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Madaj A, Durka W, Michalski SG. Two common, often coexisting grassland plant species differ in their evolutionary potential in response to experimental drought. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10430. [PMID: 37664507 PMCID: PMC10469005 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
For terrestrial plant communities, the increase in frequency and intensity of drought events is considered as one of the most severe consequences of climate change. While single-species studies demonstrate that drought can lead to relatively rapid adaptive genetic changes, the evolutionary potential and constraints to selection need to be assessed in comparative approaches to draw more general conclusions. In a greenhouse experiment, we compare the phenotypic response and evolutionary potential of two co-occurring grassland plant species, Bromus erectus and Trifolium pratense, in two environments differing in water availability. We quantified variation in functional traits and reproductive fitness in response to drought and compared multivariate genetic variance-covariance matrices and predicted evolutionary responses between species. Species showed different drought adaptation strategies, reflected in both their species-specific phenotypic plasticity and predicted responses to selection indicating contrasting evolutionary potential under drought. In T. pratense we found evidence for stronger genetic constraints under drought compared to more favourable conditions, and for some traits plastic and predicted evolutionary responses to drought had opposing directions, likely limiting the potential for adaptive change. Our study contributes to a more detailed understanding of the evolutionary potential of species with different adaptive strategies in response to climate change and may help to inform future scenarios for semi-natural grassland ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna‐Maria Madaj
- Department of Community EcologyHelmholtz‐Centre for Environmental Research – UFZHalle (Saale)Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of BiologyLeipzig UniversityLeipzigGermany
| | - Walter Durka
- Department of Community EcologyHelmholtz‐Centre for Environmental Research – UFZHalle (Saale)Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
| | - Stefan G. Michalski
- Department of Community EcologyHelmholtz‐Centre for Environmental Research – UFZHalle (Saale)Germany
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Michalet R, Nemer D, Delerue F. Canopy buffering effects against climatic extremes of deciduous broad‐leaved forests are higher on calcareous than siliceous bedrocks. OIKOS 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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3
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Chieppa J, Power SA, Nielsen UN, Tissue DT. Plant functional traits affect competitive vigor of pasture grasses during drought and following recovery. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jeff Chieppa
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Hawkesbury Campus Western Sydney University Richmond New South Wales Australia
- Department of Biological Sciences Texas Tech University Lubbock Texas USA
| | - Sally A. Power
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Hawkesbury Campus Western Sydney University Richmond New South Wales Australia
| | - Uffe N. Nielsen
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Hawkesbury Campus Western Sydney University Richmond New South Wales Australia
| | - David T. Tissue
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Hawkesbury Campus Western Sydney University Richmond New South Wales Australia
- Global Centre for Land‐based Innovation Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury Campus Richmond New South Wales Australia
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Improved Deschampsia cespitosa growth by nitrogen fertilization jeopardizes Quercus petraea regeneration through intensification of competition. Basic Appl Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2018.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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5
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Graff P, Aguiar MR. Do species' strategies and type of stress predict net positive effects in an arid ecosystem? Ecology 2017; 98:794-806. [PMID: 27987317 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2016] [Revised: 10/26/2016] [Accepted: 12/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Graff
- IFEVA; CONICET and Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad of Buenos Aires; Av. San Martín 4453 C1417DSE Ciudad de Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Martin R. Aguiar
- IFEVA; CONICET and Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad of Buenos Aires; Av. San Martín 4453 C1417DSE Ciudad de Buenos Aires Argentina
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6
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Buisson E, Corcket E, Dutoit T. Limiting processes for perennial plant reintroduction to restore dry grasslands. Restor Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.12255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elise Buisson
- Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie marine et continentale (IMBE); Université d'Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse, UMR CNRS IRD Aix Marseille Université; IUT site Agroparc, BP 61207 84911 Avignon Cedex 09 France
