Neighbourhood‐dependent root distributions and the consequences on root separation in arid ecosystems

Interspecific root separation is an important example of spatial niche differentiation that drives species coexistence in many ecosystems. Particularly under water‐stressed conditions, it is believed to be an inevitable outcome of species interactions. However, evidence for and against this idea has...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of ecology 2020-07, Vol.108 (4), p.1635-1648
Main Authors: Chen, Bin J. W., Xu, Chi, Liu, Mao‐Song, Huang, Zheng Y. X., Zhang, Ming‐Juan, Tang, Jian, Anten, Niels P. R., Mommer, Liesje
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Achnatherum splendens
Arid lands
Arid zones
Aridity
Coexistence
dryland
Ecosystems
Elaeagnus angustifolia
Environmental changes
Forbs
Geographical distribution
Grasses
growth form
Interspecific
Moisture content
niche partitioning
Niches
Nitraria
plant–plant interactions
Profiles
root competition
Root distribution
root separation
Rooting
Roots
Separation
Shrubs
Soil
Soil conditions
Soil layers
Soil water
Soils
Sophora alopecuroides
Species
species coexistence
Vertical separation
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Summary:Interspecific root separation is an important example of spatial niche differentiation that drives species coexistence in many ecosystems. Particularly under water‐stressed conditions, it is believed to be an inevitable outcome of species interactions. However, evidence for and against this idea has been found. So far, studies aiming at reconciling the debate have mainly focused on abiotic determinants. It remains unclear if and to what extent root separation depends on the type and growth form of interacting plants. We conducted a detailed field study in three adjacently located (with pairwise distances
ISSN:0022-0477
1365-2745
DOI:10.1111/1365-2745.13360