Variation in plant performance in a grassland: Species-specific and neighbouring root mass effects

Herben, Tomáš; Březina, Stanislav; Skálová, Hana; Hadincová, Věra; Krahulec, Frantiŝek

doi:10.1658/1100-9233(2007)18[55:vippia]2.0.co;2

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…In the studied grassland, the differentiation took place in spite of the short stature of the component species, minor differences in height above‐ground and overall shallow soil and rooting depth, all of which are due to the low productivity of the site. Results from an earlier, independent experiment imply that differential distribution of roots can have consequences on dynamics of individual species: performance of implanted A. odoratum was negatively affected by overall root density in the topmost layer (Herben et al., ), the very same layer where the current study showed most of the Anthoxanthum roots are concentrated.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

“…In contrast, a number of studies from grasslands have indicated that differentiation among plant species below‐ground is not very strong and perhaps does not substantially contribute to their niche differentiation (Hoekstra, Suter, Finn, Husse, & Lüscher, ; Price, Hiiesalu, Gerhold, & Pärtel, ; Ravenek et al., ; Von Felten & Schmid, ; but see e.g. Herben, Březina, Skálová, Hadincová, & Krahulec, ; Mueller et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vertical root distribution of individual species in a mountain grassland community: Does it respond to neighbours?

et al. 2017

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Vertical differentiation in root placement is one of the potential mechanisms of plant niche differentiation. It can be due to the remarkable plasticity of roots in response to nutrients and neighbours, but most data on it come from pot or garden experiments. The roles of vertical differentiation and of plasticity in it in the field are thus not well known. We examined species‐specific root vertical distribution in a montane grassland using quantitative real‐time PCR. We asked whether individual species differ in their rooting depths, whether such differences are associated with above‐ground functional traits (such as height or specific leaf area), and whether they respond to the presence of a competitor. This response was assessed by comparison of species‐specific vertical profiles between control plots and plots where the dominant species, Festuca rubra, had been removed. Vertical profiles of individual species varied considerably, from species with most root biomass concentrated in the uppermost (<2 cm) soil layer, through species with uniform vertical distribution, to a species with roots predominantly below 8 cm (Nardus stricta). Species at the fast end of the plant economy spectrum were more likely to place their roots in the uppermost layers. Grassland species, thus, exploit different parts of the below‐ground resources in spite of their short stature, minor differences in height above‐ground and shallow soil. While below‐ground and above‐ground biomasses of most species were higher in the removal plots, species rooting patterns did not change in response to the removal. The interspecific differences in vertical profiles were thus due to species' innate differences, not to plastic responses to the presence of the dominant species. Synthesis. The findings imply that vertical root differentiation in the field is strong and can contribute to niche differentiation. However, the role of root plasticity in natural systems may be considerably weaker than in artificial systems with few species and strong nutrient gradients. This absence of the plastic response in the field is likely to be due to a fairly homogeneous distribution of nutrients in the soil and to the predominantly symmetric nature of below‐ground competition.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vertical root distribution of individual species in a mountain grassland community: Does it respond to neighbours?

et al. 2017

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“…An alternative explanation for the lower performance of local compared to foreign dominants could be a strong effect of direct intraspecific competition, i.e., competition occurring among two individuals present at the same place at the same time, as described in classical neighborhood models of plant competition (e.g., [ 50 ]). Stronger effects of intraspecific competition in comparison with interspecific competition were previously shown in a range of studies ([ 51 – 54 ], but see [ 55 ]). The plots used for the field experiment were, however, disturbed to suppress direct competition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

Assessment of Habitat Suitability Is Affected by Plant-Soil Feedback: Comparison of Field and Garden Experiment

Hemrová¹,

Knappová²,

Münzbergová³

2016

PLoS ONE

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BackgroundField translocation experiments (i.e., the introduction of seeds or seedlings of different species into different localities) are commonly used to study habitat associations of species, as well as factors limiting species distributions and local abundances. Species planted or sown in sites where they naturally occur are expected to perform better or equally well compared to sites at which they do not occur or are rare. This, however, contrasts with the predictions of the Janzen-Connell hypothesis and commonly reported intraspecific negative plant-soil feedback. The few previous studies indicating poorer performance of plants at sites where they naturally occur did not explore the mechanisms behind this pattern.Aims and MethodsIn this study, we used field translocation experiments established using both seeds and seedlings to study the determinants of local abundance of four dominant species in grasslands. To explore the possible effects of intraspecific negative plant-soil feedback on our results, we tested the effect of local species abundance on the performance of the plants in the field experiment. In addition, we set up a garden experiment to explore the intensity of intraspecific as well as interspecific feedback between the dominants used in the experiment.Key ResultsIn some cases, the distribution and local abundances of the species were partly driven by habitat conditions at the sites, and species performed better at their own sites. However, the prevailing pattern was that the local dominants performed worse at sites where they naturally occur than at any other sites. Moreover, the success of plants in the field experiment was lower in the case of higher intraspecific abundance prior to experimental setup. In the garden feedback experiment, two of the species performed significantly worse in soils conditioned by their species than in soils conditioned by the other species. In addition, the performance of the plants was significantly correlated between the two experiments, suggesting that plant-soil feedback is a likely explanation of the patterns observed in the field.ConclusionsAll of the results indicate that intraspecific negative plant-soil feedback, either biotic or abiotic, may be a key factor determining the performance of the plants in our field translocation experiment. The possible effects of negative feedback should thus be considered when evaluating results of translocation experiments in future studies.

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“…Whether or not a new individual establishes successfully is determined by the conditions at the potential establishment site, which may be affected by immediate or more distant neighbors. The neighbors immediately adjacent to a potential establishment site most strongly affect focal plant performance as they are presumed to exert the greatest control over local resource availability (Goldberg 1987, Naeem et al 2000, Kennedy et al 2002, Herben et al 2007, Milbau et al 2007. Kennedy et al (2002) studied the effect of species richness and density within a 10 cm radius of an invader on grassland invasion and found that invaders performed better in less species rich and less crowded neighborhoods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Varying fine-scale plant arrangement may also affect invasion at the plot-scale (Bergelson 1990, Olsen et al 2005, De Boeck et al 2006. Establishment in a site is generally determined by the density and identity of neighbors around the site (Fowler 1988, Bergelson et al 1993, Herben et al 2007, Milbau et al 2007. Establishment is typically greater in sites surrounded by individuals of a few species than in sites surrounding by individuals of several different species because resources in these low-richness sites are not as completely consumed (Grubb 1977, Naeem et al 2000, Loreau and Hector 2001, Kennedy et al 2002.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of fine-scale plant arrangement on grassland establishment

Yurkonis

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Grassland restoration techniques are often compared based on the species richness and composition of the plantings they produce. Different techniques may also generate plantings that differ in the ways plants occupy space, an effect that is not often considered in the context of ecological restoration. This study tests if there are quadrat-scale (1 m 2) differences between paired drill and broadcast seeded plantings in diversity, composition, and plant arrangement in two tallgrass prairie restoration sites. Higher competition intensity in and more contiguous spaces between rows in drill seeded restorations were hypothesized to result in larger patches of native warm-season grasses and non-native species than in broadcast seeded restorations. Drill and broadcast seeded plantings at both sites had similar Simpson's diversity and evenness. However, the effect of planting type on species richness, composition, and plant arrangement was site dependent. Native warm-season grasses in one site, and non-native species in the second, occupied more space and occurred in larger patches in drill seeded plantings. Furthermore, light at the soil surface was consistently lower in drill seeded plantings than in broadcast seeded plantings. This suggests that seed placement may affect the ways plants use space and resources in the resulting plantings. Future studies need to address if present differences between these planting types will result in future compositional differences and, if so, if altering seed patterns can meaningfully increase restoration success. Many thanks to the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge staff who helped to plan, plant, and manage the Thistle Suppression study plots. T. Moeller and K. Wahl assisted in sampling the plots. S. Allison, W. Polley, F. Isbell, and an anonymous reviewer provided helpful comments on earlier versions of this manuscript. This project was partially funded by the Iowa Department of Transportation Living Roadway Trust Fund, the Iowa Prairie Network, and the Iowa Native Plant Society. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Variation in plant performance in a grassland: Species-specific and neighbouring root mass effects

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Vertical root distribution of individual species in a mountain grassland community: Does it respond to neighbours?

Vertical root distribution of individual species in a mountain grassland community: Does it respond to neighbours?

Assessment of Habitat Suitability Is Affected by Plant-Soil Feedback: Comparison of Field and Garden Experiment

Effects of fine-scale plant arrangement on grassland establishment

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