| | - Emmanuel Corcket
- Université de Bordeaux; UMR1202 BIOGECO; 33615 Pessac France
- INRA; UMR1202 BIOGECO; 33610 Cestas France
| | - Thierry Dutoit
- Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie marine et continentale (IMBE); Université d'Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse, UMR CNRS IRD Aix Marseille Université; IUT site Agroparc, BP 61207 84911 Avignon Cedex 09 France
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Li F, Xie Y, Zhu L, Jiang L, Chen X, Pan B, Deng Z. Changed clonal growth form induced by sand burial facilitates the acclimation of Carex brevicuspis to competition. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0121270. [PMID: 25822734 PMCID: PMC4379005 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2014] [Accepted: 01/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Both competition and burial are important factors that influence plant growth and structuring plant communities. Competition intensity may decline with increased burial stress. However, experimental evidence is scarce. The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of burial stress in influencing plant competition by investigating biomass accumulation, biomass allocation, and clonal growth performance of Carex brevicuspis, one of the dominant species in the Dongting Lake wetland in China. The experiment was conducted with two typical wetland species, C. brevicuspis (target plant) and Polygonum hydropiper (neighbor plant), in a target-neighbor design containing three densities (0, 199, and 398 neighbor plants m-2) and two burial depths (0 and 12 cm). The biomass accumulation of C. brevicuspis decreased with increment of P. hydropiper density in the 0 cm burial treatment. However, in the 12 cm burial treatment, biomass accumulation of C. brevicuspis did not change under medium and high P. hydropiper densities. The relative neighbor effect index (RNE) increased with enhancement of P. hydropiper density but decreased with increasing burial depth. The shoot mass fraction decreased with P. hydropiper density in the 12 cm burial treatments, but the root mass fraction was only affected by burial depth. However, the rhizome mass fraction increased with both P. hydropiper density and burial depth. The number of ramets decreased with increasing P. hydropiper density. With increasing burial depth and density, the proportion of spreading ramets increased from 34.23% to 80.44%, whereas that of clumping ramets decreased from 65.77% to 19.56%. Moreover, increased P. hydropiper density and burial depth led to greater spacer length. These data indicate that the competitive effect of P. hydropiper on C. brevicuspis was reduced by sand burial, which was reflected by different patterns of biomass accumulation and RNE at the two burial depth treatments. A change from a phalanx to a guerrilla growth form and spacer elongation induced by sand burial helped C. brevicuspis to acclimate to competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Li
- Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan 410125, China
- Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Changsha, 410125, China
| | - Yonghong Xie
- Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan 410125, China
- Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Changsha, 410125, China
| | - Lianlian Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan 410125, China
- Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Changsha, 410125, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Li Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan 410125, China
- Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Changsha, 410125, China
| | - Xinsheng Chen
- Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan 410125, China
- Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Changsha, 410125, China
| | - Baihan Pan
- Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan 410125, China
- Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Changsha, 410125, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhengmiao Deng
- Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan 410125, China
- Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Changsha, 410125, China
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Grassein F, Lavorel S, Till-Bottraud I. The importance of biotic interactions and local adaptation for plant response to environmental changes: field evidence along an elevational gradient. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2014; 20:1452-60. [PMID: 24306968 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2013] [Revised: 09/30/2013] [Accepted: 10/13/2013] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Predicting the response of species to environmental changes is a great and on-going challenge for ecologists, and this requires a more in-depth understanding of the importance of biotic interactions and the population structuration in the landscape. Using a reciprocal transplantation experiment, we tested the response of five species to an elevational gradient. This was combined to a neighbour removal treatment to test the importance of local adaptation and biotic interactions. The trait studied was performance measured as survival and biomass. Species response varied along the elevational gradient, but with no consistent pattern. Performance of species was influenced by environmental conditions occurring locally at each site, as well as by positive