Fig. 2.tif (1.58 MB)
Evidence map of Indirect interactions in terrestrial plant communities: emerging patterns and research gaps
Version 3 2016-01-11, 16:56
Version 2 2016-01-11, 16:40
Version 1 2016-01-11, 16:40
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posted on 2016-01-11, 16:40 authored by Diego SotomayorDiego Sotomayor, cj lortiecj lortieThis is Figure 2 of Sotomayor and Lortie 2015 and can also be found here: http://www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1890/ES14-00117.1
This Figure represents the geographical distribution of studies on indirect interactions involving terrestrial plants.
ABSTRACT
This Figure represents the geographical distribution of studies on indirect interactions involving terrestrial plants.
ABSTRACT
Indirect interactions occur when the effect of one species on
another is mediated by a third species. These interactions occur in most
multi-species assemblages and are diverse in their mechanistic
pathways. The interest in indirect interactions has increased
exponentially over the past three decades, in recognition of their
importance in determining plant community dynamics and promoting species
coexistence. Here, we review the literature on indirect interactions
among plants published since 1990, using a novel synthetic framework
that accounts for and classifies intervening species and mechanisms
within trophic networks. The objectives of this review are: (1) to
identify the geographical regions and ecosystem types where indirect
interactions have been examined; (2) to summarize the information on the
number of trophic levels examined in studies of indirect interactions;
(3) to test whether the frequency of indirect interactions varies across
environmental gradients; and (4) to identify the experimental
approaches most commonly used in studies of indirect interactions.
Studies examining indirect interactions in plants have been conducted
primarily in the Northern Hemisphere, with a focus on grasslands and
forests. The majority of studies (67%) examined two trophic levels.
Indirect facilitation and apparent competition are the interactions that
have been most frequently examined, with the latter being reported more
frequently in relatively productive environments. Other indirect
interactions reported include associational resistance, exploitative
competition or facilitation, shared defenses, and trophic cascades.
Generally, field experiments tested indirect interactions based on
single target species. While the majority of studies on indirect
interactions dealt with basic ecology issues, several studies have dealt
with such interactions in the context of biological invasions (18%) and
rangeland management (12%). This review allowed us identifying a number
of research needs, including the study of non-feeding interactions and
that for more realistic complex designs, explicitly testing indirect
interactions across different trophic levels, in geographical regions
that have been under-examined to date, and in stressful ecosystems.