Fine- and broad-scale distribution of a cushion plant species : patterns and predictors for Euphorbia clavarioides

dc.contributor.authorMomberg, Mia
dc.contributor.authorGreve, Michelle
dc.contributor.authorVan der Merwe, Stephni
dc.contributor.authorLe Roux, Peter Christiaan
dc.date.accessioned2019-05-07T09:52:20Z
dc.date.available2019-05-07T09:52:20Z
dc.date.issued2018
dc.description.abstractCushion plants are a key Arctic, Antarctic, and alpine growth form, with many cushion-forming species strongly affecting community structure in abiotically stressful environments. Despite their ecological importance, there is little information about what drives the distribution of species exhibiting this growth form. This study investigates the determinants of the distribution of a cushion plant species, Euphorbia clavarioides at (1) a fine scale, using field-collected predictors from an alpine landscape; and (2) a broad scale, using distribution records and climate data across the species’ distributional range. At the fine scale, the species was locally rare (occurring in about 4 percent of samples) and may be limited to specific microsites by interspecific competition with taller-growing species. Broad-scale species distribution modeling showed that both temperature and rainfall are important in predicting the distribution of E. clavarioides with a higher probability of occurrence in areas with higher annual precipitation and mean annual temperatures < 15°C. Given the species’ sensitivity to competition and abiotic conditions (high temperatures and low precipitation), E. clavarioides may be vulnerable to environmental changes. Therefore, assuming that other cushion plant species exhibit similar patterns, species of this growth form may be particularly useful indicators of change in alpine, Arctic, and Antarctic areas.en_ZA
dc.description.departmentPlant Production and Soil Scienceen_ZA
dc.description.librarianam2019en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorshipThe University of Pretoria’s Research Development Programme and the National Research Foundation (Incentive Funding for Rated Researchers, grant number 95768). MM received additional funding from the South African Association of Botanists and the National Research Foundation’s Scarce Skills Programme.en_ZA
dc.description.urihttps://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uaar20en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationMia Momberg, Michelle Greve, Stephni van der Merwe & Peter C. le Roux (2018) Fine- and broad-scale distribution of a cushion plant species: Patterns and predictors for Euphorbia clavarioides, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 50:1, e1505136, DOI: 10.1080/15230430.2018.1505136.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn1523-0430 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1938-4246 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1080/15230430.2018.1505136
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/69067
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherTaylor and Francisen_ZA
dc.rights© 2018. The Author(s). Published by Taylor & Francis. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivativesLicenseen_ZA
dc.subjectCushion growth formen_ZA
dc.subjectGeographic rangeen_ZA
dc.subjectSpatial scalesen_ZA
dc.subjectSpecies distribution modelingen_ZA
dc.titleFine- and broad-scale distribution of a cushion plant species : patterns and predictors for Euphorbia clavarioidesen_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA

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