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Seed, dispersal, microsite, habitat and recruitment limitation: identification of terms and concepts in studies of limitations

  • Concepts, reviews, and syntheses
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Abstract

Recently, there is an increase in number of studies concerned with the effect of various types of limitations on species local population size and distribution pattern at the landscape scale. The terminology used to describe these limitations is, however, very inconsistent. Since the different terms often appear in conclusions of the papers, the inconsistency in their use obscures the message of these papers. In this study, we review the current uses of these terms, identify the basic concepts involved in the discussion of a limitation and link the concepts with the currently used terms. Finally, we discuss the experimental approaches used to assess the different types of limitations. We differentiated four basic concepts resulting from the combination of limitation by environment versus ability to grow and spread, and two spatial scales (local and regional scale). The two concepts at each spatial scale are expected to form a gradient of all possible combinations of the two respective types of limitations. In the considerations of various experimental approaches used to assess these limitations, we conclude that sowing experiments, i.e. seed addition into existing populations or seed introduction into unoccupied habitats, are the only reliable types of evidence for the different types of limitations.

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Acknowledgements

We would also like to thank Johan Ehrlén and two anonymous reviewers for critical comments on the previous version of the manuscript. This study was supported by grants GAČR no. 206/02/05, and by doctoral grant GAČR no. 206/03/H137. It is also partly supported by MSMST 0021620828, AV0Z6005908 and KSK6005114.

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  1. Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 252 43, Pruhonice, Czech Republic

    Zuzana Münzbergová & Tomáš Herben

  2. Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Benátská 2, 12801, Praha, Czech Republic

    Zuzana Münzbergová & Tomáš Herben

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  1. Zuzana Münzbergová
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  2. Tomáš Herben
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Correspondence to Zuzana Münzbergová.

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Communicated by Christian Koerner

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Münzbergová, Z., Herben, T. Seed, dispersal, microsite, habitat and recruitment limitation: identification of terms and concepts in studies of limitations. Oecologia 145, 1–8 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-005-0052-1

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