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Climate change models envision an increase in summer precipitation in eastern California and adjacent arid regions by 2050, due to anthropogenic activities. Changes in the frequency, intensity and spatial patterns of rainfall pulses are likely to influence seedling recruitment and establishment, and ultimately community composition and dynamics. The effects of altered water availability might be complicated by the effect of adult plants on resources and conditions, potentially altering seedling recruitment success and affecting community succession. We tested the hypotheses that: (1) an experimental pulse representing a 25% increase in summer precipitation would increase photosynthesis for Artemisia tridentata and...
If plants cannot simultaneously acclimate to shade and drought because of physiological trade-offs, then plants are expected to be less tolerant to shading under drier conditions. One observation that, at first sight, seems incompatible with this idea is the fact that the establishment of new plants in dry areas is often restricted to shady sites under the canopy of other plants, called “nurse plants.� We use a graphical model to resolve this paradox. The model visualizes how facilitative patterns can be understood from the simultaneous effects of plant canopies on microsite light and moisture, and the growth responses of establishing seedlings to those factors. The approach emphasizes the fact that positive...