Testing the competition-colonization trade-off and its correlations with functional trait variations among subtropical tree species.

ABSTRACT: The competition-colonization trade-off, by which species can partition spatial niches, is a potentially important mechanism allowing the maintenance of species diversity in plant communities. We examined whether there was evidence for this trade-off among tree species in a subtropical forest and how it correlated with eight functional traits. We developed and estimated a metric for colonization ability that incorporates both fecundity and seed dispersal based on seed trap data and the sizes and distributions of adult trees. Competitive ability was estimated as survival probability under high crowding conditions based on neighborhood models. Although we found no significant relationship between colonization and competitive abilities, there was a significant negative correlation between long

SUBMITTER: Bin Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6802185 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature