Persistence of vascular plants in a Norwegian boreal coniferous forest

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Abstract
Persistence, the tendency of a species to remain in its original position and not to colonize new sites, is studied for the most abundant forest vascular plants (25 species in spruce forest and 7 in pine forest) in Solhomfjell, Gjerstad, S Norway Data sets included presence/absence in 199 meso plots (1 m2) and 3184 subplots (1/16 m2), analyzed over a 5 yr interval, and a subset of 50 meso plots and 800 subplots, analyzed for six consecutive years Relationships between species variables (seedling frequency and mobility rate compiled from the literature, and cover and abundance means in the study area) are studied, and related to species optima along ecologically interpreted DCA ordination axes Vascular plant mobility may increase towards nutrient‐poor sites Dominance in the boreal forest floor is mostly by clonal species Persistence was calculated for different temporal (1‐5 yr) and spatial (1/16 and I m2) scales Persistence patterns in the spruce and pine forests were similar, but persistence decreased towards the xeric pine forests One main component of variation in persistence was demonstrated by PCA analyses the absolute level of persistence, which is related to seedling recruitment vs clonal growth, and within clonal species to ramet longevity, abundance, mobility, growth pattern and mode of surviving the infavourable season Minor components of variation in persistence were related to spatial scale and temporal scale Persistence characteristics were species‐specific and varied little between years Numerous species characteristics were relevant to interpretation of variation in persistence, indicating a continuous, multidimensional variation in life history characteristics