Species-specific facilitation, ontogenetic shifts and consequences for plant community succession

Abstract

We provide experimental evidence that nurse and beneficiary species identity simultaneously influence the balance between facilitation and competition. Our results suggest that ontogenetic shifts may be a widespread phenomenon in semi-arid ecosystems. We discuss that a key mechanism explaining these findings is the match between what nurse species offer and what beneficiary species require in terms of resources and conditions. As a con- sequence, different nurse species tend to favour or inhibit unique sets of benefi- ciary species beneath their canopies. We argue that species-specific facilitation is an overlooked mechanismpromoting b-diversity during community succession