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Testing spatial theories of plant coexistence : no consistent differences in intra- and interspecific interaction distances

Vogt, D. R. and Murrell, D. J. and Stoll, P.. (2010) Testing spatial theories of plant coexistence : no consistent differences in intra- and interspecific interaction distances. The American naturalist, Vol. 175, H. 1. pp. 73-84.

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Official URL: http://edoc.unibas.ch/dok/A5253023

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Abstract

Plants stand still and interact with their immediate neighbors. Theory has shown that the distances over which these interactions occur may have important consequences for population and community dynamics. In particular, if intraspecific competition occurs over longer distances than interspecific competition (heteromyopia), coexistence can be promoted. We examined how intraspecific and interspecific competition scales with neighbor distance in a target‐neighbor greenhouse competition experiment. Individuals from co‐occurring forbs from calcareous grasslands were grown in isolation and with single conspecific or heterospecific neighbors at distances of 5, 10, or 15 cm (Plantago lanceolata vs. Plantago media and Hieracium pilosella vs. Prunella grandiflora). Neighbor effects were strong and declined with distance. Interaction distances varied greatly within and between species, but we found no evidence for heteromyopia. Instead, neighbor identity effects were mostly explained by relative size differences between target and neighbor. We found a complex interaction between final neighbor size and identity such that neighbor identity may become important only as the neighbor becomes very large compared with the target individual. Our results suggest that species‐specific size differences between neighboring individuals determine both the strength of competitive interactions and the distance over which these interactions occur.
Faculties and Departments:05 Faculty of Science > Departement Umweltwissenschaften > Ehemalige Einheiten Umweltwissenschaften > Naturschutzbiologie (Baur)
UniBasel Contributors:Stoll, Peter and Vogt, Deborah
Item Type:Article, refereed
Article Subtype:Research Article
Publisher:University of Chicago Press
ISSN:0003-0147
Note:Publication type according to Uni Basel Research Database: Journal article
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Last Modified:08 Nov 2012 16:13
Deposited On:22 Mar 2012 14:03

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