Facilitative Interactions and the Dynamics of Salt Marsh Plant Communities

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9306349 Bertness This study examines the relative importance of positive interactions in shaping salt marsh plant communities. It tests the hypothesis that positive interactions are characteristic of harsh physical environments since sessile organisms frequently buffer one another from physical stress. The project will examine the distribution of facilitative phenomena across salt marsh stress gradients to quantify the association of facilitative interactions with stressful habitats, explore the mechanisms (s) responsible for generating facilitative interactions among marsh plants, and investigate the community repercussions of facilitative associations on the distribution patterns of marsh plants. %%% In contrast to competition, the role played by positive interactions in natural communities has received little attention and is usually ignored in general discussions of community organization. This work will directly examine the importance of facilitative phenomena in affecting process and pattern in a widespread native plant community and thus contribute to understanding the role played by facilitations in nature. ***