Do population dynamic parameters differ between native and exotic grassland species?

Background/Question/Methods

Population dynamics are some of the most fundamental aspects of community interactions, especially in invaded populations where one might expect that invasive species have higher growth rates or lower self-limitation than native species they are replacing.  I used an experimental system to test whether parameters of underlying population dynamics differ among native and exotic species, and whether those dynamics change in the presence of exotic European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) or disturbance. 

Results/Conclusions

I found that parameters did not vary consistently between native and exotic plants, or between treatments, but differed significantly between grasses and forbs, and among different species.  Population parameters also varied among treatments in species-specific ways.  These results suggest that either native and exotic species do not differ in their population dynamics as groups, or that native, exotic, or both types of plant species have adapted their population dynamics since invasion.