Correlation of plasticities to drought and shade: Implications for environmental niche overlap in drylands

Phenotypic plasticity can increase the extent of the environmental gradient occupied by a species (niche breadth) and modify the portion of niche space shared among co-occurring species (niche overlap). Thus, phenotypic plasticity may play a role in community assembly processes. Given that plants deal with a multivariate environment, and that functional traits are often correlated, plastic responses to different environmental factors are likely correlated. However, the implications of correlations of plasticities for niche overlap remain unexplored. Here, we present and evaluate a conceptual framework that links correlations of plasticities and niche overlap patterns among co-occurring plant species. We specifically tested in an arid shrubland whether positive, negative, or null correlations between plasticity to light and water availability would be associated with patterns of high, low, or random niche overlap, respectively. Field data identified light and water availability as key fa..., These data come from a greenhouse experiment carried out for a subset of six species from the ten most abundant annual herbaceous species in Las Cardas Experimental Station (5436 ha; Universidad de Chile), located at the southern edge of the Atacama Desert, northern-central Chile (30°15’S, 71°17’W). On the one hand, the experiment was conducted at Universidad de La Serena (29°54’S, 71°14’W; 40 km N of Las Cardas). We collected 60–80 seedlings for each of the six species. Seedlings (≤ 3 cm in height) were unearthed randomly from the four types of microsites and transplanted immediately into 500-cm3 pots with their natural soil. Plants were watered to field capacity with tap water every other day. Seedlings were assigned to light conditions two weeks later and kept there for one week before watering treatments started. Each of the four experimental groups (sun/shade crossed by moist/drought) had 13–18 seedlings per species. Methodological details regarding trait measurements are provided i..., , # Correlation of plasticities to drought and shade: Implications for environmental niche overlap in drylands

These data come from a greenhouse experiment carried out for a subset of six species from the ten most abundant annual herbaceous species in Las Cardas Experimental Station (5436 ha; Universidad de Chile), located at the southern edge of the Atacama Desert, northern-central Chile (30°15’S, 71°17’W).

On the one hand, the experiment was conducted at Universidad de La Serena (29°54’S, 71°14’W; 40 km N of Las Cardas). We collected 60–80 seedlings for each of the six species. Seedlings (≤ 3 cm in height) were unearthed randomly from the four types of microsites and transplanted immediately into 500-cm3 pots with their natural soil. Plants were watered to field capacity with tap water every other day. Seedlings were assigned to light conditions two weeks later and kept there for one week before watering treatments started. Each of the four experimental groups (sun/shade crossed by moi...