Non-linear effects of drought under shade: reconciling physiological and ecological models in plant communities.

ABSTRACT: The combined effects of shade and drought on plant performance and the implications for species interactions are highly debated in plant ecology. Empirical evidence for positive and negative effects of shade on the performance of plants under dry conditions supports two contrasting theoretical models about the role of shade under dry conditions: the trade-off and the facilitation hypotheses. We performed a meta-analysis of field and greenhouse studies evaluating the effects of drought at two or more irradiance levels on nine response variables describing plant physiological condition, growth, and survival. We explored differences in plant response across plant functional types, ecosystem types and methodological approaches. The data were best fit using quadratic models indicating a humped-

SUBMITTER: Holmgren M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3353118 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature