Niche overlap reveals the effects of competition, disturbance and contrasting assembly processes in experimental grassland communities

0364929 - BÚ 2012 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Mason, N. W. H. - de Bello, Francesco - Doležal, Jiří - Lepš, Jan
Niche overlap reveals the effects of competition, disturbance and contrasting assembly processes in experimental grassland communities.
Journal of Ecology. Roč. 99, č. 3 (2011), s. 788-796. ISSN 0022-0477. E-ISSN 1365-2745
R&D Projects: GA ČR GA206/09/1471
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60050516; CEZ:AV0Z50070508
Keywords : coexistence * complementarity * fertilization
Subject RIV: EF - Botanics
Impact factor: 5.044, year: 2011

Understanding the processes by which species sort themselves into communities remains a central puzzle for attempts to maintain biodiversity. It remains unclear whether any single assembly process is generally dominant or whether the influence of contrasting processes varies in a predictable way relative to biotic and abiotic gradients. Abundance-weighted niche overlap between species provides a powerful means of contrasting two major assembly processes - niche complementarity and environmental filtering. The results suggest that the importance of niche differences between species in structuring grassland communities should increase with increasing biomass and decrease with disturbance in grassland communities. They also emphasize that contrasting community assembly processes may occur for different niche axes, even within a single community.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0200289