Abstract
We performed a field experiment to test whether the presence of litter produced by the dominant species in the first successional year affects the plant community structure in the following year. We removed the litter of Setaria faberii (the first-year dominant) in midfall, early spring, mid-spring, or late spring. Both the fall and early spring removal increased the biomass of Erigeron annuus, which became dominant, and reduced the biomass of S. faberii. In the fall-removal treatment more plants of E. annuus flowered, while early spring removal increased the biomass of rosettes (non-flowering individuals) at the end of the growing season. In the other treatments and in the control S. faberii retained dominance, but its biomass was the highest in mid-spring removal plots. The removal of litter of S. faberii in the fall and in early spring allowed E. annuus to pre-empt the site and dominate the community. When litter was not removed, it strongly hindered the growth of E. annuus, favoring S. faberii. These results highlight the importance of litter as a historical factor linking interactions across successive generations, and controlling the community structure.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alford RA, Wilbur HM (1985) Priority effects in experimental pond communities: competition between Buffo and Rana. Ecology 66:1097–1105
Al-Mufti MM, Sydes CL, Furness SB, Band SR (1977) A quantitative analysis of shoot phenology and dominance in herbaceous vegetation. J Ecol 65:759–791
Bard G (1952) Secondary succession on the piedmont of New Jersey. Ecol Monogr 22:195–215
Baskin CC, Baskin JM (1988) Germination ecophysiology of herbaceous plant species in temperate regions. Am J Bot 75:286–305
Bazzaz FA (1984) Demographic consequences of plant physiological traits: some case studies. In: Dirzo R, Sarukhán J (eds) Perspectives in plant population ecology. Sinauer, Sunderland, Massachusetts, pp 324–346
Bergelson J (1990) Life after death: site pre-emption by the remains of Poa annua. Ecology 71:2157–2165
Carson WP, Peterson CJ (1990) The role of litter in an old-field community: impact of litter quantity in different seasons on plant species richness and abundance. Oecologia 85:8–13
Connell JH, Slatyer RO (1977) Mechanisms of succession in natural communities a their role in community stability and organization. Am Nat 111:1119–1144
Egler FE (1954) Vegetation science concepts. I. Initial floristic composition, a factor in old-field vegetation development. Vegetatio 4:412–417
Facelli JM, Pickett STA (1991a) Plant litter: light interception and effects on an oldfield plant community. Ecology 72:1024–1031
Facelli JM, Pickett STA (1991b) Indirect effects of litter on woody seedlings subject to herb competition. Oikos 62:129–138
Facelli JM, Pickett STA (1991c) Plant litter: its dynamics and its role in plant community structure. Bot Rev 57:1–32
Grime JP (1973) Competitive exclusion in herbaceous vegetation Nature 242:344–347
Grime JP (1979) Plant strategies and vegetation processes. John Wiley and Son, New York
Harper JL (1961) Approaches to the study of plant competition. Symp Soc Exp Biol 15:1–39
Harper JL (1977) Population biology of plants. Academic Press, New York
Monk CD, Gabrielson FC Jr (1985) Effect of shade, litter and root competition on old field vegetation in South Carolina. Bull Torrey Bot Club 112:383–392
Morin PJ (1984) Odonate guild composition: experiments with colonization history and fish predation. Ecology 65:1866–1873
Morin PJ (1987) Predation, breeding asynchrony, and the outcome of competition among treefrog tadpoles. Ecology 68:675–683
Myster RW, Pickett STA (1988) Individualistic patterns of annuals and biennials in early successional oldfields. Vegetatio 78:53–60
Pickett STA (1982) Population patterns through twenty years of old field succession. Vegetatio 49:45–59
Robinson JV, Dickerson JE (1987) Does invasion sequence affect community structure? Ecology 68:587–595
Robinson JV, Edgemon MA (1988) An experimental evaluation of the effect of invasion history on community structure. Ecology 69:1410–1417
Ross MA, Harper JL (1972) Occupation of biological space during seedling establishment. J Ecol 60:77–88
Sagar GR, Harper JL (1961) Controlled interference with natural populations of Plantago lanceolata, P. major and P. media. Weed Res 1:163–176
SAS (1986) Statistics user's guide. SAS Institute, Cary, North Carolina
Sydes C, Grime JP (1981) Effects of tree leaf litter on herbaceous vegetation in deciduous woodland. II. An experimental investigation. J Ecol 69:249–262
Thompson K, Grime JP, Mason G (1977) Seed germination in response to diurnal fluctuations of temperature. Nature 267:147–149
Tilman D (1987) Secondary succession and the pattern of plant dominance along experimental nitrogen gradients. Ecol Monog 57:189–214
United States Weather Bureau (1959) Climate of the states. New Jersey. United States Department of Commerce, Washington
USDA (1976) Soil survey of Somerset County, New Jersey. United States Department of Agriculture, Washington
Wilson JB (1988) The effect of initial advantage on the course of plant competition. Oikos 51:19–24
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Facelli, J.M., Facelli, E. Interactions after death: plant litter controls priority effects in a successional plant community. Oecologia 95, 277–282 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00323500
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00323500