Shifts in the ecological behaviour of plant species between two distant regions: evidence from the base richness gradient in mires
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2008 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Journal of Biogeography |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Ecology |
| Keywords | calcium; ecological amplitude; ecotypes; fen; optimum; pH; range margin; realized niche; species-response curves; springs |
| Description | Based on the analysis of two large data sets of species co-occurrence, sampled along the entire pH/calcium gradient, we explored whether species exhibit similar or different ecological behaviour in the two regions (West Carpathians, Bulgaria). A distinctive variation in the realized niche was observed in a large portion of the species examined. Ecotypic adaptation within species is a possible explanation for this pattern as other possible explanations seem to be less justified. The local populations of rich-fen species may have adapted to mineral-poor acid conditions in the high crystalline mountains of Bulgaria during dry periods of pleniglacials. |
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