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Additive effects of multiple environmental changes can lead to the success of exotic species
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  • Shiyun Qiu,
  • Shuangshuang Liu,
  • Shujuan Wei,
  • Xinhong Cui,
  • Ming Nie,
  • Jingxin Huang,
  • Rui-Ting Ju,
  • Bo LI
Shiyun Qiu
Fudan University Institute of Biodiversity Science

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Shuangshuang Liu
Fudan University Institute of Biodiversity Science
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Shujuan Wei
Fudan University Institute of Biodiversity Science
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Xinhong Cui
Shanghai Academy of Landscape Architecture Science and Planning
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Ming Nie
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
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Jingxin Huang
Yunnan Normal University
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Rui-Ting Ju
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
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Bo LI
Fudan University
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Abstract

Whether global change impacts native and exotic species differently is contentious, as change can favor both native and exotic species over competitors. Plant communities, however, are impacted by multiple global change factors, and whether combined effects of these factors on native-exotic and native-native species interactions are similar is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that the responses of native-exotic and native-native species interactions to multiple global change factors differed in coastal saltmarshes by experimentally manipulating flooding and nutrient enrichment. Together, flooding and nutrient enrichment counteractively effected native-native species interactions but additively effected native-exotic species interactions. This disparity occurred because the exotic species did not have interspecific competition-physical stress tolerance tradeoff that constrained native species. This suggests that multiple environmental changes favor invasive species driven by evolutionary novel life history tradeoff patterns.