Competition analysis using neighborhood models: implications for plant community assembly rules

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Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15451/ec2017-07-6.11-1-6

Keywords:

Competitive Ability, Niche Complementarity, Environmental Filtering, Coexistence Theory

Abstract

Contemporary studies in plant ecology have investigated the processes and patterns underlying plant community of structure and dynamics, mainly in tropical forests. In this context, the effects of competitive interactions between trees and their neighbors on tree growth and survival in plant communities have been addressed using neighborhood models. The purpose of these efforts has been to better understand the processes that drive patterns of species abundance, which has the potential to change our understanding of the ecological and evolutionary factors involved in ecosystem dynamics. Therefore, studies concerning the competitive mechanisms that explain neighborhood interactions of plants are the subject of this short review. Two main ecological theories have received strong support in this regard: 1) environmental filtering and 2) niche complementarity. These theories are mutually compatible and act simultaneously, however, their relative importance may change depending on resource availability, type of plant community and successional stage.

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Author Biography

Sergio de Faria Lopes, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba

Departamento de Biologia

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Published

07/12/2017

How to Cite

Lopes, S. de F. (2017). Competition analysis using neighborhood models: implications for plant community assembly rules. Ethnobiology and Conservation, 6. https://doi.org/10.15451/ec2017-07-6.11-1-6

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Section

Short Review

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