Plant-Plant Interactions Flashcards
When do positive interactions occur between plants?
When the presence of one plant enhances the growth or survival or reproduction of a neighbour.
What are nurse plants?
Adult plants that facilitate the development of seedlings beneath their canopy. These can be the same or different species.
How do nurse plants assist seedlings?
By providing benign microhabitats with more favourable conditions.
Where are positive plant-plant interactions more common?
In harsher environments.
What are some more favourable conditions provided by nurse plants?
Extreme temperature protection. Physical support. Stabilisation of mobile substrates. Improved water retention. Grazing reduction.
What is the Stress Gradient Hypothesis?
As ecosystem stress increases, mutually supportive interactions become more significant and negative interactions become less significant.
Where are most nurse plants found?
In arid and semi-arid environments and Arctic/alpine environments.
Define phenotypic plasticity.
The capacity of an individual to exhibit a range of phenotypes in response to environmental variation.
What organisms mediate plant-plant interaction?
Ectomycorrhizal fungi.
What % of carbon do trees supply to fungi?
10-20%
What is an epiphyte?
An organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water or from debris accumulation.
