Genetic variation within a dominant shrub species determines plant species colonization in a coastal dune ecosystem

被引:46
作者
Crutsinger, Gregory M. [1 ]
Strauss, Sharon Y. [2 ]
Rudgers, Jennifer A. [3 ]
机构
[1] Univ Calif Berkeley, Dept Integrat Biol, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
[2] Univ Calif Davis, Ctr Populat Biol, Davis, CA 95616 USA
[3] Rice Univ, Dept Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, Houston, TX 77005 USA
基金
美国国家科学基金会;
关键词
Ammophila arenaria; Baccharis pilularis; community genetics; dioecy; dunes ecosystem; invasion resistance; plant architecture; ENVIRONMENTAL VARIATION; GENOTYPIC DIVERSITY; COMMUNITY STRUCTURE; HERBIVORY; COMPETITION; RESISTANCE; GRASSLAND; EVOLUTION; DYNAMICS; INVASION;
D O I
10.1890/09-0613.1
中图分类号
Q14 [生态学(生物生态学)];
学科分类号
071012 ; 0713 ;
摘要
The diversity and structure of plant communities is often determined by the presence and identity of competitively dominant species. Recent studies suggest that intraspecific variation within dominants may also have important community-level consequences. In a coastal dunes ecosystem of northern California, we use a decade-old common garden experiment to test the effects of a genetically based architectural dimorphism within a dominant native shrub, Baccharis pilularis, on plant colonization success and understory plant diversity. We found that erect Baccharis morphs had higher richness and cover of colonizing plant species (both native and exotic species) compared to prostrate morphs, as well as higher biomass of a dominant exotic dune grass (Ammophila arenaria). Trait differences between architectural morphs influenced the abiotic understory environment (light availability, soil surface temperature, and litter depth) and were associated with species colonization success. Taken together, our results demonstrate that incorporating within-species variation, particularly within dominant species, into community ecological research can increase the ability to predict patterns of species diversity and assembly within communities.
引用
收藏
页码:1237 / 1243
页数:7
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