Spatial pattern affects diversity-productivity relationships in experimental meadow communities

0347368 - BÚ 2011 RIV FR eng J - Journal Article
Lamošová, T. - Doležal, Jiří - Lanta, V. - Lepš, Jan
Spatial pattern affects diversity-productivity relationships in experimental meadow communities.
Acta Oecologica-International Journal of Ecology. Roč. 36, č. 3 (2010), s. 325-332. ISSN 1146-609X. E-ISSN 1873-6238
R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA600050802; GA ČR GA526/09/0963; GA ČR GA206/09/1642; GA ČR GA526/07/0808
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60050516; CEZ:AV0Z50070508
Keywords : functional-groups richness * species-diversity * experimental plant-communities
Subject RIV: EF - Botanics
Impact factor: 1.460, year: 2010

Plant species create aggregations of conspecifics as a consequence of limited seed dispersal, clonal growth and heterogeneous environment. Such intraspecific aggregation increases the importance of intraspecific competition relative to interspecific competition which may slow down competitive exclusion and promote species coexistence. To examine how spatial aggregation impacts the functioning of experimental assemblages of varying species richness, eight perennial grassland species of different growth form were grown in random and aggregated patterns in monocultures, two-, four-, and eight-species mixtures. In mixtures with an aggregated pattern, monospecific clumps were interspecifically segregated. Mixed model ANOVA was used to test (i) how the total productivity and productivity of individual species is affected by the number of species in a mixture, and (ii) how these relationships are affected by spatial pattern of sown plants.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0188161