Competition and Plant Trait Plasticity of Invasive (Wedelia trilobata) and Native Species (Wedelia chinensis, WC) under Nitrogen Enrichment and Flooding Condition

Abstract

Nitrogen (N) is the important nutrition that regulatory plant functioning and environmental stability of invasive plant species under flooding (F) conditions. Little information clarifies the role of nitrogen enrichment and flooding on the invasive plant functional traits and competition with native competitors. Plant functional traits play an essential role in the successful growth of plants under different environmental conditions. Therefore, greenhouse pots experiment was conducted with invasive plant species (Wedelia trilobata, WT), and its native competitor (Wedelia chinensis, WC) in monoculture and cocultivation culture, along with flooding and nitrogen enrichment conditions. Considering the impact of flooding (F) and nitrogen (N) on an individual basis, the plant physiological traits of WC were nonsignificant compared to that of WT. However, in the combination of flooding × additional nitrogen (F.N, F.2N), plant physiological traits of WT were comparatively higher than those of WC, especially in cocultivation. In flooding × additional nitrogen (F.N and F.2N), better phenotypic plasticity at different plant traits makes WT more dominant in resource competition over WC. In conclusion, improved functional traits of WT under nitrogen enrichment and flooding conditions enhanced its competitiveness over native competitors.

Prediction of <i>Wedelia trilobata</i> Growth under Flooding and Nitrogen Enrichment Conditions by Using Artificial Neural Network Model

“…Invasive plant species are a major threat to the native biodiversity [35]. People are trying to manage its growth by using different cultivation techniques, planting methods and fertilizers [5]. In the last ten years, a trend of using modern skills and technologies have emerged in the agriculture sector in order to develop a better understanding of the relationship among many processes occurring in nature.…”

“…W. trilobata is the terrestrial plant species, but it is also found in wetland areas. It indicated that some of its growth traits assist W. trilobata to grow in wetland conditions like plant height and leaf area [5]. In wetland conditions, flooding and nitrogen are the major environmental factors that disturb the growth of native plant species as compared with invasive plant species [10].…”

“…W. trilobata can survive in every habitat condition due to its high tolerance [4]. W. trilobata is the terrestrial plant species, mostly found in the arid and semi-arid region, but nowadays it was found in the humid region of China [5]. It indicated that W. trilobata can also grow in resource-rich habitats.…”

“…Growth parameters of invasive plant species played an important role in its successful invasion under different environmental conditions. Developing best management practices to control invasive plant species is the researchers' main focus nowadays [5]. Many researchers developed growth prediction models with the help of different growth parameters for agricultural crops.…”

Nitrogen Deposition Amplifies the Legacy Effects of Plant Invasion

“…Approximately 17% of the Earth’s land surface is highly invaded, and it is predicted that the number of non-native vascular plants in temperate Asia will increase by 41% by 2050 [ 12 ]. Consequently, the current focus has shifted from safeguarding native species to managing alien species to protect and restore native biodiversity and ecosystem services [ 13 ]. While numerous studies have examined the direct impacts of invasive species, it is essential to recognise that their legacy effects continue to impact ecosystems long after they are removed.…”