or negative effects of the surrounding vegetation. Indeed, we observed a shift from competition for biomass to facilitation for survival as a response to the increase in environmental stress occurring in the different sites. Unlike previous studies pointing out an increase of stress along the elevation gradient, our results supported a stress gradient related to water availability, which was not strictly parallel to the elevational gradient. For three of our species, we observed a greater biomass production for the population coming from the site where the species was dominant (central population) compared to population sampled at the limit of the distribution (marginal population). Nevertheless, we did not observe any pattern of local adaptation that could indicate adaptation of populations to a particular habitat. Altogether, our results highlighted the great ability of plant species to cope with environmental changes, with no local adaptation and great variability in response to local conditions. Our study confirms the importance of taking into account biotic interactions and population structure occurring at local scale in the prediction of communities' responses to global environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrice Grassein
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, Bern, CH-3013, Switzerland; Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine, CNRS UMR 5553, Université Joseph Fourier, BP53, 38041 Grenoble, Cedex 9, France
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Liancourt P, Spence LA, Song DS, Lkhagva A, Sharkhuu A, Boldgiv B, Helliker BR, Petraitis PS, Casper BB. Plant response to climate change varies with topography, interactions with neighbors, and ecotype. Ecology 2013; 94:444-53. [PMID: 23691663 DOI: 10.1890/12-0780.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Predicting the future of any given species represents an unprecedented challenge in light of the many environmental and biological factors that affect organismal performance and that also interact with drivers of global change. In a three-year experiment set in the Mongolian steppe, we examined the response of the common grass Festuca lenensis to manipulated temperature and water while controlling for topographic variation, plant-plant interactions, and ecotypic differentiation. Plant survival and growth responses to a warmer, drier climate varied within the landscape. Response to simulated increased precipitation occurred only in the absence of neighbors, demonstrating that plant-plant interactions can supersede the effects of climate change. F. lenensis also showed evidence of local adaptation in populations that were only 300 m apart. Individuals from the steep and dry upper slope showed a higher stress/drought tolerance, whereas those from the more productive lower slope showed a higher biomass production and a greater ability to cope with competition. Moreover, the response of this species to increased precipitation was ecotype specific, with water addition benefiting only the least stress-tolerant ecotype from the lower slope origin. This multifaceted approach illustrates the importance of placing climate change experiments within a realistic ecological and evolutionary framework. Existing sources of variation impacting plant performance may buffer or obscure climate change effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Liancourt
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Biology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
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Forey E, Dutoit T. Vegetation, soils and seed banks of limestone grasslands are still impacted by former cultivation one century after abandonment. COMMUNITY ECOL 2012. [DOI: 10.1556/comec.13.2012.2.9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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11
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Holub P, Tůma I, Fiala K. The effect of nitrogen addition on biomass production and competition in three expansive tall grasses. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2012; 170:211-216. [PMID: 22835500 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2012.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2012] [Revised: 06/27/2012] [Accepted: 07/01/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
A large increase of grasses Calamagrostis epigejos, Bromus inermis and Brachypodium pinnatum has often been observed in many regions enriched by higher nitrogen (N) wet deposition inputs. Competitive relationships between these grasses under enhanced N loads have not yet been studied. Therefore an outdoor experiment was established which involved monocultures of Calamagrostis, Bromus and Brachypodium and their 1:1 mixtures in containers under two N treatments, i.e., unfertilized and fertilized (+50 kg N ha(-1)). In monocultures, the total aboveground biomass of Calamagrostis, Bromus and Brachypodium were 1.1, 3.6 and 2.5 times higher respectively due to enhanced N fertilization. Relative crowding and aggressivity coefficients indicate that Calamagrostis and Bromus dominate when mixed with Brachypodium at both levels of N availability. When mixed with Bromus, Calamagrostis is the poorer competitor at lower N loads, however, it can be dominating in N fertilized treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petr Holub
- Global Change Research Centre, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno, Czech Republic.
