Diverse phylogenetic neighborhoods enhance community resistance to drought in experimental assemblages.

ABSTRACT: Although the role played by phylogeny in the assembly of plant communities remains as a priority to complete the theory of species coexistence, experimental evidence is lacking. It is still unclear to what extent phylogenetic diversity is a driver or a consequence of species assembly processes. We experimentally explored how phylogenetic diversity can drive the community level responses to drought conditions in annual plant communities. We manipulated the initial phylogenetic diversity of the assemblages and the water availability in a common garden experiment with two irrigation treatments: average natural rainfall and drought, formed with annual plant species of gypsum ecosystems of Central Spain. We recorded plant survival and the numbers of flowering and fruiting plants per species in

SUBMITTER: Chaves R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8602379 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature