Coexistence of two species of bracken (Pteridium) in Peninsular Florida

Congeneric species with distinct ranges often occupy similar niches, but if they are ecologically identical, their coexistence in the overlap between their ranges is considered unstable. We investigated two species in the cosmopolitan genus of bracken ferns, Pteridium caudatum and Pteridium aquilinum ssp. pseudocaudatum, in their zone of range overlap in Peninsular Florida to test for niche differentiation in their microhabitat preferences. We surveyed bracken populations from seven sites at Archbold Biological Station (Venus, Florida, USA) and characterized elements of their growth metrics (density, biomass) and microhabitat preferences (canopy cover, ground cover, fire frequency, soil moisture content, distance to nearest road). Data was collected from December 2022 to March 2023.