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Heterogeneous distribution of soil nutrients increase intra-specific competition in the clonal plant Glechoma hederacea

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Abstract

Small-scale heterogeneity strongly affects plant fitness and many ecological processes, and it can significantly influence the growth of individual plants, populations and communities. Generally, clonal species achieve significantly more growth when essential resources are patchily distributed than when resources are uniformly distributed. In this study, we aim to determine the effect of spatial heterogeneity in soil resources on intraspecific competition in the clonal plant Glechoma hederacea. We report the outcomes of a greenhouse experiment where high and low densities of plants were exposed to patchy and uniform distribution of nutrients. Our results showed that patchy distribution of resources exacerbated intra-specific competition between clonal systems. We found a reduction of total mass of clonal systems growing at high-density, especially under patchy conditions. Patchy distribution of resources conduct to high concentration of resources located in small areas, and as consequence increase the competition interaction between plants. This study demonstrates that full understanding of plant–plant competitive interactions requires consideration of spatial heterogeneity in nutrient supply.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Carla Vazquez González, Gabriela Quiroga García and Oscar Castro Morán for greenhouse assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of A Coruña, 15071, A Coruña, Spain

    Sergio R. Roiloa

  2. Ecology Unit, Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    Paula Sánchez-Rodríguez & Rubén Retuerto

Authors
  1. Sergio R. Roiloa
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  2. Paula Sánchez-Rodríguez
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  3. Rubén Retuerto
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sergio R. Roiloa.

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Communicated by Anne Bonis.

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Roiloa, S.R., Sánchez-Rodríguez, P. & Retuerto, R. Heterogeneous distribution of soil nutrients increase intra-specific competition in the clonal plant Glechoma hederacea . Plant Ecol 215, 863–873 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-014-0338-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-014-0338-7

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