Knowledge Tree
plant species
Facts (10)
Sources
Compendium Vol. 5 No. 1: The ecological role of native plants bio4climate.org 10 facts
claimWhile individual plant species are distributed according to abiotic environmental conditions, their co-location with other species results in interspecies interactions, which function as ecosystem processes or emergent properties.
claimBoth the Gleason and Clements schools of thought acknowledge that specific plant species reliably grow together in identifiable groups, forming distinct vegetation types such as oak-beech forests.
quoteStands of plant species exhibit collective or emergent attributes beyond those of the individual populations.
quoteH.A. Gleason observed that plant species are distributed individualistically along environmental gradients and therefore do not form bounded communities.
claimMany insect species are specialists that can only consume certain plant species; when these specific plants are replaced by non-native species or lost locally, the dependent insects disappear.
claimFossil records indicate that certain plant species groups or their precursors have coexisted for thousands to millions of years.
claimH.A. Gleason observed that plant species are distributed individualistically along environmental gradients and therefore cannot form bounded communities.
referenceNiche complementarity is the ecological concept where different plant species or functional groups occupy distinct niches to utilize resources or space more fully, which increases and stabilizes productivity while hindering the entry of other species into the community.
claimPlant species can potentially adapt to growing with plants from outside their native range, but this process can take time, which may limit the growth of species or communities in the short term.
claimPlant species form is related to plant function, such as in dry environments where plants have compact leaves with harder surfaces to limit water loss, whereas plants in wetter environments have larger, softer leaves that release water readily to facilitate photosynthesis.