Species-Specific Traits plus Stabilizing Processes Best Explain Coexistence in Biodiverse Fire-Prone Plant Communities

Groeneveld, Jürgen; Enright, Neal J.; Lamont, Byron B.; Reineking, Björn; Frank, Karin; Perry, George L.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0065084

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…‘seeders’) shrubs in the genus Banksia . In the model, plant species richness was maintained, and realistic rank‐abundance distributions were obtained (based on Lamont et al ., ), only in the presence of local conspecific NDD (Groeneveld et al ., ). The results from this modelling exercise suggest that NDD might be important in driving plant diversity in kwongan, but additional field observations and experiments are needed to support this hypothesis.…”

Section: Negative Density Dependencementioning

confidence: 97%

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Phosphorus limitation, soil‐borne pathogens and the coexistence of plant species in hyperdiverse forests and shrublands

et al. 2014

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507I.507II.509III.510IV.510V.512VI.516VII.518518References518 Summary Hyperdiverse forests occur in the lowland tropics, whereas the most species‐rich shrublands are found in regions such as south‐western Australia (kwongan) and South Africa (fynbos). Despite large differences, these ecosystems share an important characteristic: their soils are strongly weathered and phosphorus (P) is a key growth‐limiting nutrient. Soil‐borne pathogens are increasingly being recognized as drivers of plant diversity in lowland tropical rainforests, but have received little attention in species‐rich shrublands. We suggest a trade‐off in which the species most proficient at acquiring P have ephemeral roots that are particularly susceptible to soil‐borne pathogens. This could equalize out the differences in competitive ability among co‐occurring species in these ecosystems, thus contributing to coexistence. Moreover, effective protection against soil‐borne pathogens by ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi might explain the occurrence of monodominant stands of ECM trees and shrubs amongst otherwise species‐rich communities. We identify gaps in our knowledge which need to be filled in order to evaluate a possible link between P limitation, fine root traits, soil‐borne pathogens and local plant species diversity. Such a link may help to explain how numerous plant species can coexist in hyperdiverse rainforests and shrublands, and, conversely, how monodominant stands can develop in these ecosystems.

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Section: Negative Density Dependencementioning

confidence: 97%

“…The potential importance of NDD for plant species coexistence in kwongan has been highlighted recently through a simulation model (Groeneveld et al ., ), although the cause of NDD was not explicitly modelled. The model was parameterized using data on population dynamics of resprouting and nonresprouting (i.e.…”

Section: Negative Density Dependencementioning

confidence: 99%

Phosphorus limitation, soil‐borne pathogens and the coexistence of plant species in hyperdiverse forests and shrublands

et al. 2014

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“…Fire management should be guided by demonstrated knowledge on the fire ecology of plants and animals in the landscape that they inhabit. Research focused on the population dynamics of target species (Groeneveld et al, ) is essential for understanding how different species respond to different fire regimes.…”

Section: Future Research Directions and Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire as a key driver of Earth's biodiversity

2019

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Many terrestrial ecosystems are fire prone, such that their composition and structure are largely due to their fire regime. Regions subject to regular fire have exceptionally high levels of species richness and endemism, and fire has been proposed as a major driver of their diversity, within the context of climate, resource availability and environmental heterogeneity. However, current fire-management practices rarely take into account the ecological and evolutionary roles of fire in maintaining biodiversity. Here, we focus on the mechanisms that enable fire to act as a major ecological and evolutionary force that promotes and maintains biodiversity over numerous spatiotemporal scales. From an ecological perspective, the vegetation, topography and local weather conditions during a fire generate a landscape with spatial and temporal variation in fire-related patches (pyrodiversity), and these produce the biotic and environmental heterogeneity that drives biodiversity across local and regional scales. There have been few empirical tests of the proposition that 'pyrodiversity begets biodiversity' but we show that biodiversity should peak at moderately high levels of pyrodiversity. Overall species richness is greatest immediately after fire and declines monotonically over time, with postfire successional pathways dictated by animal habitat preferences and varying lifespans among resident plants. Theory and data support the 'intermediate disturbance hypothesis' when mean patch species diversity is correlated with mean fire intervals. Postfire persistence, recruitment and immigration allow species with different life histories to coexist. From an evolutionary perspective, fire drives population turnover and diversification by promoting a wide range of adaptive responses to particular fire regimes. Among 39 comparisons, the number of species in 26 fire-prone lineages is much higher than that in their non-fire-prone sister lineages. Fire and its byproducts may have direct mutagenic effects, producing novel genotypes that can lead to trait innovation and even speciation. A paradigm shift aimed at restoring biodiversity-maintaining fire regimes across broad landscapes is required among the fire research and management communities. This will require ecologists and other professionals to spread the burgeoning fire-science knowledge beyond scientific publications to the broader public, politicians and media.

