10.5061/DRYAD.N81T4
Svensson, Måns
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Caruso, Alexandro
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Yahr, Rebecca
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Ellis, Christopher
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Thor, Göran
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Snäll, Tord
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Data from: Combined observational and experimental data provide limited
support for facilitation in lichens
Dryad
dataset
2015
lichens
2015-05-11T19:31:35Z
2015-05-11T19:31:35Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.02279
19074 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
It is increasingly recognized that facilitative interactions can shape
communities. One of the mechanisms through which facilitation may operate
is when one species facilitates the colonization of another through the
exchange of shared symbionts. Lichens are symbiotic associations composed
of a mycobiont (lichenised-fungus) and one or two photobionts (algae or
cyanobacteria). Different lichen species may have overlapping specificity
for photobionts, creating the possibility that facilitation drives lichen
community assembly. To investigate whether facilitation occurs in lichens,
we combined an observational study (a) with a manipulative field
experiment (b). For (a), we quantified the effect of local patch
conditions, facilitation and the size of the surrounding metapopulation on
colonizations of an epixylic lichen species (Cladonia botrytes) in an area
of managed boreal forest. This was done by twice surveying lichens on 293
stumps, located in stands of three age classes. For (b), we treated
unoccupied surfaces of 56 cut stumps with algal mixtures of an
Asterochloris photobiont and recorded C. botrytes colonizations over three
years. In (a), colonization rates of C. botrytes increased with increasing
abundance of other lichen species with specificity for Asterochloris
photobionts, consistent with an effect of facilitation. However, in the
field experiment (b), colonizations of the focal species did not provide
support for facilitation. We conclude that our study provides limited
support for facilitation in green-algal lichens, underscoring the
importance of combining observational studies with experiments when
studying species interactions.
Dataset-Svensson et al. Oikos 02279The data package consists of an
Excel-file, which includes the data-set used in the first sheet and
metadata in the second sheet.