The role of lupine in succession on Mount St. Helens: facilitation or inhibition

Investigated the influence of Lupinus lepidus, a nitrogen-fixing pioneer species, on 2 invading species, Anaphalis margaritacea and Epilobium angustifolium. Patches of L. lepidus exerted both facilitative and inhibitory effects on the other species. First season survivorship of seedlings planted into lupine patches was generally lower than that of seedlings planted into barren control plots, but for both A. margaritacea and E. angustifolium, surviving seedlings within lupine patches grew larger than did controls. Also, A. margaritacea seedlings had a much higher probability of flowering when planted within lupine patches. Both substrate alteration and the mulching effect of lupine litter mediated the effects of lupine patches on transplant performance. -from Authors

Duke Scholars

Author William F. Morris Biology