Plant traits shape the effects of tidal flooding on soil and plant communities in saltmarshes
Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › fagfællebedømt
Standard
Plant traits shape the effects of tidal flooding on soil and plant communities in saltmarshes. / Pellegrini, Elisa; Boscutti, Francesco; De Nobili, Maria; Casolo, Valentino.
I: Plant Ecology, Bind 219, Nr. 7, 2018, s. 823-835.Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › fagfællebedømt
Harvard
APA
Vancouver
Author
Bibtex
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
T1 - Plant traits shape the effects of tidal flooding on soil and plant communities in saltmarshes
AU - Pellegrini, Elisa
AU - Boscutti, Francesco
AU - De Nobili, Maria
AU - Casolo, Valentino
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - Saltmarshes are recognised worldwide to be among the most complex ecosystems, where several environmental factors concur to sustain their fragile functioning. Among them, soil–plant interactions are pivotal but often overlooked. The aim of this work was to use a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach to get new insight into soil–plant interactions, focusing on the effect of plant traits and abundance on soil, and test the effect of soil and/or plants on the entire community, monitoring changes in plant richness. The target halophytes Limonium narbonense and Sarcocornia fruticosa were sampled in the Marano and Grado lagoon (northern Adriatic Sea). Basal leaves of L. narbonense and green shoots of S. fruticosa were used to estimate plant growth, while the abundance of both species was used as a proxy of species competition. SEM was applied to test relationships between predictors and response variables in a single causal network. The flooding period (hydroperiod) negatively affected plant growth and soil properties, whereas plants decreased the intensity of soil reduction. Flooding did not directly affect species abundance or diversity, whose changes were instead driven by plant traits. The direct relationships between plant traits and species richness highlighted that species competition could be even more important than environmental stresses in defining plant diversity and zonation.
AB - Saltmarshes are recognised worldwide to be among the most complex ecosystems, where several environmental factors concur to sustain their fragile functioning. Among them, soil–plant interactions are pivotal but often overlooked. The aim of this work was to use a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach to get new insight into soil–plant interactions, focusing on the effect of plant traits and abundance on soil, and test the effect of soil and/or plants on the entire community, monitoring changes in plant richness. The target halophytes Limonium narbonense and Sarcocornia fruticosa were sampled in the Marano and Grado lagoon (northern Adriatic Sea). Basal leaves of L. narbonense and green shoots of S. fruticosa were used to estimate plant growth, while the abundance of both species was used as a proxy of species competition. SEM was applied to test relationships between predictors and response variables in a single causal network. The flooding period (hydroperiod) negatively affected plant growth and soil properties, whereas plants decreased the intensity of soil reduction. Flooding did not directly affect species abundance or diversity, whose changes were instead driven by plant traits. The direct relationships between plant traits and species richness highlighted that species competition could be even more important than environmental stresses in defining plant diversity and zonation.
KW - Plant diversity
KW - Plant–plant interaction
KW - Redox potential
KW - Species richness
KW - Waterlogging
U2 - 10.1007/s11258-018-0837-z
DO - 10.1007/s11258-018-0837-z
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85047395657
VL - 219
SP - 823
EP - 835
JO - Plant Ecology
JF - Plant Ecology
SN - 1385-0237
IS - 7
ER -
ID: 228162183