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Trait hierarchies and intraspecific variability drive competitive interactions in Mediterranean annual plants
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SYSNO ASEP 0509463 Document Type J - Journal Article R&D Document Type Journal Article Subsidiary J Článek ve WOS Title Trait hierarchies and intraspecific variability drive competitive interactions in Mediterranean annual plants Author(s) Carmona, C. P. (ES)
de Bello, Francesco (BU-J) RID, ORCID
Azcárate, F. M. (ES)
Mason, N. W. H. (NZ)
Peco, B. (ES)Source Title Journal of Ecology. - : Wiley - ISSN 0022-0477
Roč. 107, č. 5 (2019), s. 2078-2089Number of pages 12 s. Language eng - English Country GB - United Kingdom Keywords annual plants ; coexistence ; competition ; functional traits ; intraspecific trait variability Subject RIV EH - Ecology, Behaviour OECD category Ecology Method of publishing Limited access Institutional support BU-J - RVO:67985939 UT WOS 000484311000005 EID SCOPUS 85070747125 DOI 10.1111/1365-2745.13248 Annotation 1. Both intra- and interspecific differences in traits may modulate interactions between plants. Two mechanisms are hypothesized to regulate these effects: competitive hierarchies and trait dissimilarities, but it is unclear how the prevalence of each might depend on environmental conditions and on intra and interspecific differences.
2. We sowed six replicates of all possible pairwise combinations across eight annual species (including conspecific competition and individuals without competitors), in pots under two levels of fertilization. We measured above- and below-ground traits and total biomass of the focal individuals. We expressed competition as the decrease in biomass of focal individuals relative to biomass without competition, and modelled competition using directional (hierarchy) or non-directional (dissimilarity) trait differences, with or without intraspecific variability (ITV).
3. We found evidence of different trait hierarchies operating under different fertilization conditions but little support for trait dissimilarities. The negative effect of competition on focal plants increased with the height of the competitors in both of fertilization levels. Further, in unfertilized conditions, plants with lower specific leaf area (SLA) and larger root systems experienced less competition. Including ITV in trait hierarchies substantially improved our ability to predict the intensity of competition. This was partly due to ITV reducing competitive hierarchies.
4. Synthesis. Our results underscore the importance of traits in driving interactions among plants. Competitive relationships between species depend on complex interactions between trait intra and interspecific differences and resource availability. ITV appears to be a mechanism capable of reducing trait hierarchies, and hence the intensity of competition between coexisting plants.Workplace Institute of Botany Contact Martina Bartošová, martina.bartosova@ibot.cas.cz, ibot@ibot.cas.cz, Tel.: 271 015 242 ; Marie Jakšová, marie.jaksova@ibot.cas.cz, Tel.: 384 721 156-8 Year of Publishing 2020 Electronic address http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0300204
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