Cushions of Thylacospermum caespitosum (Caryophyllaceae) do not facilitate other plants under extreme altitude and dry conditions in the north-west Himalayas

0365143 - BÚ 2012 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
de Bello, Francesco - Doležal, Jiří - Dvorský, Miroslav - Chlumská, Zuzana - Řeháková, Klára - Klimešová, Jitka - Klimeš, Leoš
Cushions of Thylacospermum caespitosum (Caryophyllaceae) do not facilitate other plants under extreme altitude and dry conditions in the north-west Himalayas.
Annals of Botany. Roč. 108, č. 3 (2011), s. 567-573. ISSN 0305-7364. E-ISSN 1095-8290
R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA600050802; GA ČR GD206/08/H044
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60050516
Keywords : stress-gradient hypothesis * positive associations * ecosystem engineering
Subject RIV: EF - Botanics
Impact factor: 4.030, year: 2011

Cushion plants are commonly considered as keystone nurse species that ameliorate the harsh conditions they inhabit in alpine ecosystems, thus facilitating other species and increasing alpine plant biodiversity. A literature search resulted in 25 key studies showing overwhelming facilitative effects of different cushion plants and hypothesizing greater facilitation with increased environmental severity (i.e. higher altitude and/or lower rainfall). At the same time, emerging ecological theory alongside the cushion-specific literature suggests that facilitation might not always occur under extreme environmental conditions, and especially under high altitude and dryness. The results support the emerging theoretical prediction of restricted facilitative effects under extreme combinations of cold and dryness, integrating these ideas in the context of the ecology of cushion plants. This evidence suggests that cases of missing strong facilitation are likely to be found in other extreme alpine
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0200456