Cushion and shrub ecosystem engineers contribute differently to diversity and functions in alpine ecosystems

doi:10.1111/jvs.12725

	Cushion and shrub ecosystem engineers contribute differently to diversity and functions in alpine ecosystems
	Chen, Jian-Guo 1; He, Xiao-Fang 1,2; Wang, Song-Wei 3; Yang, Yang1 ; Sun, Hang1
通讯作者	Yang, Yang(yangyang@mail.kib.ac.cn) ; Sun, Hang(sunhang@mail.kib.ac.cn)
	2019-03-01
发表期刊	JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE
ISSN	1100-9233
卷号	30 期号:2 页码:362-374
摘要	Questions As ecosystem engineers, alpine cushion and shrub species have been widely documented, but their roles as co-existing nurse plants have not been explicitly compared. In this study, our questions were: (1) what are the differences in engineering effects between cushions and shrubs in alpine ecosystems in southwestern China? (2) what are the differences in their influences on the attributes of alpine plant communities? and (3) can we detect the effects of changes in environmental stress with elevation on the engineering effects of cushions and shrubs? Study Site Three plant communities along an elevational gradient on Baima Snow Mountain, SW China. Methods Field measurements were carried out to assess effects of cushion (Arenaria polytrichoides) and shrub (Rhododendron rupicola) species on soil temperature, soil nutrient and water availabilities, the species richness of co-existing vascular species and their abundance, above-ground production and the percentages of grazed individuals. Results Shrub and cushion species modify micro-environmental conditions, especially at higher elevations, but in different ways. Grazing pressures are highest for plants in the surroundings, followed by within cushions, and finally under shrubs. This indicates that both cushion and shrub species can protect beneficiary species from grazing by livestock. The presence of cushion plants increased species richness, abundance and above-ground production in the higher community but not in the middle and lower communities. However, the presence of shrubs consistently increased those measurements across the elevational gradient. In addition, some species exclusively and some others preferentially occur within cushions or beneath shrubs. Conclusion The results clearly suggest that alpine cushion and shrub species in the Hengduan Mountains both act as ecosystem engineers and contribute positively to community attributes. However, their engineering effects vary with environmental stresses. Cushions could facilitate other species under severe abiotic stress, but showed much weaker or even competitive effects in benign conditions; shrubs' facilitation may remain consistently strong under different stresses.
关键词	above-ground production alpine ecosystem Arenaria polytrichoides cushion species facilitation grazing pressure Hengduan Mountains Rhododendron rupicola shrub species
DOI	10.1111/jvs.12725
收录类别	SCI
语种	英语
WOS记录号	WOS:000466421500018
引用统计
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://ir.kib.ac.cn/handle/151853/67520
专题	中国科学院东亚植物多样性与生物地理学重点实验室
通讯作者	Yang, Yang; Sun, Hang
作者单位	1.Chinese Acad Sci, Kunming Inst Bot, Key Lab Plant Divers & Biogeog East Asia, Kunming, Yunnan, Peoples R China 2.Univ Chinese Acad Sci, Beijing, Peoples R China 3.Yunnan Univ, Sch Life Sci, Kunming, Yunnan, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Chen, Jian-Guo,He, Xiao-Fang,Wang, Song-Wei,et al. Cushion and shrub ecosystem engineers contribute differently to diversity and functions in alpine ecosystems[J]. JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE,2019,30(2):362-374.
APA	Chen, Jian-Guo,He, Xiao-Fang,Wang, Song-Wei,Yang, Yang,&Sun, Hang.(2019).Cushion and shrub ecosystem engineers contribute differently to diversity and functions in alpine ecosystems.JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE,30(2),362-374.
MLA	Chen, Jian-Guo,et al."Cushion and shrub ecosystem engineers contribute differently to diversity and functions in alpine ecosystems".JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE 30.2(2019):362-374.

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