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Facilitation and competition influence succession in a subtropical old field

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Abstract

The effects of neighboring vegetation and soil fertility on the establishment, survival and growth of tree species were studied in a subtropical old-field area in south Brazil. Seed damage, germination and seedling establishment of four tree species plus growth and survival of two transplanted tree species were monitored under factorial combinations of the following treatments: (1) pioneer vegetation (presence and absence); (2) soil fertility (addition of NPK and control). Facilitation was the main process affecting plant performance. The presence of pioneer vegetation significantly improved germination, establishment, growth and survival of most study species. Around 90% of sown seeds were damaged and the removal of pioneer vegetation significantly increased seed damage for all species studied, decreased germination in three out of four species, and decreased establishment in one species. Moreover a significantly higher seedling growth rate of Inga virescens was found after the first year of the experiment in plots where vegetation was present. The presence of vegetation significantly increased seedling survival of I. virescens by protecting seedlings from leaf loss due to winter frosts. Competition was detected by the second year when a higher growth of transplanted seedlings of the species Araucaria angustifolia occurred in plots where vegetation was present and fertilizer were applied. A lower growth rate was detected in plots where vegetation was present but fertilizer was not applied. These results indicate a balance between competition for soil nutrients and protection by neighbor vegetation. Damage of seedlings by leaf cutter ants was an important barrier for plant survival. Damage occurred in 80% of the A. angustifolia seedlings and 58% of these damaged seedlings died. The presence of neighboring vegetation tended to protect seedlings from ant damage. Although competition occurred, facilitation seems to be the main process driving early successional changes in this subtropical old field. This was mainly due to the improvement of local microclimatic conditions and protection against herbivores by neighboring vegetation. Facilitation occurred during establishment and growth phases in a subtropical area that is considered a productive, low stress environment. Our results indicate that facilitation may be more frequent in productive environments than previously thought.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Maria Miriti, Mauro Galetti and Edward Benya for comments on the early version of the manuscript. We are very grateful to Flávia M. Soccol for her continuous assistance. We thank Ronei Baldissera, Simone Benedet, Fernanda Pereira, and Letícia Pedroso who helped with the field work. We thank IBAMA for offering the study area where the experiments was implemented. Lessandra Zanini received a scholarship from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES (Brazil). This work was funded by UNISINOS, Brazil.

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  1. Laboratório de Ecologia da Restauração, Biologia, Centro 2, UNISINOS, CP 275, São Leopoldo, 93022-000, RS, Brazil

    Lessandra Zanini, Gislene Ganade & Ingo Hübel

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  1. Lessandra Zanini
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  2. Gislene Ganade
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  3. Ingo Hübel
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Correspondence to Gislene Ganade.

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Zanini, L., Ganade, G. & Hübel, I. Facilitation and competition influence succession in a subtropical old field. Plant Ecol 185, 179–190 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-005-9093-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-005-9093-0

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