Flooding and Soil Properties Control Plant Intra- and Interspecific Interactions in Salt Marshes
The stress gradient hypothesis (SGH) states that plant-plant interactions shift from competition to facilitation in increasing stress conditions. In salt marshes, edaphic properties can weaken the application of the SGH by amplifying the intensity of flooding and controlling plant zonation. We ident...
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/15/1940 |
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| author | Elisa Pellegrini Guido Incerti Ole Pedersen Natasha Moro Alessandro Foscari Valentino Casolo Marco Contin Francesco Boscutti |
| author_facet | Elisa Pellegrini Guido Incerti Ole Pedersen Natasha Moro Alessandro Foscari Valentino Casolo Marco Contin Francesco Boscutti |
| author_sort | Elisa Pellegrini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The stress gradient hypothesis (SGH) states that plant-plant interactions shift from competition to facilitation in increasing stress conditions. In salt marshes, edaphic properties can weaken the application of the SGH by amplifying the intensity of flooding and controlling plant zonation. We identified facilitative and competitive interactions along flooding gradients and tested the role of edaphic properties in exacerbating stress and shaping plant-plant interactions. Morphological traits of two target halophytes (<i>Limonium narbonense</i> and <i>Sarcocornia fruticosa</i>), flooding intensity, soil texture and soil organic C were recorded. The relative plant fitness index was assessed for the two species based on the relative growth in plurispecific rather than monospecific plant communities. Plant fitness increased with increasing stress supporting the SGH. <i>L. narbonense</i> showed larger fitness in plurispecific stands whereas <i>S. fruticosa</i> performed better in conspecific stands. Significant intra- or interspecific interactions were observed along the stress gradient defined by the combination of flooding and clay content in soil. When considering the limited soil organic C as stressor, soil properties were more important than flooding in defining plant-plant interactions. We highlight the need for future improvements of the SGH approach by including edaphic stressors in the model and their possible interactions with the main abiotic drivers of zonation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:06:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b068cd80c5044ad199e17de718ce7e7a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:06:16Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-b068cd80c5044ad199e17de718ce7e7a2023-12-03T12:54:55ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472022-07-011115194010.3390/plants11151940Flooding and Soil Properties Control Plant Intra- and Interspecific Interactions in Salt MarshesElisa Pellegrini0Guido Incerti1Ole Pedersen2Natasha Moro3Alessandro Foscari4Valentino Casolo5Marco Contin6Francesco Boscutti7Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Via delle Scienze 206, 33100 Udine, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Via delle Scienze 206, 33100 Udine, ItalyDepartment of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 4, 2100 Copenhagen, DenmarkDepartment of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Via delle Scienze 206, 33100 Udine, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Via delle Scienze 206, 33100 Udine, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Via delle Scienze 206, 33100 Udine, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Via delle Scienze 206, 33100 Udine, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Via delle Scienze 206, 33100 Udine, ItalyThe stress gradient hypothesis (SGH) states that plant-plant interactions shift from competition to facilitation in increasing stress conditions. In salt marshes, edaphic properties can weaken the application of the SGH by amplifying the intensity of flooding and controlling plant zonation. We identified facilitative and competitive interactions along flooding gradients and tested the role of edaphic properties in exacerbating stress and shaping plant-plant interactions. Morphological traits of two target halophytes (<i>Limonium narbonense</i> and <i>Sarcocornia fruticosa</i>), flooding intensity, soil texture and soil organic C were recorded. The relative plant fitness index was assessed for the two species based on the relative growth in plurispecific rather than monospecific plant communities. Plant fitness increased with increasing stress supporting the SGH. <i>L. narbonense</i> showed larger fitness in plurispecific stands whereas <i>S. fruticosa</i> performed better in conspecific stands. Significant intra- or interspecific interactions were observed along the stress gradient defined by the combination of flooding and clay content in soil. When considering the limited soil organic C as stressor, soil properties were more important than flooding in defining plant-plant interactions. We highlight the need for future improvements of the SGH approach by including edaphic stressors in the model and their possible interactions with the main abiotic drivers of zonation.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/15/1940biotic stressedaphic stressorshydroperiodplant-plant interactionplant traitssaltmarsh |
| spellingShingle | Elisa Pellegrini Guido Incerti Ole Pedersen Natasha Moro Alessandro Foscari Valentino Casolo Marco Contin Francesco Boscutti Flooding and Soil Properties Control Plant Intra- and Interspecific Interactions in Salt Marshes Plants biotic stress edaphic stressors hydroperiod plant-plant interaction plant traits saltmarsh |
| title | Flooding and Soil Properties Control Plant Intra- and Interspecific Interactions in Salt Marshes |
| title_full | Flooding and Soil Properties Control Plant Intra- and Interspecific Interactions in Salt Marshes |
| title_fullStr | Flooding and Soil Properties Control Plant Intra- and Interspecific Interactions in Salt Marshes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Flooding and Soil Properties Control Plant Intra- and Interspecific Interactions in Salt Marshes |
| title_short | Flooding and Soil Properties Control Plant Intra- and Interspecific Interactions in Salt Marshes |
| title_sort | flooding and soil properties control plant intra and interspecific interactions in salt marshes |
| topic | biotic stress edaphic stressors hydroperiod plant-plant interaction plant traits saltmarsh |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/15/1940 |
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