AU - Hagenah, Nicole

AU - Haider, Sylvia

AU - Harpole, W. Stanley

AU - Komatsu, Kimberly

AU - MacDougall, Andrew S.

AU - Römermann, Christine

AU - Seabloom, Eric W.

AU - Knapp, Sonja

AU - Kühn, Ingolf

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Vegetation Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Association for Vegetation Science.

PY - 2025/3/1

Y1 - 2025/3/1

N2 - Aims: The community composition of native and alien plant species is influenced by the environment (e.g., nutrient addition and changes in temperature or precipitation). A key objective of our study is to understand how differences in the traits of alien and native species vary across diverse environmental conditions. For example, the study examines how changes in nutrient availability affect community composition and functional traits, such as specific leaf area and plant height. Additionally, it seeks to assess the vulnerability of high-nutrient environments, such as grasslands, to alien species colonization and the potential for alien species to surpass natives in abundance. Finally, the study explores how climatic factors, including temperature and precipitation, modulate the relationship between traits and environmental conditions, shaping species success. Location: In our study, we used data from a globally distributed experiment manipulating nutrient supplies in grasslands worldwide (NutNet). Methods: We investigate how temporal shifts in the abundance of native and alien species are influenced by species-specific functional traits, including specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf nutrient concentrations, as well as by environmental conditions such as climate and nutrient treatments, across 17 study sites. Mixed-effects models were used to assess these relationships. Results: Alien and native species increasing in their abundance did not differ in their leaf traits. We found significantly lower specific leaf area (SLA) with an increase in mean annual temperature and lower leaf Potassium with mean annual precipitation. For trait–environment relationships, when compared to native species, successful aliens exhibited an increase in leaf Phosphorus and a decrease in leaf Potassium with an increase in mean annual precipitation. Finally, aliens' SLA decreased in plots with higher mean annual temperatures. Conclusions: Therefore, studying the relationship between environment and functional traits may portray grasslands' dynamics better than focusing exclusively on traits of successful species, per se.

AB - Aims: The community composition of native and alien plant species is influenced by the environment (e.g., nutrient addition and changes in temperature or precipitation). A key objective of our study is to understand how differences in the traits of alien and native species vary across diverse environmental conditions. For example, the study examines how changes in nutrient availability affect community composition and functional traits, such as specific leaf area and plant height. Additionally, it seeks to assess the vulnerability of high-nutrient environments, such as grasslands, to alien species colonization and the potential for alien species to surpass natives in abundance. Finally, the study explores how climatic factors, including temperature and precipitation, modulate the relationship between traits and environmental conditions, shaping species success. Location: In our study, we used data from a globally distributed experiment manipulating nutrient supplies in grasslands worldwide (NutNet). Methods: We investigate how temporal shifts in the abundance of native and alien species are influenced by species-specific functional traits, including specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf nutrient concentrations, as well as by environmental conditions such as climate and nutrient treatments, across 17 study sites. Mixed-effects models were used to assess these relationships. Results: Alien and native species increasing in their abundance did not differ in their leaf traits. We found significantly lower specific leaf area (SLA) with an increase in mean annual temperature and lower leaf Potassium with mean annual precipitation. For trait–environment relationships, when compared to native species, successful aliens exhibited an increase in leaf Phosphorus and a decrease in leaf Potassium with an increase in mean annual precipitation. Finally, aliens' SLA decreased in plots with higher mean annual temperatures. Conclusions: Therefore, studying the relationship between environment and functional traits may portray grasslands' dynamics better than focusing exclusively on traits of successful species, per se.

KW - exotic species

KW - grasslands

KW - invasive species

KW - leaf functional traits

KW - nutrient addition

KW - nutrient network (nut net)

KW - plant traits

KW - Biology

KW - Ecosystems Research

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105000856466&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1111/jvs.70032

DO - 10.1111/jvs.70032

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:105000856466

VL - 36

JO - Journal of Vegetation Science

JF - Journal of Vegetation Science

SN - 1100-9233

IS - 2

M1 - e70032

ER -