Interspecific competition changes reproductive output but does not increase reproductive costs in a grassland perennial

Dostál, Petr; Havlíčková, Vendula; Jorritsma-Wienk, Linda D.; Eriksson, Ove; Herben, Tomáš

doi:10.1016/j.baae.2008.12.004

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…; Dostál et al. ). This latter assumption might be indicated by the presence of some stress tolerators in productive grasslands (loess grasslands and Alopecurus meadows) of the present study (see also Bhattarai et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…In productive habitats with low levels of stress, competition becomes more important than the effect of stress (Fraser & Keddy 2005). Thus, competitors can gain dominance, even if environmental conditions are also appropriate for stress tolerators (Bhattarai et al 2004;Dost al et al 2009). This latter assumption might be indicated by the presence of some stress tolerators in productive grasslands (loess grasslands and Alopecurus meadows) of the present study (see also Bhattarai et al 2004;Chiarucci et al 2004).…”

Section: Trends In C-s-r Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mechanisms shaping plant biomass and species richness: plant strategies and litter effect in alkali and loess grasslands

Kelemen

Török

Valkó

et al. 2012

J Vegetation Science

118

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Question Explaining the biomass–species richness relationship is key to understanding vegetation dynamics. Several possible mechanisms have been suggested, but complex analysis of plant strategies, major biomass and species richness components along a long productivity gradient is still lacking. We provide a detailed analysis of the relationship between major biomass components (total above‐ground biomass, green biomass and litter), plant strategies and species richness along a long gradient of alkali and loess grasslands in a steppe landscape in Central Europe. Location Hortobágy, Great Hungarian Plain, East Hungary. Methods Above‐ground biomass of characteristic alkali and loess grassland stands was sampled along a gradient of increasing productivity. In each grassland stand, a 25‐m2 sample site was randomly selected. Within each site, ten above‐ground biomass samples (20 × 20 cm) were collected randomly in June 2009, at the peak of biomass production. We classified all species into mixed C‐S‐R strategy types. To obtain correlations between various biomass and species richness data, Spearman rank correlation was used. The relationship between plant strategies and species composition were displayed with a DCA ordination. Results The frequently detected humped‐back relationship was valid for the relation of total biomass and species richness. With increasing amount of total biomass, we detected an increasing proportion of competitors, and a decreasing proportion of stress tolerators in green biomass. A low proportion of ruderals was detected at both low and high biomass levels. Species richness was affected positively by litter at low litter scores, but there was a negative litter effect from much lower scores than detected previously (from 400 g·m−2). There was a positive relationship between green biomass production and species richness. Conclusions The study revealed that at the initial part of a productivity gradient, stress is likely responsible for low species richness. Our results show that litter can shape changes in species richness along the whole biomass gradient, thus the litter effect is one of the major mechanisms structuring grassland diversity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Trends In C-s-r Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanisms shaping plant biomass and species richness: plant strategies and litter effect in alkali and loess grasslands

Kelemen

Török

Valkó

et al. 2012

J Vegetation Science

118

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“…Numerous studies on birds and mammals have supported the prediction of higher costs of reproduction when conditions are adverse (see references. in Erikstad et al 2009 ), but the evidence for this in plants remain unconvincing (Dostal et al 2009 ; see “ Introduction ”). Manipulations of the environment in the two study populations could clarify which factors influence the expression of costs of reproduction in G. conopsea .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Among-population variation in costs of reproduction in the long-lived orchid Gymnadenia conopsea: an experimental study

Sletvold

Ågren

2011

Oecologia

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A cost of reproduction in terms of reduced future performance underlies all life-history models, yet costs have been difficult to detect in short-term experiments with long-lived plants. The likelihood of detecting costs should depend on the range of variation in reproductive effort that can be induced, and also on the shape of the cost function across this range, which should be affected by resource availability. Here, we experimentally examined the effects of both reduced and increased fruit production in two populations of the long-lived orchid Gymnadenia conopsea located at sites that differ in length of the growing season. Plants that were prevented from fruiting produced more flowers in the population with a longer growing season, had higher survival in the other population, and grew larger compared to control plants in both populations. Fruit production was pollen-limited in both populations, and increased reproductive investment after supplemental hand-pollination was associated with reduced fecundity the following year. The results demonstrate that the shape of the cost function varies among fitness components, and that costs can be differentially expressed in different populations. They are consistent with the hypothesis that differences in temporal overlap between allocation to reproduction and other functions will induce among-population variation in reproductive costs.

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“…Saulnier & Reekie ; but see Jongejans, de Kroon & Berendse ; Dostál et al . ). Further, competition can suppress the growth of an individual enough that they may struggle to reach a threshold size for reproduction prior to the end of a limited growing season (Aarssen ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

High reproductive efficiency as an adaptive strategy in competitive environments

Bonser

2013

Functional Ecology

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Summary 1.Reproductive efficiency (the efficiency of conversion of resources from vegetative tissue to reproductive output) is a central to our understanding of reproductive allocation and the evolution of reproductive strategies in plants. Plant strategy theory predicts that reproductive efficiency should decrease under competition. Short-lived semelparous species are not predicted to evolve under competition and therefore should not express adaptive responses to the presence of competitors. Long-lived iteroparous species are predicted to delay reproduction in favour of growth and resource acquisition in the presence of competitors. I use life-history theory to advance a prediction that reproductive efficiency increases under competition in both shortlived semelparous and potentially longer-lived iteroparous species. 2. Contrary to the predictions of plant strategy theory, short-lived semelparous species are frequently observed to live in highly competitive environments. Further, iteroparous species under intense competition may die long before they reach competitive dominance or an optimal size for reproduction. 3. I surveyed the literature for studies on plant species including measurements of vegetative and reproductive allocation in high and low (or no) competition treatments. 4. Across species, relative reproductive efficiency (reproductive efficiency under high competition/reproductive efficiency under low competition) significantly increased with increasing competition intensity. 5. Patterns of allocation to reproduction under competition support the existence of a competitive annual strategy and a reproductive perennial strategy. Under these strategies, short-lived semelparous species and long-lived iteroparous species express high reproductive efficiency under competition as an adaptation to high neighbour density. In addition, some species also expressed patterns of allocation to reproduction consistent with plant strategy theories. 6. Under this interpretation, I predict that competitive strategies, where plants delay reproduction in competitive environments to gain competitive superiority, are favoured not under intense competition but under modest competition. Including a life-history interpretation in reproductive efficiency under competition provides a much needed predictive framework for strategies of reproduction observed across species.

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Interspecific competition changes reproductive output but does not increase reproductive costs in a grassland perennial

Cited by 4 publications

References 28 publications

Mechanisms shaping plant biomass and species richness: plant strategies and litter effect in alkali and loess grasslands

Mechanisms shaping plant biomass and species richness: plant strategies and litter effect in alkali and loess grasslands

Among-population variation in costs of reproduction in the long-lived orchid Gymnadenia conopsea: an experimental study

High reproductive efficiency as an adaptive strategy in competitive environments

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