It takes a village to grow a tree: Most tree species benefit from dissimilar neighbors.

ABSTRACT: Scientific consensus is that diverse tree species positively impact forest productivity, especially when species are functionally dissimilar. Under the complementarity hypothesis, differences in species traits reduce competition among neighboring tree species. However, while this relationship has been extensively studied at the community level, there is a lack of understanding regarding how individuals of different species specifically respond to a functionally dissimilar neighborhood. In this study, we used permanent plots from Quebec, Canada, and 19 focal tree species to test whether: (1) tree growth response to neighborhood dissimilarity varies with their identity and competition intensity, and (2) focal tree species' traits explain their response to neighborhood dissimilarity. We demon

SUBMITTER: Di Maurizio V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10739099 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature