THE PLANT COMMUNITY AS A NICHE BIOASSAY - ENVIRONMENTAL CORRELATES OF LOCAL VARIATION IN GYPSOPHILA-FASTIGIATA

For the perennial herb G. fastigiata on the Baltic island of Oland, there were significant correlations between electrophoretic variation at the PGI-2 locus and fine-scale gradients of compositional change in the limestone grassland plant communities occupied by G. fastigiata. Variation at the AAT-3 and IDH loci and in seed phenotype showed no significant correlations with plant community composition. The bioassay approach to niche description integrates the interacting abiotic and biotic components of niche and provides a practical means of quantifying the realized niche of individuals in natural plant populations. -from Authors