Evidence of local adaptation to aridity but not nitrogen deposition in invasive annuals.

ABSTRACT: Rapid adaptation of traits and trait plasticity may contribute to plant invasiveness and confer fitness advantages in novel environments resulting from global change. The importance of trait differentiation in invasive plant populations is well recognized, particularly in response to climate. However, it is largely unknown how invasive plant populations will respond evolutionarily to atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition resulting from air pollution, which is a major contributor to invasion success in many ecosystems. Using a common garden experiment, a widely used method for testing local adaptation, we assessed potential differences in plant functional traits and nitrogen plasticity across populations of two widespread invasive annuals from sites spanning a range of N deposition and aridit

SUBMITTER: Valliere JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12305752 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature