Alpine areas will likely experience an increase in non-native plant species invasions. Increased human activity and environmental changes are expected to lower the environmental constraints for their establishment and spread. To understand and prepare for high elevation plant invasions it is necessary to evaluate the changes in environmental factors that make alpine regions susceptible to potential invaders. The alpine of the Rocky Mountains has very few occurrences of non-native species to date, but anthropogenic environmental changes may facilitate invasion. We tested whether Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass or downy brome) invasion in the Rocky Mountain alpine could be facilitated by increases in mean and minimum growing season temperatures. We also tested whether nitrogen (N) deposition and alpine soil may modify B. tectorum’s responses to climate warming. Our findings suggest that alpine soils inhibited growth of B. tectorum regardless of temperature or simulated N deposition. These results indicate that local alpine invasion by B. tectorum is unlikely in the near future. However, higher minimum growing temperatures and increased N addition did enhance B. tectorum growth for plants grown in upper montane soils. Such changes may promote population growth of B. tectorum within montane elevations.

高寒地区的非本地植物物种入侵可能会增加。预期人类活动和环境变化的增加将降低其建立和传播的环境限制。为了了解并为高海拔植物的入侵做准备，有必要评估环境因素的变化，这些因素会使高寒地区容易受到潜在入侵者的侵袭。迄今为止，落基山脉的高山地区很少出现非本地物种，但是人为环境变化可能会促进入侵。我们测试了胸大肌是否（小草或霜霉病）在落基山高山的入侵可通过平均和最低生长季节温度的升高来促进。我们还测试了氮（N）沉积和高山土壤是否会改变牛油菌对气候变暖的反应。我们的发现表明，无论温度或模拟的N沉积如何，高山土壤均会抑制胸腺双歧杆菌的生长。这些结果表明，在不久的将来不太可能发生由胸腺双歧杆菌引起的局部高山入侵。然而，较高的最低生长温度和增加的氮添加量确实提高了山地土壤上生长的植物的番茄茎线虫的生长。此类变化可能会促进山t内山楂的种群增长。