Plant Ecology

Abstract Plants have developed adaptive strategies to combat dehydration, including forming associations with microbes, which help plants cope with drought by altering hormone levels, enhancing antioxidants, or improving water uptake. Selaginella species, the resurrection plants, can endure desiccation and revive with rehydration. Here, we investigated the bacteriome of leaves and roots of S. con…

Abstract Habitat fragmentation is a major contributor to alien plant invasions, yet little is known regarding the role of environmental filtering in determining the identity of species invading ecosystem fragments. We used Ellenberg values to identify why some alien plant species invade kānuka shrublands ( Kunzea ericoides , Myrtaceae), a highly fragmented and native ecosystem in New Zealand. Thi…

Abstract Erodium sibthorpianum subsp. sibthorpianum (Geraniaceae) is an endemic taxon restricted to western Türkiye. Understanding its reproductive traits and the factors governing reproductive success is essential for elucidating its reproductive ecology. The pollen–ovule ratio was calculated as 3043, which falls within the expected range for dioecious species. Pollination is mediated by a diver…

Abstract Exotic species can significantly affect native species communities. However, there is a lack of studies comparing the communities of vascular epiphytes and their vertical stratification on native and exotic phorophytes coexisting within natural ecosystems. This study compares these aspects between the native phorophyte Cedrela dugesii and the exotic Annona cherimola within a fragment of …

Abstract Mortality of epiphytic bromeliads could increase due to dense independent factors, reducing their diversity and contribution to ecosystem functioning. For seven months, we assessed the effect of precipitation and a mechanical factor on the fall of bromeliads, including their richness, abundance, population size, and traits. Our study was conducted in a protected area of Colombia’s Andean…

Abstract The study of germination ecology of threatened flora is crucial to understand the requirements for developing effective conservation and recovery strategies. In this study, we investigated the germination response to temperature and light conditions simulating natural conditions for the Iberian-North African endemic Cathissa reverchonii (Lange) Speta and the narrow endemic C. villasina C…

The ecological impact of cattle grazing on Brazilian savannas is poorly known. This study aimed to evaluate vegetation structure, diversity, and fuel load in savannas under rotational grazing. We studied three adjacent, fire-excluded savanna fragments in Central Brazil: one subjected to rotational grazing, one excluded from grazing for 2.5 years, and one ungrazed. For vegetation sampling, we used…

High seedling mortality is a key bottleneck in tropical forest restoration, but the mechanisms governing the survival–growth trade-off remain unclear. We evaluated seedling performance in a high-diversity restoration planting in Goytacazes National Forest (Tableland Atlantic Forest), monitoring 771 individuals from 54 native species over three years (2012–2015). Using Stratified Cox Proportional …

Abstract Forests, savannas, and grasslands occur as mosaics in many tropical regions, yet the drivers of different vegetation types under similar climates remain unclear. In this study, we evaluated fire and frost as potential constraints on tree establishment in a cerrado wet grassland at the transition from gallery forests to savannas. We planted nursery-raised seedlings of three species: one r…

Vaccinium myrtillus is a foundation species and of high importance for ecosystem functions and services in many ecosystems of boreal Europe. Climate change now threatens the integrity of these cold-adapted ecosystems, with droughts and heat waves expected to increase in both frequency and intensity. In this study we investigated the occurrence of drought damage (desiccated twigs and mortality) on…