The alpine cushion plant Silene acaulis as foundation species: a bug's-eye view to facilitation and microclimate.

ABSTRACT: Alpine ecosystems are important globally with high levels of endemic and rare species. Given that they will be highly impacted by climate change, understanding biotic factors that maintain diversity is critical. Silene acaulis is a common alpine nurse plant shown to positively influence the diversity and abundance of organisms--predominantly other plant species. The hypothesis that cushion or nurse plants in general are important to multiple trophic levels has been proposed but rarely tested. Alpine arthropod diversity is also largely understudied worldwide, and the plant-arthropod interactions reported are mostly negative, that is,. herbivory. Plant and arthropod diversity and abundance were sampled on S. acaulis and at paired adjacent microsites with other non-cushion forming vegetation

SUBMITTER: Molenda O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3360034 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature