Open AccessThe impact of some environmental factors on the establishment of Plantago maritima seedlings and juveniles along a distributional gradient
Author(s) -
Jerling Lenn
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
ecography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.973
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1600-0587
pISSN - 0906-7590
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0587.1984.tb01131.x
Subject(s) - biology , ecology , competition (biology) , intraspecific competition , litter , vegetation (pathology) , environmental gradient , botany , habitat , medicine , pathology
The establishment of Plantago maritima seedlings and juveniles along a distributional gradient was investigated with pantograph technique. Mortality was closely dependent on vegetational characters such as cover, height of vegetation and amount of litter. Superimposed on these factors was mortality due to flooding. The density dependent mortality of seedlings was also investigated. The number of surrounding seedlings seemed to be of vital importance for survival, i.e. self thinning occurred most likely as a result of competition for light. The establishment and survival of seedlings cannot fully explain the distribution of adults.