The synergy between climate change, eutrophication and biological invasion is threatening for native submerged plants in many ways. The response of submerged plants to these changes is a key factor that determines the outcome of biological invasion. In order to explain the invasion successes, we investigated the combined effects of climate change and eutrophication related environmental factors (temperature, light, nutrients) on the hard trait responses of a native and an alien submerged species (Myriophyllum spicatum, Cabomba caroliniana) from the same growth form. In a factorial design we cultivated the two species in aquaria containing low and high nutrient concentrations and incubated at four light intensities under two temperature levels. We used invasion related four functional traits (relative growth rate, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, nitrogen to carbon ratio) to measure the environmental response of the species. We calculated plasticity indexes to express the hard trait differences between species. The alien species C. caroliniana showed significantly higher relative growth rate and specific leaf area than M. spicatum especially under low light intesity indicating that Cabomba is much more shade tolerant. Elevated temperature resulted in higher specific leaf area and reduced dry mass content for C. caroliniana indicating that Cabomba may have higher invasion success. M. spicatum showed significantly higher leaf dry matter content than C. caroliniana. Chemical analyses of the plant tissue revealed that although M. spicatum showed significantly higher N:C molar ratio, nonetheless the daily nitrogen uptake of C. caroliniana was three times faster than that of M. spicatum. Results indicated that due to its higher shade tolerance and nitrogen uptake capacity, Cabomba has greater invasion success with increasing temperature combined with low light levels.