positiveecological

interactions

the heroes

@cjlortie

negativeecological

interactions

the villains

150 years of

competition research

competition or interferenceinteractions in plants

(-,0) but most commonly (-,-)

facilitation is the most common term for positiveinteractions in plants

(+,0) most frequent

dominant benefactor species

nurse plant

positive mechanisms important = types of facilitation

Abiotic stress amelioration Herbivore protection* Pollinator visitation Substrate modification* Seed trapping* Soil moisture retention* Soil nutrient modification* Nurse-mediated distribution (meta-mechanism) Nurse-mediated evolution (meta-mechanism)

synthesis

Web of Science 560 studies298 relevant studies

stress direct

positive interactions are important too

many pathways and many gaps

indirect positive interactions

positive trophic interactions

specificity of nurse-plant effects

nurse-mediated evolution

nurse-mediated distribution

implication:facilitation as a restoration tool

shrubs and other foundation speciescan serve as ‘the force’ for

restoration and management

provided we have the basic ecology to identify how foundation species help

evidence of the force globally

He et al. 2013

evidence of the force in California: ranges for local plant speciesCalflora

Sotomayor et al. (2016)

evidence of the force in California: ranges for local plant species(the republic effect)

Sotomayor et al. (2016)

evidence of the force in California: shrub loss

Liczner, Westphal, Filazzola

evidence of the force in California: shrub loss(obi-wan effect)

Liczner, Westphal, Filazzola

evidence of the force in California: shrub loss

Liczner, Westphal, Filazzola

evidence of the force in California: seed addition(the droid effect)

Filazzola, Westphal

evidence of the force in California: seed addition

Filazzola, Westphal

evidence of the force in California: regional differences

Liczner, Westphal, Filazzola

evidence of the force in California: regional differences(always a jedi effect?)

Liczner, Westphal, Filazzola

evidence of the force in California: animals

Noble, Westphal, Saslaw, Germano, Butterfield

evidence of the force in California: animals(jedi mind tricks)

Noble, Westphal, Saslaw, Germano, Butterfield

evidence of the force in California: climate mediation in Cuyama

Lortie, Filazzola, Westphal, Butterfield

evidence of the force in California: climate mediation in Cuyama(the force surrounds us)

Lortie, Filazzola, Westphal, Butterfield

evidence of the force in California: pollinators

Ruttan

implication: interactions are on a continuum

implication: must decouple different pathways because global change

is unfortunately rapidly doing so

simple tools & integrated, structured research promote better understanding of ecosystem function

NCEAS, NSERC, Bureau of Land Management, & The Nature Conservancy