Nutrient enrichment undermines invasion resistance to Spartina alterniflora in a saltmarsh: Insights from modern coexistence theory

The ability of native communities to maintain invasion resistance in the face of environmental changes is crucial for biodiversity conservation. However, previous studies have primarily focused on the inhibitive effects experienced by invaders, providing limited insights into the ultimate outcome of resistance.
In this study, we integrated modern coexistence theory into biotic resistance research to investigate the impact of nutrient enrichment on the resistance of Phragmites australis marsh to Spartina alterniflora invasion in the Yangtze estuary saltmarshes of China.
Our results demonstrated that under non-enriched conditions, successful invasion resistance was facilitated by stable coexistence between native and invasive species in the field. This prediction of invasion resistance aligned with the distribution dynamics of the two species in the Yangtze estuary saltmarshes over the past two decades. However, nutrient enrichment was likely to lead to a fundamental shift in their coexi...

本土群落于环境变化中维持入侵抵抗能力的水平，对生物多样性保护至关重要。然而，既往研究多聚焦于入侵物种所承受的抑制效应，对入侵抵抗的最终结局的认知却极为有限。
本研究将现代共存理论（modern coexistence theory）融入生物抵抗研究，以探究富营养化对中国长江河口盐沼中芦苇（Phragmites australis）群落抵御互花米草（Spartina alterniflora）入侵能力的影响。
研究结果显示，在非富营养化条件下，本土与入侵物种间的稳定共存可助力野外场景下成功实现入侵抵抗。该入侵抵抗预测结果，与过去二十年间长江河口盐沼中两种物种的分布动态高度契合。然而，富营养化或会导致二者的共存关系发生根本性转变……