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Simulated nitrogen deposition enhances the performance of an exotic grass relative to native serpentine grassland competitors

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Abstract

Previous research suggests that atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition may facilitate the invasion and persistence of exotic plant species in serpentine grasslands, but the relative impact of increased N availability on native and exotic competitive dynamics has yet to be clearly elucidated. In this study, we evaluated how increased N deposition affects plant performance and competitive dynamics of five native grasses and forbs (Plantago erecta, Layia gaillardioides, Lasthenia californica, Vulpia microstachys, and Cryptantha flaccida) and the most common invasive grass in Bay Area serpentine grasslands, Lolium multiflorum. Using a growth chamber system, we exposed Lolium in monoculture, and native species grown both in monoculture and in competition with the exotic Lolium, to all four possible combinations of gaseous nitrogen dioxide (NO2; a dominant atmospheric N pollutant) and soil ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3). In monocultures, gaseous NO2 and soil N addition each increased shoot biomass in Lolium and the natives Layia and Cryptantha. Lolium competitive ability (mean relative yield potential—RYP) increased in response to NO2 addition plus soil N addition against all native competitors. Lolium and most native species did not show differences in photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance in response to N addition. Our findings indicate that increasing N deposition and subsequent N accumulation in the soil may confer a competitive advantage to the exotic Lolium over native species by stimulating greater biomass accumulation and N allocation to photosynthetic tissue in the invader.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a University of California Faculty Research Grant and Kearney Foundation Grant to E.S.Z. The authors would like to thank the Zavaleta lab group for feedback, Jen Funk for Li-Cor assistance, Jim Velzey for greenhouse logistical support, and Matt Meckel, Margot Fair, Alex Schrock, Megan Gehrke, and Tim Lipovsky for field and laboratory assistance during seed collection and harvesting.

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  1. Dena M. Vallano

    Present address: American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1200 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20005, USA

  2. Paul C. Selmants

    Present address: Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1910 East–West Road, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Studies Department, University of California, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA

    Dena M. Vallano, Paul C. Selmants & Erika S. Zavaleta

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  1. Dena M. Vallano
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  3. Erika S. Zavaleta
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Correspondence to Dena M. Vallano.

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Vallano, D.M., Selmants, P.C. & Zavaleta, E.S. Simulated nitrogen deposition enhances the performance of an exotic grass relative to native serpentine grassland competitors. Plant Ecol 213, 1015–1026 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-012-0061-1

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