Higher photosynthesis, nutrient- and energy-use efficiencies contribute to invasiveness of exotic plants in a nutrient poor habitat in northeast China.
The roles of photosynthesis-related traits in invasiveness of introduced plant species are still not well elucidated, especially in nutrient-poor habitats. In addition, little effort has been made to determine the physiological causes and consequences of the difference in these traits between invasive and native plants. To address these problems, we compared the differences in 16 leaf functional traits related to light-saturated photosynthetic rate (Pmax) between 22 invasive and native plants in a nutrient-poor habitat in northeast China. The invasive plants had significantly higher Pmax, photosynthetic nitrogen- (PNUE), phosphorus- (PPUE), potassium- (PKUE) and energy-use efficiencies (PEUE) than the co-occurring natives, while leaf nutrient concentrations, construction cost (CC) and specific leaf area were not significantly different between the invasive and native plants. The higher PNUE contributed to higher Pmaxfor the invasive plants, which in turn contributed to higher PPUE, PKUE and PEUE. CC changed independently with other traits such as Pmax, PNUE, PPUE, PKUE and PEUE, showing two trait dimensions, which may facilitate acclimation to multifarious niche dimensions. Our results indicate that the invasive plants have a superior resource-use strategy, i.e. higher photosynthesis under similar resource investments, contributing to invasion success in the barren habitat.
Liaoning Key Laboratory for Biological Invasions and Global Changes, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province 110866, China.
Ming-Chao
MC
Liu
Liaoning Key Laboratory for Biological Invasions and Global Changes, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province 110866, China.
De-Liang
DL
Kong
Liaoning Key Laboratory for Biological Invasions and Global Changes, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province 110866, China.
Xiu-Rong
XR
Lu
Liaoning Key Laboratory for Biological Invasions and Global Changes, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province 110866, China.
Kai
K
Huang
Liaoning Key Laboratory for Biological Invasions and Global Changes, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province 110866, China.
Shuo
S
Wang
Liaoning Key Laboratory for Biological Invasions and Global Changes, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province 110866, China.
Wei-Bin
WB
Wang
Liaoning Key Laboratory for Biological Invasions and Global Changes, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province 110866, China.
Bo
B
Qu
Liaoning Key Laboratory for Biological Invasions and Global Changes, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province 110866, China.
Yu-Long
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0047-628X
YL
Feng
D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism*; D002681:China; D017753:Ecosystem; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D058865:Introduced Species; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D010641:Phenotype; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000378:metabolism*; D010788:Photosynthesis; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000502:physiology; D054046:Plant Stomata / Q000502:physiology; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D013045:Species Specificity
D010758:Phosphorus; D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen