ABSTRACT One key factor in the success of invasive alien species is their frequent competitive superiority over native plants. The interspecific competitive distance between invasive and native plants may vary across different communities. This study aimed to evaluate the functional differences between Solidago canadensis L. and native plants, plant taxonomic diversity, the invasion intensity of S. canadensis and the community invasibility under different interspecific competitive distances between S. canadensis and native plants. This study conducted a comparative field investigation in Zhenjiang, China. S. canadensis and native plants exhibited functionally convergence under the invasion scenario with close interspecific competitive distance, whereas they diverged functionally under the invasion scenario with distant interspecific competitive distance. The invasion intensity of S. canadensis and the community invasibility were greater under the invasion scenario with distant interspecific competitive distance than those under the invasion scenario with close interspecific competitive distance. S. canadensis declined the species number, diversity and richness of plants only under the invasion scenario with distant interspecific competitive distance. Key drivers of the invasion intensity of S. canadensis included the sunlight capture capacity and the community‐weighted mean trait values, especially under the invasion scenario with distant interspecific competitive distance. Therefore, the interspecific competitive distance between S. canadensis and native plants may be a critical factor affecting the functional differences between S. canadensis and native plants, the effects of S. canadensis on plant taxonomic diversity, the invasion intensity of S. canadensis and the community invasibility.
Geng et al. (Tue,) studied this question.