Journal
NEW PHYTOLOGIST
Volume 170, Issue 4, Pages 795-805Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01711.x
Keywords
drought; plant strategies; plastic responses; regeneration niche; shade tolerance
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
circle The aim of the study was to assess the potential importance for Mediterranean plants of trade-offs in the response to irradiance and water availability at the regeneration stage. circle Survival and growth patterns across an experimentally imposed irradiance gradient (1, 6, 20 and 100% sunlight) were studied in seedlings of eight Mediterranean woody species, together with the impact of a simulated summer drought. circle We found evidence of some of the trade-offs previously reported for non-Mediterranean plant communities, such as between survival in the shade and relative growth rate (RGR) at high light, but no evidence for others, such as between shade and drought tolerances. The impact of drought on survival and RGR was stronger in high light than in deep shade. circle The observed species-specific differences in performance provide a mechanistic basis for niche differentiation at the regeneration stage, contributing to possible explanations of species coexistence in Mediterranean ecosystems.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available