Diversity Maintenance in Variable Environments: Multiple Mechanisms at Multiple Scales

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9307658 Huntly This research combines theory and experiments to define and measure the mechanisms by which fluctuating environmental factors (e.g., temporal variation in weather patterns, spatial variation in soil water or nitrogen content) influence coexistence, using desert annual plants of the Chihuahuan Desert as a test case. The PI's will focus on an integrated examination of effects of environmental variability at several temporal scales, both within and between years, and on simultaneous measurements of the effects of several different mechanisms of coexistence, two being dependent on variable environmental conditions and one being classical niche differences. The PI's combine development of models of germination and growth of desert annual plants with field and laboratory experiments designed to measure responses of plants to within- and among-year patterns of temperature and resource availability, and to detect non-linear competitive interactions. %%% A sound understanding of the role of environmental variability in the dynamics and diversity of communities is needed, as is a framework for understanding the contributions of multiple factors to species coexistence. This research will provide a better understanding of species coexistence in variable environments mediated by multiple interactions, and increase our understanding of the ecology and coexistence of desert annual plants. ***