Drivers of competition asymmetry in communities of perennial species: ubiquitous but untested
| Name: | Drivers of competition asymmetry in communities of perennial species: ubiquitous but untested |
|---|---|
| Researchers: |
Herben Tomáš (co-researcher) Pecháčková Sylvie (member in research team) Hadincová Věroslava (member in research team) Krahulec František (member in research team) Skálová Hana (member in research team) |
| Provider: | |
| Realization from: | 2023 |
| Realization to: | 2025 |
| Summary: | Species loss in European grasslands due to eutrophication and abandonment has been explained by change in competition asymmetry. With release from nutrient limitation, asymmetric competition for light replaces the (more symmetric) competition for soil borne resources. Degree of competition asymmetry is thus the determinant of competitive exclusion. While this is conceptually simple, most data and models on competition asymmetry come from annuals and trees, which are a bad model for competition asymmetry in grasslands. Aboveground shoots of grassland species are annual, but the species possess long-lived belowground organs (both acquisitive and storage), which drain resources that otherwise could be invested in leaves, affecting competitive asymmetry to an unknown degree. We will use both long term and new experiments to determine how are the competition asymmetry and competitive hierarchy affected by these belowground organs, intraspecific plasticity of root/shoot ratio, and by biomass removal, and thus quantify contribution of all these factors to the rate of competitive exclusion. |