Advantages of growth and competitive ability of the invasive plant over two co-occurring natives and the effects of nitrogen levels and forms.

Introduction: Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition has often been considered as a driver of exotic plant invasions. However, most related studies focused on the effects of soil N levels, and few on those of N forms, and few related studies were conducted in the fields.

Methods: In this study, we grew , a notorious invader in arid/semi-arid and barren habitats, and two coexisting native plants and in mono- and mixed cultures in the fields in Baicheng, northeast China, and investigated the effects of N levels and forms on the invasiveness of .