Journal
NEW PHYTOLOGIST
Volume 202, Issue 1, Pages 95-105Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/nph.12641
Keywords
community feedbacks; competition; nurse plant system; parasitism; plant-plant interactions; reciprocal interactions; reproductive success
Categories
Funding
- Swiss National Science Foundation [PBBEP3_128361, PA00P3_136474]
- CSIC [PA1003183]
- University of Bordeaux 1
- French ANR [09 - STRA - 09 O2LA, 11 EF 8 / L 11]
- CONICYT [PFB-023]
- FONDECYT [1090389]
- Organismo Autonomo Parques Nacionales [0002/9]
- NSERC DG
- State Key Program of National Natural Science of China [31230014]
- Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University [NCET-13-0265]
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [31070357, 40901019, 31000203, 31000178]
- Qilian Shan station of Glaciology and Ecological Environment
- Postdoc USB [CZ.1.07/2.3.00/30.0006]
- European Social Fund
- Czech State Budget
- South African National Research Foundation
- South African National Antarctic Program
- Stellenbosch University
- F ICM [P05-002]
- Office of Integrative Activities
- Office Of The Director [1443108] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) [PBBEP3_128361] Funding Source: Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF)
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Facilitative interactions are defined as positive effects of one species on another, but bidirectional feedbacks may be positive, neutral, or negative. Understanding the bidirectional nature of these interactions is a fundamental prerequisite for the assessment of the potential evolutionary consequences of facilitation. In a global study combining observational and experimental approaches, we quantified the impact of the cover and richness of species associated with alpine cushion plants on reproductive traits of the benefactor cushions. We found a decline in cushion seed production with increasing cover of cushion-associated species, indicating that being a benefactor came at an overall cost. The effect of cushion-associated species was negative for flower density and seed set of cushions, but not for fruit set and seed quality. Richness of cushion-associated species had positive effects on seed density and modulated the effects of their abundance on flower density and fruit set, indicating that the costs and benefits of harboring associated species depend on the composition of the plant assemblage. Our study demonstrates 'parasitic' interactions among plants over a wide range of species and environments in alpine systems, and we consider their implications for the possible selective effects of interactions between benefactor and beneficiary species.
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