Assemblage of a semi-arid annual plant community: abiotic and biotic filters act hierarchically.

ABSTRACT: The study of species coexistence and community assembly has been a hot topic in ecology for decades. Disentangling the hierarchical role of abiotic and biotic filters is crucial to understand community assembly processes. The most critical environmental factor in semi-arid environments is known to be water availability, and perennials are usually described as nurses that create milder local conditions and expand the niche range of several species. We aimed to broaden this view by jointly evaluating how biological soil crusts (BSCs), water availability, perennial species (presence/absence of Stipa tenacissima) and plant-plant interactions shape a semi-arid annual plant community. The presence and cover of annual species was monitored during three years of contrasting climate. Water stress a

SUBMITTER: Luzuriaga AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3407229 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature