Variation in resource acquisition and utilization traits between native and invasive perennial forbs.

Understanding the functional traits that allow invasives to outperform natives is a necessary first step in improving our ability to predict and manage the spread of invaders. In nutrient-limited systems, plant competitive ability is expected to be closely tied to the ability of a plant to exploit nutrient-rich microsites and use these captured nutrients efficiently. The broad objective of this work was to compare the ability of native and invasive perennial forbs to acquire and use nutrients from nutrient-rich microsites.