University of Sussex
Browse

File(s) not publicly available

Comparison of niche breadths and overlaps of halophytes on salt marshes of differing diversity

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 11:34 authored by P J Russell, Tim Flowers, M J Hutchings
Comparisons were made of niche breadths and niche overlaps of halophytes growing in two emergent saltmarsh communities differing in the number of their constituent species and in diversity. Niche parameters were calculated along the major niche dimension of tidal inundation which was assessed using three related measurements, namely height on the marsh, number of submergences per year, and longest period of continuous exposure. This reduces the danger of measuring niches on one resource dimension along which species exhibit non-linear responses. Results obtained using these three measurements were very similar. Mean niche overlaps were significantly smaller, and most species had lower niche breadths, on the marsh with more diverse vegetation. These results agree with Pianka's (1974) niche overlap hypothesis; they indicate that competitive interactions between species are acting with different intensity on the two marshes, and that such interactions are important in determining the distribution limits of both low-and high-marsh species in the emergent salt-marsh community.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Plant Ecology

ISSN

1385-0237

Publisher

Springer Verlag

Issue

1-3

Volume

61

Page range

171-178

Department affiliated with

  • Biology and Environmental Science Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2012-05-14

Usage metrics

    University of Sussex (Publications)

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC