How intrinsic properties of the plant community can drive assembly processes: a focus on PHYLOgenetic and FUNctional diversities and KEY species (PhyloFunKey)
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How intrinsic properties of the plant community can drive assembly processes: a focus on PHYLOgenetic and FUNctional diversities and KEY species (PhyloFunKey)
Recent research suggests that phylogenetic and functional diversity in annual plant assemblages can significantly affect individual plant performance (i.e., survival, growth, and reproduction) by activating alternative coexistence mechanisms. In this project, we propose a community-individual spiral dynamics model as a conceptual framework, in which community properties and annual plant species performance could affect each other in an endless interaction. In this way, we expect that community properties will promote coexistence or competition mechanisms at the plant-plant scale, determining individual performance, which will significantly define the relative contribution of each species to the next assemblage and, therefore, to new community-level properties. Furthermore, we will contribute a highly novel approach by evaluating the ecophysiological mechanisms underlying species assembly through stable isotope (C, N, O) analysis. We will conduct experiments manipulating initial phylogenetic and functional patterns in annual plant assemblages and the densities of key species that have been classified as invasive alien species on other continents (Bromus rubens and Erodium cicutarium), in order to explore causal effects on plant performance and precisely determine the mechanisms of community assembly.
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