Phenotypic structure of plant facilitation networks

Identifying the plant traits that determine the outcome of facilitation interactions is essential to understand how communities are assembled and can be restored. Plant facilitation networks are phylogenetically structured but which traits are behind such a pattern is unknown. We sampled plant inter...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology letters 2021-03, Vol.24 (3), p.509-519
Main Authors: Navarro‐Cano, Jose Antonio, Goberna, Marta, Valiente‐Banuet, Alfonso, Verdú, Miguel, Mori, Akira
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Community assembly
competition
ecological networks
Ecosystem
functional complementarity
Humans
Medical personnel
mine tailings
Networks
Nurses
Phenotype
phenotypic signal
Phylogeny
plant traits
Plants
Seedlings
Spain
Species
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Summary:Identifying the plant traits that determine the outcome of facilitation interactions is essential to understand how communities are assembled and can be restored. Plant facilitation networks are phylogenetically structured but which traits are behind such a pattern is unknown. We sampled plant interactions in stressful ecosystems from south‐eastern Spain to build seedling and adult facilitation networks. We collected 20 morphological and ecophysiological traits for 151 species involved in interactions between 879 nurse individuals benefiting 24 584 seedlings and adults. We detected a significant phenotypic signal in the seedling facilitation network that was maintained in the adult network, whereby functionally similar nurses tended to facilitate functionally similar species whose traits differ from those of their nurses. We provide empirical evidence to support a long‐lasting theoretical postulate stating that facilitation networks are phenotypically structured. Trait matching through which nurse and facilitated species avoid phenotypic overlap, and consequently competition, is the main linkage rule shaping plant facilitation networks. Plant facilitation networks are phenotypically structured. Functionally similar nurses tend to facilitate functionally similar species whose traits differ from those of their nurses.
ISSN:1461-023X
1461-0248
DOI:10.1111/ele.13669