Title:	Competition for water and rapid exclusion of an island endemic by a pantropical species in a tropical climate
Authors:	Gomes, Anabele Stefânia Callaway, Ragan M. Rabelo, Bruno S. Petry, Graziela Luciana Barbosa, Eduardo M. Borghetti, Fabian
metadata.dc.identifier.orcid:	https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7141-265X
metadata.dc.contributor.affiliation:	University of Brasilia, Department of Botany University of Montana, Division of Biological Sciences, Wildlife Biology, and the Institute on Ecosystems University of Brasilia, Department of Botany University of Brasilia, Department of Botany University of Brasilia, Department of Botany University of Brasilia, Department of Botany
Assunto::	Competição (Biologia) Comunidades vegetais - Trópicos Água - Trópicos
Issue Date:	27-Mar-2023
Publisher:	Springer
Citation:	GOMES, Anabele S. et al. Competition for water and rapid exclusion of an island endemic by a pantropical species in a tropical climate. Oecologia, v. 201, p. 901-914, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-023-05352-7.
Abstract:	Water availability has major effects on community structure and dynamics globally, yet our understanding of competition for water in the tropics is limited. On the tropical Trindade Island, we explored competition for water in the context of the rapid exclusion of an endemic sedge, Cyperus atlanticus (Cyperaceae), by a pantropical, N-fixing shrub, Guilandina bonduc (Fabaceae). Guilandina patches were generally surrounded by rings of bare soil, and dead Cyperus halos commonly surrounded these bare zones. With geo-referenced measurements, we showed that Guilandina patches and bare soil zones rapidly expanded and replaced adjacent Cyperus populations. We found that soil water potentials were much lower in bare soils than soils under Guilandina or Cyperus, and that leaf water potentials of Cyperus plants were lower when co-occurring with Guilandina than when alone. When Guilandina was removed experimentally, Cyperus populations expanded and largely covered the bare soil zones. Our results indicate that when Guilandina establishes, its root systems expand beyond its canopies and these roots pull water from soils beneath Cyperus and kill it, creating bare zone halos, and then Guilandina expands and repeats the process. This scenario indicates rapid competitive exclusion and displacement of an endemic by a common pantropical species, at least in part through competition for water.
metadata.dc.description.unidade:	Instituto de Ciências Biológicas (IB) Departamento de Botânica (IB BOT)
DOI:	https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-023-05352-7
metadata.dc.relation.publisherversion:	https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00442-023-05352-7
Appears in Collections:	Artigos publicados em periódicos e afins

Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.