Z. Baruch á G. Goldstein Leaf construction cost, nutrient concentration, and net CO2 assimilation of native and invasive species in Hawaii

Abstract The eects of biological invasions are most evident in isolated oceanic islands such as the Hawaiian Archipelago, where invasive plant species are rapidly changing the composition and function of plant com-munities. In this study, we compared the specific leaf area (SLA), leaf tissue construction cost (CC), leaf nu-trient concentration, and net CO2 assimilation (A) of 83 populations of 34 native and 30 invasive species span-ning elevation and substrate age gradients on Mauna Loa volcano in the island of Hawaii. In this complex environmental matrix, where annual precipitation is higher than 1500 mm, we predicted that invasive species, as a group, will have leaf traits, such as higher SLA and A and lower leaf CC, which may result in more ecient capture of limiting resources (use more resources at