Coexistence and Competitive Exclusion of Banksia hookeriana in the Presence of Congeneric Seedlings along a Topographic Gradient
- 1 September 1989
- Vol. 56 (1) , 39-42
- https://doi.org/10.2307/3566085
Abstract
Banksia hookeriana is restricted to the midrange of a gradient from a sand dune swale to a sand-over-limestone ridge in Western Australia. As a monoculture, B. hookeriana seedlings established equally at three sites along along the gradient. However, when mixed with seedlings of four other Banksia species abundant along the gradient, B. hookeriana was eliminated from all sites except where it occurs naturally. Drought stress, as measured by leaf xylem tension and stomatal conductance, increased with greater density of seedlings, with increase in elevation, and over summer. The negative interaction between certain habitats and interspecific competitive pressure in association with the first summer drought may account for the restricted distribution of this species.This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit:
- Seed Production and Mortality in a Rare Banksia SpeciesJournal of Applied Ecology, 1988
- Seed bank dynamics of a serotinus, fire-sensitive Banksia speciesAustralian Journal of Botany, 1988
- Post-Fire Recruitment of Four Co-Occurring Banksia SpeciesJournal of Applied Ecology, 1987
- Seed Bank Dynamics of Four Co-Occurring Banksia SpeciesJournal of Ecology, 1987