Nurse plants promote taxonomic and functional diversity in an arid Mediterranean annual plant community

• DOI: 10.1111/jvs.12876
• Publication Date: 2020-03-12T17:03:18Z
• Authors: Jaime Madrigal‐Go...; Carlos Cano‐Barbacil; Jaime Kigel; Pablo Ferrandis; Arantzazu L. Luzu...
• Keywords: Annual plant

Abstract Aims Research in the last decades supports idea that certain species, namely ‘nurse species’, can enhance ecosystem function and species diversity their vicinity through amelioration of abiotic environment. However, few studies have explored whether nurse plants promote functional at microhabitat level. Here, we evaluated hypothesis increase beneficiary annual plant assemblage Location Sayeret Shaked Park, Negev desert (Israel). Results The examined, two shrubs one large annual, had a negligible or even negative influence on above‐ground biomass production. Nonetheless, they increased terms specific leaf area (SLA), maximum height (MPH), seed weight (SW), reproductive ratio (RR) Conclusions These findings reinforce that, if there is not typical syndrome related to enhanced performance, might induce portfolio effect assemblages by promoting key traits associated survival reproduction under set different conditions.