Seed rain and seed bank reveal that seed limitation strongly influences plant community assembly in grasslands.

ABSTRACT: Dispersal is an important factor in plant community assembly, but assembly studies seldom include information on actual dispersal into communities, i.e. the local propagule pool. The aim of this study was to determine which factors influence plant community assembly by focusing on two phases of the assembly process: the dispersal phase and the establishment phase. At 12 study sites in grazed ex-arable fields in Sweden the local plant community was determined and in a 100-m radius around the centre of each site, the regional species pool was measured. The local seed bank and the seed rain was explored to estimate the local propagule pool. Trait-based models were then applied to investigate if species traits (height, seed mass, clonal abilities, specific leaf area and dispersal method) and r

SUBMITTER: Marteinsdottir B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4109992 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature