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RESEARCH LITERATURE
The Research Literature database was created and funded by the Florida Wildflower Foundation. Use the search features below to find scientific articles on native wildflowers that are commercially available or used in restoration projects.
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Do disturbances alter competitive hierarchies? Mechanisms of change following gap creation
Author(s): K. N. Suding, D. Goldberg
Year: 2001
Journal: Ecology
Volume: 82
Issue: 8
Pages: 2133-2149
Article Topic(s): Competition, Disturbance, Establishment methods
Research Setting(s): Prairie
Species Referenced: Andropogon gerardii (Big bluestem),
Abstract
Investigates how and why species composition changes following disturbance in prairies. The accepted theory (competitive reduction) is that reduced competition allows inferior competitive species to colonize. This study introduces a new theory called competitive change, in which the changes associated with disturbance are responsible for the changes in species composition. This new theory was tested in an Ohio prairie with Andropogon gerardii, Coreopsis tripteris, and Ratibida pinnata. In gaps created by disturbance, A. gerardii was superior in terms of survival but C. tripteris was superior in terms of relative growth. The article concludes that both competitive reduction and competitive change likely influence species composition.Suggested Citation
K. N. Suding, and D. Goldberg. "Do disturbances alter competitive hierarchies? Mechanisms of change following gap creation." Ecology 82.8 (2001): 2133-2149.Go back