Long-term studies of vegetation dynamics

被引:458
作者
Rees, M [1 ]
Condit, R
Crawley, M
Pacala, S
Tilman, D
机构
[1] Univ London Imperial Coll Sci Technol & Med, NERC, Ctr Populat Biol, Silwood Pk, Ascot SL5 7PY, Berks, England
[2] Smithsonian Trop Res Inst, Ctr Trop Forest Sci, Unit 0948, APO, AA 34002 USA
[3] Princeton Univ, Dept Ecol & Evolut Biol, Princeton, NJ 08544 USA
[4] Univ Minnesota, Dept Ecol Evolut & Behav, St Paul, MN 55108 USA
关键词
D O I
10.1126/science.1062586
中图分类号
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
By integrating a wide range of experimental, comparative, and theoretical approaches, ecologists are starting to gain a detailed understanding of the long-term dynamics of vegetation. We explore how patterns of variation in demographic traits among species have provided insight into the processes that structure plant communities. We find a common set of mechanisms, derived from ecological and evolutionary principles, that underlie the main forces shaping systems as diverse as annual plant communities and tropical forests. Trait variation between species maintains diversity and has important implications for ecosystem processes. Hence, greater understanding of how Earth's vegetation functions wit[ likely require integration of ecosystem science with ideas from plant evolutionary, population, and community ecology.
引用
收藏
页码:650 / 655
页数:6
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