Abstract
Aim Previous studies comparing conditions of high- versus low-resource environments have pointed at differences in key traits that would allow aliens to perform better than natives under high-resource conditions. We generalize and test the robustness of this idea by exploring how trait differentiation between aliens and natives changes along continuous resource gradients. Location Global. Methods We constructed a database of three leaf traits (specific leaf area, SLA; photosynthetic capacity, Amass; leaf nitrogen content, Nmass) that are important for carbon capturing strategies in plants. The database includes 2448 native and 961 alien species over 88 locations world-wide. Using rank correlations and mixedeffect linear models, we assessed the relations between plant traits and climatic, edaphic and human disturbance gradients. Then we determined how the differences in traits between natives and aliens changed along the same gradients. Results Across all environments, aliens were found to have higher SLA, Nmass and Amass than natives. These differences were observed both globally and when controlling for co-occurrence. Also, higher average trait values were found in higher resource supply environments. However, trait differences between natives and aliens remained constant along the evaluated environmental and disturbance gradients. When compared in a multidimensional trait space defined by the leaf economics spectrum, co-occurring aliens and natives showed no between-group differences and no relation with any of the evaluated gradients. Main conclusions We suggest that although increased resource availability is positively related to higher carbon capture strategies (determined via higher plant leaf trait values), these benefits remain the same for aliens and natives. Therefore, we conclude that high-resource environments do not specifically cause aliens to outperform natives with respect to carbon capture, or at least not more than in other environments.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record, shown for indexing and research. Copyright remains with the authors or the publisher. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Aliens had higher SLA, Nmass and Amass than natives, both globally and when controlling for co-occurrence.
Verbatim
e1“aliens were found to have higher SLA, Nmass and Amass than natives”
e2“These differences were observed both globally and when controlling for co-occurrence”
e7“determined via higher plant leaf trait values”
Claim · model-written summary
Higher resource supply was associated with higher average plant trait values.
Verbatim
e3“higher average trait values were found in higher resource supply environments”
e7“determined via higher plant leaf trait values”
Claim · model-written summary
Trait differences between natives and aliens remained constant along the evaluated environmental and disturbance gradients.
Verbatim
e4“trait differences between natives and aliens remained constant along the evaluated environmental and disturbance gradients”
e7“determined via higher plant leaf trait values”
Claim · model-written summary
Co-occurring aliens and natives showed no between-group differences in the multidimensional leaf economics trait space.
Verbatim
e5“co-occurring aliens and natives showed no between-group differences and no relation with any of the evaluated gradients”
e7“determined via higher plant leaf trait values”
Claim · model-written summary
Co-occurring aliens and natives showed no relation with any of the evaluated gradients in trait space.
Verbatim
e5“co-occurring aliens and natives showed no between-group differences and no relation with any of the evaluated gradients”
e7“determined via higher plant leaf trait values”
Claim · model-written summary
High-resource environments do not specifically let aliens outperform natives in carbon capture.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e6“high-resource environments do not specifically cause aliens to outperform natives with respect to carbon capture”
e7“determined via higher plant leaf trait values”