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Life‐history constraints in grassland plant species: a growth‐defence trade‐off is the norm
Author(s) -
Lind Eric M.,
Borer Elizabeth,
Seabloom Eric,
Adler Peter,
Bakker Jonathan D.,
Blumenthal Dana M.,
Crawley Mick,
Davies Kendi,
Firn Jennifer,
Gruner Daniel S.,
Stanley Harpole W.,
Hautier Yann,
Hillebrand Helmut,
Knops Johannes,
Melbourne Brett,
Mortensen Brent,
Risch Anita C.,
Schuetz Martin,
Stevens Carly,
Wragg Peter D.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
ecology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.852
H-Index - 265
eISSN - 1461-0248
pISSN - 1461-023X
DOI - 10.1111/ele.12078
Subject(s) - competitor analysis , biology , herbivore , ecology , grassland , trade off , competition (biology) , interspecific competition , biodiversity , plant growth , agronomy , economics , management
Plant growth can be limited by resource acquisition and defence against consumers, leading to contrasting trade‐off possibilities. The competition‐defence hypothesis posits a trade‐off between competitive ability and defence against enemies (e.g. herbivores and pathogens). The growth‐defence hypothesis suggests that strong competitors for nutrients are also defended against enemies, at a cost to growth rate. We tested these hypotheses using observations of 706 plant populations of over 500 species before and following identical fertilisation and fencing treatments at 39 grassland sites worldwide. Strong positive covariance in species responses to both treatments provided support for a growth‐defence trade‐off: populations that increased with the removal of nutrient limitation (poor competitors) also increased following removal of consumers. This result held globally across 4 years within plant life‐history groups and within the majority of individual sites. Thus, a growth‐defence trade‐off appears to be the norm, and mechanisms maintaining grassland biodiversity may operate within this constraint.