Synergistic interactions of CO2 enrichment and nitrogen deposition promote growth and ecophysiological advantages of invading Eupatorium adenophorum in Southwest China.

ABSTRACT

Global environmental change and ongoing biological invasions are the two prominent ecological issues threatening biodiversity worldwide, and investigations of their interaction will aid to predict plant invasions and inform better management strategies in the future. In this study, invasive Eupatorium adenophorum and native congener E. stoechadosmum were compared at ambient and elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO(2)) concentrations combined with three levels of nitrogen (N; reduced, control and increased) in terms of growth, energy gain, and cost. Compared with E. stoechadosmum, E. adenophorum adopted a quicker-return energy-use strategy, i.e. higher photosynthetic energy-use efficiency and shorter payback time. Lower leaf mass per area may be a pivotal trait for the invader, which contributed to an increased N allocation to Rubisco at the expense of cell walls and therefore to higher photosynthetic energy gain. CO(2) enrichment and N deposition synergistically promoted plant growth and influenced some related ecophysiological traits, and the synergistic effects were greater for the invader than for the native congener. Reducing N availability by applying sugar eliminated the advantages of the invader over its native congener at both CO(2) levels. Our results indicate that CO(2) enrichment and N deposition may exacerbate E. adenophorum's invasion in the future, and manipulating environmental resources such as N availability may be a feasible tool for managing invasion impacts of E. adenophorum.