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“…Resprouting is promoted by conditions that do not favor recruitment or seed availability and is common when fires are exceptionally frequent, stochastic, or rare ( Lamont et al, 2011 ; Cowling et al, 2018 ), while obligate seeding is promoted by moderate intervals of relatively high intensity fires within the lifespan of the species ( Pausas and Keeley, 2014 ). Nevertheless, many fire regimes accommodate both fire-response types and their co-existence is common ( Groeneveld et al, 2013 ; Vilagrosa et al, 2014 ). In central Chile, many woody species resprout well after anthropogenic fires ( Donoso Zegers, 2006 ; Gómez-González et al, 2017 ), possibly reflecting an Oligocene or early Miocene history when their lineages would have been subject to more frequent fire before the uplift of the Andes.…”

Section: Persistence In a Fire-prone Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire and Plant Diversification in Mediterranean-Climate Regions

et al. 2018

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Despite decades of broad interest in global patterns of biodiversity, little attention has been given to understanding the remarkable levels of plant diversity present in the world’s five Mediterranean-type climate (MTC) regions, all of which are considered to be biodiversity hotspots. Comprising the Mediterranean Basin, California, central Chile, the Cape Region of South Africa, and southwestern Australia, these regions share the unusual climatic regime of mild wet winters and warm dry summers. Despite their small extent, covering only about 2.2% of world land area, these regions are home to approximately one-sixth of the world vascular plant flora. The onset of MTCs in the middle Miocene brought summer drought, a novel climatic condition, but also a regime of recurrent fire. Fire has been a significant agent of selection in assembling the modern floras of four of the five MTC regions, with central Chile an exception following the uplift of the Andes in the middle Miocene. Selection for persistence in a fire-prone environment as a key causal factor for species diversification in MTC regions has been under-appreciated or ignored. Mechanisms for fire-driven speciation are diverse and may include both directional (novel traits) and stabilizing selection (retained traits) for appropriate morphological and life-history traits. Both museum and nursery hypotheses have important relevance in explaining the extant species richness of the MTC floras, with fire as a strong stimulant for diversification in a manner distinct from other temperate floras. Spatial and temporal niche separation across topographic, climatic and edaphic gradients has occurred in all five regions. The Mediterranean Basin, California, and central Chile are seen as nurseries for strong but not spectacular rates of Neogene diversification, while the older landscapes of southwestern Australia and the Cape Region show significant components of both Paleogene and younger Neogene speciation in their diversity. Low rates of extinction suggesting a long association with fire more than high rates of speciation have been key to the extant levels of species richness.

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Species-Specific Traits plus Stabilizing Processes Best Explain Coexistence in Biodiverse Fire-Prone Plant Communities

Cited by 7 publications

References 49 publications

Phosphorus limitation, soil‐borne pathogens and the coexistence of plant species in hyperdiverse forests and shrublands

Phosphorus limitation, soil‐borne pathogens and the coexistence of plant species in hyperdiverse forests and shrublands

Fire as a key driver of Earth's biodiversity

Fire and Plant Diversification in Mediterranean-Climate Regions

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