Competition and facilitation in a subarctic-alpine plant community
Dates
Year
2006
Citation
Mitchell, Matthew G. E., 2006, Competition and facilitation in a subarctic-alpine plant community: University of Alberta (Canada).
Summary
Plant interactions can range from competition to facilitation. While competition is the most common outcome in most systems, facilitation may be important but hidden by competitive interactions. This study determined the mechanisms and overall effects of plant interactions on plant aboveground biomass, within-season growth, and abundance for two species, Artemisia norvegica and Carex consimilis, in a subarctic-alpine meadow in the Yukon. Additionally, the effects of local-scale abiotic and biotic factors on interaction outcomes were investigated. While the overall outcome of plant interactions in this system was weakly competitive, simultaneously both competition and facilitation were present. The balance between competition and facilitation [...]
Summary
Plant interactions can range from competition to facilitation. While competition is the most common outcome in most systems, facilitation may be important but hidden by competitive interactions. This study determined the mechanisms and overall effects of plant interactions on plant aboveground biomass, within-season growth, and abundance for two species, Artemisia norvegica and Carex consimilis, in a subarctic-alpine meadow in the Yukon. Additionally, the effects of local-scale abiotic and biotic factors on interaction outcomes were investigated. While the overall outcome of plant interactions in this system was weakly competitive, simultaneously both competition and facilitation were present. The balance between competition and facilitation was also dependent on abiotic variables and plant characteristics such as size. However, the strength and direction of these interactions were not correlated with the abundance of either focal species.