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Maalouf JP, Le Bagousse-Pinguet Y, Marchand L, Touzard B, Michalet R. The interplay of stress and mowing disturbance for the intensity and importance of plant interactions in dry calcareous grasslands. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2012; 110:821-8. [PMID: 22782241 PMCID: PMC3423810 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcs152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS There is still debate regarding the direction and strength of plant interactions under intermediate to high levels of stress. Furthermore, little is known on how disturbance may interact with physical stress in unproductive environments, although recent theory and models have shown that this interplay may induce a collapse of plant interactions and diversity. The few studies assessing such questions have considered the intensity of biotic interactions but not their importance, although this latter concept has been shown to be very useful for understanding the role of interactions in plant communities. The objective of this study was to assess the interplay between stress and disturbance for plant interactions in dry calcareous grasslands. METHODS A field experiment was set up in the Dordogne, southern France, where the importance and intensity of biotic interactions undergone by four species were measured along a water stress gradient, and with and without mowing disturbance. KEY RESULTS The importance and intensity of interactions varied in a very similar way along treatments. Under undisturbed conditions, plant interactions switched from competition to neutral with increasing water stress for three of the four species, whereas the fourth species was not subject to any significant biotic interaction along the gradient. Responses to disturbance were more species-specific; for two species, competition disappeared with mowing in the wettest conditions, whereas for the two other species, competition switched to facilitation with mowing. Finally, there were no significant interactions for any species in the disturbed and driest conditions. CONCLUSIONS At very high levels of stress, plant performances become too weak to allow either competition or facilitation and disturbance may accelerate the collapse of interactions in dry conditions. The results suggest that the importance and direction of interactions are more likely to be positively related in stressful environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Paul Maalouf
- UMR BIOGECO INRA, Ecologie des Communautés, Université Bordeaux, Bât. B2 RDC Est, Talence, France.
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Wang J, Zhang CB, Chen T, Li WH. From selection to complementarity: the shift along the abiotic stress gradient in a controlled biodiversity experiment. Oecologia 2012; 171:227-35. [PMID: 22791185 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-012-2400-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2011] [Accepted: 06/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The effects of principal mechanisms (selection and complementarity) of biodiversity on ecosystem functionality have been well studied. However, it remains unknown how environmental conditions affect the relative strength of these two mechanisms. To answer this question, a controlled pot experiment was conducted in which species diversity was manipulated in low (natural soil) and high stress (mine tailing) plots, respectively. Our results demonstrate that the principal mechanism underlying the increasing biomass shifts from the selection to complementarity with increasing abiotic stress. The shift occurs because species interactions varied with increasing abiotic stress. Competition prevails in low stress plots, while facilitation dominates in high stress plots. In low stress plots, the monoculture biomass of a specific species is a good indicator of the competitive ability of that species in the mixture, and the dominant species significantly affects the plot biomass. In high stress plots, the tolerance indexes of all individual species increase with the manipulated species richness, providing clear evidence for the increasing role of facilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiang Wang
- School of Life Science, Taizhou University, Linhai, People's Republic of China
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Maalouf JP, Le Bagousse-Pinguet Y, Marchand L, Bâchelier E, Touzard B, Michalet R. Integrating climate change into calcareous grassland management. J Appl Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2012.02151.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Navas M, Fayolle A. Competition depends more on the functional structure of plant community than on standing biomass. COMMUNITY ECOL 2012. [DOI: 10.1556/comec.13.2012.1.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Ariza C, Tielbörger K. An evolutionary approach to studying the relative importance of plant-plant interactions along environmental gradients. Funct Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01848.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Xu J, Michalet R, Zhang JL, Wang G, Chu CJ, Xiao S. Assessing facilitative responses to a nurse shrub at the community level: the example of Potentilla fruticosa in a sub-alpine grassland of northwest China. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2010; 12:780-787. [PMID: 20701701 DOI: 10.1111/j.1438-8677.2009.00271.