Limited contributions of plant pathogens to density‐dependent seedling mortality of mast fruiting Bornean trees
| Autor: | Kalsum M. Yusah, David Edwards, Robert P. Freckleton, Michael O'Brien, Patrick G. Cannon |
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| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Dipterocarpaceae 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences 03 medical and health sciences competitive exclusion Mast (botany) Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Original Research 030304 developmental biology Nature and Landscape Conservation 0303 health sciences Ecology biology Plant community biology.organism_classification Fungicide Density dependence conspecifics density dependence Density dependent Seedling fungal pathogens Janzen‐Connell Tree species |
| Zdroj: | Ecology and Evolution |
| ISSN: | 2045-7758 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/ece3.6906 |
| Popis: | Fungal pathogens are implicated in driving tropical plant diversity by facilitating strong, negative density‐dependent mortality of conspecific seedlings (C‐NDD). Assessment of the role of fungal pathogens in mediating coexistence derives from relatively few tree species and predominantly the Neotropics, limiting our understanding of their role in maintaining hyper‐diversity in many tropical forests. A key question is whether fungal pathogen‐mediated C‐NDD seedling mortality is ubiquitous across diverse plant communities. Using a manipulative shadehouse experiment, we tested the role of fungal pathogens in mediating C‐NDD seedling mortality of eight mast fruiting Bornean trees, typical of the species‐rich forests of South East Asia. We demonstrate species‐specific responses of seedlings to fungicide and density treatments, generating weak negative density‐dependent mortality. Overall seedling mortality was low and likely insufficient to promote overall community diversity. Although conducted in the same way as previous studies, we find little evidence that fungal pathogens play a substantial role in determining patterns of seedling mortality in a SE Asian mast fruiting forest, questioning our understanding of how Janzen‐Connell mechanisms structure the plant communities of this globally important forest type. Assessment of the role of fungal pathogens in mediating coexistence derives from relatively few tree species and predominantly the Neotropics, limiting our understanding of their role in maintaining hyper‐diversity in many tropical forests. Using a manipulative shadehouse experiment, we find little evidence that fungal pathogens play a substantial role in determining patterns of seedling mortality of eight mast fruiting Bornean trees. Our results starkly contrast those of similar neotropical studies, questioning our understanding of how Janzen–Connell mechanisms structure the plant communities of this globally important forest type. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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