Pervasive native plant has the potential to resist the invasion of exotic species: a trait-based comparison

Biotic resistance of pervasive native species to invasion may be an effective managing tool for exotic plants. The present study subjected the invasive aquatic plant in China, Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb., the exotic species with high dispersal along the Yangtze River Basin of sub-tropical China, Myriophyllum aquaticum (Vell.) Verdc., and the pervasive native species in China, Ludwigia peploides subsp. stipulacea (Ohwi) Raven, to different treatment combinations of sediment type and flooding condition in a mesocosm experiment. Morphological traits, biomass allocation, and physiological traits were employed to evaluate the plant performance of the three species. We found that L. peploides performed faster stolon elongation and roots recruitment than the invasive species. A. philoxeroides had a higher leaf nitrogen concentration, lower values in leaf C/N ratio and leaf construction cost, and higher plasticity in leaf nitrogen concentration, however, a weaker space exploitation compared to L. peploides. Moreover, L. peploides might had higher photosynthetic efficiency than M. aquaticum due to the higher chlorophyll concentration and leaf nitrogen concentration. We speculate that L. peploides has the potential to resist the invasion and to be used as biocontrol species for the management of exotic invasive species since this pervasive native species has greater space exploitation.