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Biotic interaction studies have revealed a large discrepancy among experiments in target responses to the effects of neighbours, which may in part be due to both high species-specificity of plant responses and low number of target species used in experiments. Our aim was to assess facilitative responses at the community level and the role of both functional groups and ecological attributes of target species. In a sub-alpine grassland on the eastern Tibet plateau, we assessed growth responses of all species in the community to removal of a dominant shrub. We also measured changes in the main environmental variables. Species responses were analysed by functional group and in relation to their mean regional altitudinal distribution. All significant interactions were positive and affected one-third of the total species richness of the community. All functional groups were facilitated but forbs were less strongly facilitated than in the two other groups. High-alpine species were less strongly facilitated than low-sub-alpine species, but the strength of this relationship was weaker than that reported in previous work. There was evidence of a decrease in extreme temperatures below the canopy of the shrub but no variations in soil moisture. We conclude that the highly stressful conditions induced by the dry continental climate of the eastern Tibet plateau are a main driver of the exclusive dominance of positive interactions. Assessing interactive responses at the community level is likely to provide a useful tool to better understand the role of biotic interactions in community responses to environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Xu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Arid and Grassland Ecology, School of Life Science, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
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Gross N, Le Bagousse-Pinguet Y, Liancourt P, Urcelay C, Catherine R, Lavorel S. Trait-mediated effect of arbuscular mycorrhiza on the competitive effect and response of a monopolistic species. Funct Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2010.01713.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Jeddi K, Chaieb M. Using trees as a restoration tool in Tunisian arid areas: effects on understorey vegetation and soil nutrients. RANGELAND JOURNAL 2009. [DOI: 10.1071/rj08064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
A field experiment was conducted in an afforested Stipa tenacissima L. steppe in arid southern Tunisia to evaluate the effect of three tree species (Acacia salicina Lindl., Pinus halepensis Mill. and Eucalyptus occidentalis Endl.) on understorey vegetation and soil nutrients. For each tree species, two subhabitats were distinguished: under the canopy, and out in the open. Organic carbon, total N, available P and pH were higher under the canopies of the three tree species than out in the open, and the effect was more pronounced in the top 10 cm of soil. Similarly, plant cover, biomass, richness and diversity were significantly higher under tree canopies. Some species such as Plantago amplexicaulis Cav., Helianthemum kahiricum Del. and Artemisia campestris L., which use large amounts of soil nutrients, showed a strong preference for areas under the canopy. Among the three tree species, Acacia salicina had the strongest positive effect on soil nutrients and understorey vegetation, and, thus, may be more useful for restoring arid areas and creating areas of enhanced soil nutrients than Pinus or Eucalyptus.
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Abstract
A 10-year experiment tested for variation in competition intensity over time in a natural grassland at the northern edge of the Great Plains. Growing-season precipitation varied fivefold during the study. All ecosystem-level variables varied significantly among years, and most covaried in expected ways. The covers of all common grasses possessing the C3 photosynthetic pathway varied significantly among years; in contrast, all common species with traits associated with drought tolerance (a C4 grass, a lichen, a spikemoss, and a subshrub) did not vary. Annual transplant experiments measured the competitive effects of neighbors on the growth of individuals of the native grass Bouteloua gracilis. A significant interaction between year and competition showed that competition intensity varied among years. The size of this effect, however, was small (eta2 = 0.074) relative to the size of the direct effect of competition (eta2 = 0.20) or the year in which the experiment was conducted (eta2 = 0.51). Further, competition intensity was not significantly related to any variable describing standing crop or resources, or species richness. Species richness was highest in years with high precipitation, standing crop, and individual growth, due to the recruitment of rare species that were absent from dry years. In summary, variation in competition intensity was statistically significant but had small effects relative to the direct effects of climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott D Wilson
- Department of Biology, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan S4SOA2, Canada.
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Liancourt P, Callaway RM, Michalet R. STRESS TOLERANCE AND COMPETITIVE-RESPONSE ABILITY DETERMINE THE OUTCOME OF BIOTIC INTERACTIONS. Ecology 2005. [DOI: 10.1890/04-1398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 333] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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22
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Brooker R, Kikvidze Z, Pugnaire FI, Callaway RM, Choler P, Lortie CJ, Michalet R. The importance of importance. OIKOS 2005. [DOI: 10.1111/j.0030-1299.2005.13557.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 232] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Corcket E, Callaway RM, Michalet R. Insect herbivory and grass competition in a calcareous grassland: results from a plant removal experiment. ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2003. [DOI: 10.1016/s1146-609x(03)00064-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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