Abstract

The species pool theory helps us understand species distributions at different geographical scales. In theory, species pools consist of species passing the filters between different geographical scales. Filters of dispersal and environment act between the regional and local pools, while filters of biotic interactions act between the local and the community pools. We studied bryophytes and vascular plants restricted to rich (calcareous) fens that occur as patches in a forested landscape. We then examined their frequencies and abundances at the local and regional scales and related the results to traits important for dispersal and competition. Our results show that weft-forming bryophytes and vascular plants with far-creeping rhizomes have higher local frequency than predicted from their regional frequency. Dispersal traits did not explain any variation in the distributions. This indicates that environmental and biotic filters are more important than dispersal limitation at the regional scale, and that clonal expansion is the most important factor for high frequency and abundance at the local scale in these nutrient poor habitats.

Keywords

dispersal; niche; peatland; rich fen; spatial scales; species pool

Published in

Folia Geobotanica
2015, Volume: 50, number: 2, pages: 161-174
Publisher: SPRINGER

SLU Authors

• Sundberg, Sebastian

  • SLU Swedish Species Information Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Botany
Ecology


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12224-015-9219-7

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/69400