Plant invasion is associated with higher plant-soil nutrient concentrations in nutrient-poor environments.
Plant invasion is an emerging driver of global change worldwide. We aimed to disentangle its impacts on plant-soil nutrient concentrations. We conducted a meta-analysis of 215 peer-reviewed articles and 1233 observations. Invasive plant species had globally higher N and P concentrations in photosynthetic tissues but not in foliar litter, in comparison with their native competitors. Invasive plants were also associated with higher soil C and N stocks and N, P, and K availabilities. The differences in N and P concentrations in photosynthetic tissues and in soil total C and N, soil N, P, and K availabilities between invasive and native species decreased when the environment was richer in nutrient resources. The results thus suggested higher nutrient resorption efficiencies in invasive than in native species in nutrient-poor environments. There were differences in soil total N concentrations but not in total P concentrations, indicating that the differences associated to invasive plants were related with biological processes, not with geochemical processes. The results suggest that invasiveness is not only a driver of changes in ecosystem species composition but that it is also associated with significant changes in plant-soil elemental composition and stoichiometry.
Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CEAB-UAB, CSIC, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Catalonia, Spain.|CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Catalonia, Spain.
Jordi
J
Sardans
Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CEAB-UAB, CSIC, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Catalonia, Spain.|CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Catalonia, Spain.|BETA Technological Centre (Tecnio), Aquatic Ecology Group, University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia, Catalonia, 08500, Vic, Spain.
Mireia
M
Bartrons
Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CEAB-UAB, CSIC, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Catalonia, Spain.|CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Catalonia, Spain.
Olga
O
Margalef
Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CEAB-UAB, CSIC, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Catalonia, Spain.|CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Catalonia, Spain.
Albert
A
Gargallo-Garriga
Research Group of Plant and Vegetation Ecology (PLECO), Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium.
Ivan A
IA
Janssens
Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, IPSL, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
Phillipe
P
Ciais
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Ecosystems Services and Management, Schlossplatz 1, A-2361, Laxenburg, Austria.
Michael
M
Obersteiner
Agricultural University of Iceland, Hvanneyru, 311, Borgarnes, Iceland.
Bjarni D
BD
Sigurdsson
Faculty of Natural Resources Management, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON, P7G 1A6, Canada.
Han Y H
HY
Chen
Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CEAB-UAB, CSIC, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Catalonia, Spain.|CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Catalonia, Spain.
Josep
J
Peñuelas
D017753:Ecosystem; D058865:Introduced Species; D009584:Nitrogen; D010758:Phosphorus; D018515:Plant Leaves; D010944:Plants; D012987:Soil
D012987:Soil; D010758:Phosphorus; D009584:Nitrogen
C : N; N : P; nitrogen; phosphorus; potassium; soil fertility