I'm new to this literature base, but I have this notion that plants with the potential to grow big may be more likely to become a dominant in a plant community. When I think of North American ecosystems near me, the dominant is usually one of the larger plants (Ponderosa pine, Creosote, Big Sagebrush, Pinon Pine, etc.). I can imagine that many different traits besides body size could contribute to success in a community, but is there good evidence that (in general), body size is one of these? I'd be grateful if you could suggest a key paper or 2 to review.
Please find enclosed an interesting PDF, worth reading in the context of your flagged off discussion...
I'm not sure it answers my question...but what a great poster! thanks!
See:
Plant Functional Traits and Environmental Filters at a Regional Scale
Sandra Díaz; Marcelo Cabido; Fernando Casanoves
Journal of Vegetation Science, Vol. 9, No. 1. (Feb., 1998), pp. 113–122.
I hope this helps :)
This old paper may assist you. First, are you talking about "dominance" in terms of a species' basal area in a forest/plant community or the number of a particular species within a community? In the later case, dominance of a particular species within a plant community is driven more by site/climatic conditions (eg. limiting nutrients, temperature, etc). The species that better adapts to limiting resources/harsh conditions or efficiently use available resources gains competitive advantage over the rest. In this case, size (girth size) or the ability to increase in girth cannot be ruled out as a competitive trait because it could determine a species' ability to survive fire, frost, drought, and other stresses or take advantage of sunlight, etc. Generally, big trees develop tap roots for anchorage and to access deep soil resources unavailable to other species. So body size is obviously one of the traits but its competitive advantage vary from site to site. At a N limiting site, size may not be advantage but mycorrhiza associational trait could make another species dominate.
Commonality of functional traits will depend upon monogenic or polygenic controlling ability of domimant species..
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