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Rainfall variability maintains grass-forb species coexistence.

Lauren M Hallett1, Lauren G Shoemaker2, Caitlin T White3

  • 1Environmental Studies Program and Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA.

Ecology Letters
|July 13, 2019
PubMed
Summary

Environmental fluctuations, specifically rainfall variability, are crucial for species coexistence in grasslands. Relative nonlinearity, not the storage effect, was the key mechanism stabilizing coexistence between a grass and a forb.

Keywords:
AvenaErodiumCalifornia grasslandsfluctuation-dependentmodern coexistence theoryrangelandsrelative nonlinearityresource acquisitivestorage effectstress tolerant

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Environmental Science

Background:

  • Modern coexistence theory identifies two temporal coexistence mechanisms dependent on environmental fluctuations: the storage effect and relative nonlinearity.
  • Empirical validation of these mechanisms, particularly in the context of environmental variability, remains limited.

Discussion:

  • This study experimentally investigates the role of environmental fluctuations in structuring species coexistence within a California annual grassland ecosystem.
  • Rainfall variability was found to be integral to the coexistence of the grass *Avena barbata* and the forb *Erodium botrys*.
  • Early-season drought conditions were essential for the persistence of *Erodium*, highlighting the impact of specific fluctuation patterns.

Key Insights:

  • Relative nonlinearity significantly stabilized coexistence, with *Erodium* benefiting disproportionately from competitive release during early-season drought.
  • Contrary to theoretical focus, the storage effect was not critical for coexistence in this system.
  • Environmental variability directly enhanced the growth rates of both *Avena barbata* and *Erodium botrys*.

Outlook:

  • Future research should further explore the underappreciated role of relative nonlinearity in ecological communities.
  • Understanding the nuanced effects of environmental variability is critical for predicting species responses to climate change.
  • This study provides a foundation for empirical testing of coexistence mechanisms in diverse ecological settings.