Competition and Coexistence: Three Annual Grass Species
Gulmon SL. 1979. Competition and Coexistence: Three Annual Grass Species. The American Midland Naturalist. 101(2):403-416
Mechanisms of coexistence of three species (Avena fatua, Lolium multiflorum, Bromus mollis) common in California annual grassland vegetation were investigated. Rates and phasing of growth were similar among species throughout the active season. There was no evidence of selective predation or predation sufficiently heavy to significantly reduce the intensity of competition. It was concluded that Avena retains dominance by virtue of its large grains and consequent large seedlings, but is unable to reach sufficient densities at prevailing levels of soil nitrogen to exclude the other two species. Growth experiments indicated that both Lolium and Bromus had a greater capacity for growth under low nutrient conditions than Avena even when they were subdominant in the stand. The interaction between Lolium and Bromus depended on nutrient and temperature conditions.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Gulmon, S
- Units
- SODN
- Keywords
- Botany (Reproduction Dispersal Behavior)