Abstract
Two closely related bracken (Pteridium) species, P. caudatum and P. aquilinum ssp. pseudocaudatum, have mostly separate ranges that overlap in Peninsular Florida. Congeneric species that occupy similar niches in distinct geographic ranges but whose native ranges narrowly overlap present an eco-evolutionary conundrum: How can species evolved to occupy similar niches in distinct ranges coexist? Research suggests that for a stable coexistence the species should differ at least subtly in their ecological niches, otherwise their coexistence would be unstable. We investigated whether these bracken species share a habitat and co-occur locally, and whether their coexistence is predicted to be stable. We surveyed bracken populations from seven sites at Archbold Biological Station (Venus, Florida, USA) and characterized their biotic and abiotic microhabitat. Both bracken species co-occur at three sites. The two species showed significantly different trends in canopy cover and in response to fire frequency, and they grew at different densities and biomass. These results suggest these two bracken species coexist stably by occupying distinct ecological niches.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Both bracken species co-occurred at three sites.
- Taxon
- bracken species
Pteridium aquilinume0 - Outcome
- co-occure0
- Value
- three sitese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Both bracken species co-occur at three sites”
Claim · model-written summary
The two bracken species differed significantly in canopy cover trends.
- Taxon
- BrackenPteridium aquilinumt0
- Outcome
- trends in canopy covere0
- Direction
- differente0
- Comparator
- two speciese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The two species showed significantly different trends in canopy cover”
t0“Bracken”
Claim · model-written summary
The species differed significantly in response to fire frequency.
- Taxon
- BrackenPteridium aquilinumt0
- Treatment
- fire frequencye0
- Outcome
- response to fire frequencye0
- Direction
- differente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“significantly different trends in canopy cover and in response to fire frequency”
t0“Bracken”
Claim · model-written summary
The species grew at different densities.
- Taxon
- BrackenPteridium aquilinumt0
- Outcome
- densitiese0
- Direction
- differente0
- Comparator
- theye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“they grew at different densities and biomass”
t0“Bracken”
Claim · model-written summary
The species grew at different biomass.
- Taxon
- BrackenPteridium aquilinumt0
- Outcome
- biomasse0
- Direction
- differente0
- Comparator
- theye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“they grew at different densities and biomass”
t0“Bracken”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors infer stable coexistence through distinct ecological niches.
- Taxon
- bracken speciesPteridium aquilinume0
- Outcome
- coexist stablye0
- Qualifier
- occupying distinct ecological nichese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“these two bracken species coexist stably by occupying distinct ecological niches”