Light partitioning favours a plant invader in nitrogen-enriched ecosystems

We use a nitrogen (N)-enrichment field experiment with one of the world’s most invasive C4 plants, Spartina alterniflora, to evaluate whether intraspecific light partitioning reduces light competition under increased nutrient availability, thereby increasing its invasiveness. We evaluated intraspecific light partitioning by measuring height differences (CV) and the strength of intraspecific competition by calculating the relative neighbor effect, monitored height niches and plant performances over two growing seasons.