Plant dominance in a subalpine montane meadow: biotic vs. abiotic controls of subordinate diversity within and across sites

PeerJ

article

Erika LaPlante¹  Lara Souza³ 

[1]Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University

[2]Department of Integrative Biology, University of Californnia Berkeley

[3]Oklahoma Biological Survey & Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, The University of Oklahoma

关键词: Dominance;    Diversity;    Composition;    Dominant;    Subordinate;    Festuca;    Potentilla;    Functional traits;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.5619

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundUnderstanding the underlying factors that determine the relative abundance of plant species is critical to predict both biodiversity and ecosystem function. Biotic and abiotic factors can shape the distribution and the relative abundance of species across natural communities, greatly influencing local biodiversity.MethodsUsing a combination of an observational study and a five-year plant removal experiment we: (1) documented how plant diversity and composition of montane meadow assemblages vary along a plant dominance gradient using an observational study; (2) tracked above- and belowground functional traits of co-dominant plant species Potentilla and Festuca along a plant dominance gradient in an observational study; (3) determined whether plant species diversity and composition was directly influenced by commonly occurring species Potentilla and Festuca with the use of a randomized plot design, 5-year plant removal experiment (no removal control, Potentilla removed, Festuca removed, n = 10).ResultsWe found that subordinate species diversity and compositional dissimilarity were greatest in Potentilla and Festuca co-dominated sites, where neither Potentilla nor Festuca dominated, rather than at sites where either species became dominant. Further, while above- and belowground plant functional traits varied along a dominance gradient, they did so in a way that inconsistently predicted plant species relative abundance. Also, neither variation in plant functional traits of Festuca and Potentilla nor variation in resources and conditions (such as soil nitrogen and temperature) explained our subordinate diversity patterns. Finally, neither Potentilla nor Festuca influenced subordinate diversity or composition when we directly tested for their impacts in a plant removal experiment.DiscussionTaken together, patterns of subordinate diversity and composition were likely driven by abiotic factors rather than biotic interactions. As a result, the role of abiotic factors influencing local-level species interactions can be just as important as biotic interactions themselves in structuring plant communities.

【 授权许可】

CC BY