Journal Article

Resource-use efficiency and plant invasion in low-resource systems

Vitousek, P.M, Funk, J.L

2007

Overview

No species can maximize growth, reproduction and competitive ability across all environments, so the success of invasive species is habitat-dependent. Nutrient-rich habitats often experience more invasion than resource-poor habitats, a pattern consistent with traits generally associated with successful invaders (high growth rates, early reproduction and many offspring). However, invaders do colonize resource-poor environments, and the mechanisms that allow their success in these systems are poorly understood. Traits associated with resource conservation are widespread among species adapted to resource-poor environments, and invasive species may succeed in low-resource environments by employing resource conservation traits such as high resource-use efficiency (RUE; carbon assimilation per unit of resource). We investigated RUE in invasive and native species from three habitats in Hawaii where light, water or nutrient availability was limiting to plant growth. Here we show that across multiple growth forms and broad taxonomic diversity invasive species were generally more efficient than native species at using limiting resources on short timescales and were similarly efficient when RUE measures were integrated over leaf lifespans. Our data challenge the idea that native species generally outperform invasive species under conditions of low resource availability, and suggest that managing resource levels is not always an effective strategy for invasive species control.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing,Nature Publishing Group
• Subject: Adaptation, Physiological - physiology / Animal and plant ecology / Animal, plant and microbial ecology / Assimilation / Availability / Biodiversity / Biological and medical sciences / Carbon / Carbon - metabolism / Conservation / Constraining / ecological invasion / Ecology / Ecosystem / Efficiency / Food / Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology / Growth rate / Habitats / Hawaii / Humanities and Social Sciences / Indigenous species / Invasive species / Leaves / letter / Life span / Light / light use efficiency / multidisciplinary / nitrogen / Nonnative species / Nutrient availability / nutrient use efficiency / Offspring / photosynthesis / Photosynthesis - drug effects / Photosynthesis - radiation effects / plant available water / Plant Development / plant ecology / Plant growth / Plant Leaves - drug effects / Plant Leaves - metabolism / Plant Leaves - radiation effects / plants / Plants - drug effects / Plants - metabolism / Plants - radiation effects / Rain / Reproduction / Resource availability / Resource conservation / Resource efficiency / Resource management / resource use efficiency / Science / Science (multidisciplinary) / Species diversity / Strategy / Success factors / Synecology / Terrestrial ecosystems / Trees - drug effects / Trees - growth & development / Trees - metabolism / Trees - radiation effects / Water - analysis / Water - pharmacology / water use efficiency