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Life-history constraints in grassland plant species: a growth-defence trade-off is the norm.

Authors :
Lind EM
Borer E
Seabloom E
Adler P
Bakker JD
Blumenthal DM
Crawley M
Davies K
Firn J
Gruner DS
Harpole WS
Hautier Y
Hillebrand H
Knops J
Melbourne B
Mortensen B
Risch AC
Schuetz M
Stevens C
Wragg PD
Source :
Ecology letters [Ecol Lett] 2013 Apr; Vol. 16 (4), pp. 513-21. Date of Electronic Publication: 2013 Jan 24.
Publication Year :
2013

Abstract

Plant growth can be limited by resource acquisition and defence against consumers, leading to contrasting trade-off possibilities. The competition-defence hypothesis posits a trade-off between competitive ability and defence against enemies (e.g. herbivores and pathogens). The growth-defence hypothesis suggests that strong competitors for nutrients are also defended against enemies, at a cost to growth rate. We tested these hypotheses using observations of 706 plant populations of over 500 species before and following identical fertilisation and fencing treatments at 39 grassland sites worldwide. Strong positive covariance in species responses to both treatments provided support for a growth-defence trade-off: populations that increased with the removal of nutrient limitation (poor competitors) also increased following removal of consumers. This result held globally across 4 years within plant life-history groups and within the majority of individual sites. Thus, a growth-defence trade-off appears to be the norm, and mechanisms maintaining grassland biodiversity may operate within this constraint.<br /> (© 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1461-0248
Volume :
16
Issue :
4
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Ecology letters
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
23347060
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12078