When competition does not matter: grassland diversity and community composition

The American Naturalist
Eric G Lamb, James F Cahill

Abstract

We examined whether the intense root competition in a rough fescue grassland plant community in central Alberta, Canada, was important in structuring plant species diversity or community composition. We measured competition intensity across gradients of species richness, evenness, and community composition, using pairs of naturally occurring plants of 12 species. One plant in each pair was isolated from neighbors to measure competition; community structure and environmental conditions were also measured at each pair. We used structural equation modeling to examine how competition influenced community structure. Competition intensity was unrelated to species richness and community composition, but increased competition intensity was associated with a slight decline in evenness. Size-symmetric root competition was probably unimportant in structuring this plant community because there are no feedback mechanisms through which size-symmetric competition can magnify small initial differences and eventually lead to competitive exclusion. In plant communities with little shoot competition, competition and community structure should be unlinked regardless of competition intensity. In more productive systems, we propose that interactions...Continue Reading

References

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Sep 25, 2008·The American Naturalist·D A PeltzerA K Gerry

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Citations

Jun 2, 2010·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Fernando T MaestreAdrián Escudero
Jan 26, 2012·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Teja TscharntkeCatrin Westphal
May 14, 2011·Ecological Applications : a Publication of the Ecological Society of America·J J JamesM J Rinella
Aug 14, 2012·Annals of Botany·Sandra Varga, Minna-Maarit Kytöviita
Jun 13, 2019·American Journal of Botany·James F Cahill
Sep 23, 2009·Ecology·Matthew G E MitchellDavid S Hik
Feb 26, 2021·Ecological Applications : a Publication of the Ecological Society of America·Laura StefanChristian Schöb
Jun 18, 2021·Tree Physiology·Haifeng SongSheng Zhang

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