Mammalian herbivores restrict the altitudinal range limits of alpine plants

dc.citation.firstpage1930en_US
dc.citation.issueNumber9en_US
dc.citation.journalTitleEcology Lettersen_US
dc.citation.lastpage1942en_US
dc.citation.volumeNumber24en_US
dc.contributor.authorLynn, Joshua S.en_US
dc.contributor.authorMiller, Tom E.X.en_US
dc.contributor.authorRudgers, Jennifer A.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2021-08-20T20:24:32Zen_US
dc.date.available2021-08-20T20:24:32Zen_US
dc.date.issued2021en_US
dc.description.abstractAlthough rarely experimentally tested, biotic interactions have long been hypothesised to limit low-elevation range boundaries of species. We tested the effects of herbivory on three alpine-restricted plant species by transplanting plants below (novel), at the edge (limit), or in the centre (core) of their current elevational range and factorially fencing-out above- and belowground mammals. Herbivore damage was greater in range limit and novel habitats than in range cores. Exclosures increased plant biomass and reproduction more in novel habitats than in range cores, suggesting demographic costs of novel interactions with herbivores. We then used demographic models to project population growth rates, which increased 5–20% more under herbivore exclosure at range limit and novel sites than in core habitats. Our results identify mammalian herbivores as key drivers of the low-elevation range limits of alpine plants and indicate that upward encroachment of herbivores could trigger local extinctions by depressing plant population growth.en_US
dc.identifier.citationLynn, Joshua S., Miller, Tom E.X. and Rudgers, Jennifer A.. "Mammalian herbivores restrict the altitudinal range limits of alpine plants." <i>Ecology Letters,</i> 24, no. 9 (2021) Wiley: 1930-1942. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13829.en_US
dc.identifier.digitalele-13829en_US
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13829en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/111313en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherWileyen_US
dc.rightsThis is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.en_US
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/en_US
dc.titleMammalian herbivores restrict the altitudinal range limits of alpine plantsen_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.type.dcmiTexten_US
dc.type.publicationpublisher versionen_US
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
ele-13829.pdf
Size:
1.05 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format