Patterns of trait convergence and divergence among native and exotic species in herbaceous plant communities are not modified by nitrogen enrichment

Abstract

1.Community assembly theories predict that the success of invading species into a new community should be predictable by functional traits. Environmental filters could constrain the number of successful ecological strategies in a habitat, resulting in similar suites of traits between native and successfully invading species (convergence). Conversely, concepts of limiting similarity and competitive exclusion predict native species will prevent invasion by functionally similar exotic species, resulting in trait divergence between the two species pools. Nutrient availability may further alter the strength of convergent or divergent forces in community assembly, by relaxing environmental constraints and/or influencing competitive interactions. 2.To investigate how nutrient availability influences forces of divergence and convergence during the invasion of exotic species into native communities, we conducted multivariate analyses of community composition and functional traits from naturally assembled plant communities in long-term nitrogen (N) addition experiments across North America. 3.Relative abundances of key functional traits differed between the native and exotic plant communities, consistent with limiting similarity or a trait bias in the exotic species pool. Environmental context also played an important role in invasion because sites varied in the identity of the traits that predicted dissimilarity between native and exotic communities. Nitrogen enrichment did not alter these patterns. 4.Nitrogen enrichment tended to increase exotic abundance, but this result was driven by a dramatic increase in exotics in only a few experiments. When similarity between native and exotic communities was included in the statistical model, N enrichment no longer predicted an increase in exotic relative abundance. Instead, sites with the highest abundance of exotic species were the ones where native and exotic communities had the highest trait similarity. 5.Synthesis. Our analysis of natural patterns of invasion across herbaceous communities in North America found evidence of both divergent and convergent forces on community assembly with exotic species. Together, these results suggest that while functionally dissimilar exotic species may be more likely to invade, they are unlikely to become abundant unless they have traits pre-adapting them to environmental conditions in their invaded range. Contrary to prior studies, invasion was not consistently promoted by N enrichment. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Ecology © 2011 British Ecological Society.