Does the seed size/number trade-off model determine plant community structure? an assessment of the model mechanisms and their generality

• Published in: Oikos Vol. 93; no. 2; pp. 294 - 302
• Main Author: Leishman, Michelle R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Copenhagen Munksgaard International Publishers 01.05.2001; Munksgaard International Publishers, Ltd; Blackwell
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Community structure; COMPETICION VEGETAL; COMPETITION VEGETALE; ECOLOGIA; Ecological competition; ECOLOGIE; ECOLOGY; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects. Techniques; GERMINACION; GERMINATION; GRAINE; Grasses; GRASSLANDS; GROSSEUR DES SEMENCES; HERBAGE; Methods and techniques (sampling, tagging, trapping, modelling...); PERENNIALS; PESO DE LAS SEMILLAS; Plant communities; PLANT COMPETITION; Plant ecology; PLANTAS PERENNES; PLANTE PERENNE; Plants; POIDS DES SEMENCES; PRADERAS; REINO UNIDO; ROYAUME UNI; SEED SIZE; SEED WEIGHT; Seedlings; SEEDS; SEMILLA; Synecology; TAMANO DE LA SEMILLA; Terrestrial ecosystems; UNITED KINGDOM; Vegetation; Community structure; Seeds; Plant community; Morphology; Size; Resource allocation; Interspecific competition; Models; Spermatophyta; Density

This paper examines four key mechanisms of the seed size/number trade-off (SSNT) models to assess their relevance to a general understanding of plant community structure. Mechanism 1 is that large seeds have a greater probability of winning in competition against smaller seeds. I provide interspecif...