Ecological Archives E096-182-A1

Ecological Archives E096-182-A1

Zaal Kikvidze, Robin W. Brooker, Bradley J. Butterfield, Ragan M. Callaway, Lohengrin A. Cavieres, Bradley J. Cook, Christopher J. Lortie, Richard Michalet, Francisco I. Pugnaire, Sa Xiao, Fabien Anthelme, Robert G. Björk, Brittany H. Cranston, Rosario G. Gavilán, Róbert Kanka, Emanuele Lingua, Jean-Paul Maalouf, Jalil Noroozi, Rabindra Parajuli, Gareth K. Phoenix, Anya Reid, Wendy M. Ridenour, Christian Rixen, and Christian Schöb. 2015. The effects of foundation species on community assembly: a global study on alpine cushion plant communities. Ecology 96:2064–2069. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/14-2443.1

Appendix A. Study sites.

Study sites

We studied 83 alpine plant communities (sampling sites) in North and South America, Europe, Asia and New Zealand, including 40 eudicot and one monocot cushion plant species (Table A1). Data were collected between January 2004 and July 2010. We selected sites where cushions were well-developed and without signs of recent unusual disturbances, and hence considered these communities to be in their advanced stage of successions. For the same reasons we considered these communities nearly “saturated”. At each site, within an area of c. 0.5 × 0.5 km, we selected an area that included sufficient number of plants of each individual nurse cushion species for robust statistical analyses (n = 40 to 120), and all established plants (i.e., no seedlings) growing within these selected cushions were identified to species and their abundance recorded as number of individuals. Cushions are usually roughly elliptical, and so at the majority of sites, we measured the maximum and minimum axes of each cushion to estimate its area. To obtain comparable samples for assessing species richness in surrounding ‘open’ microhabitat (areas not covered by the cushions), areas matching the size of each sampled cushion were surveyed at randomly selected paired points 0.5 m away from each sampled cushion. In those cases where cushion size was not measured (seven sites), a wire hoop was shaped to match the size of the sampled cushion and used to regulate the size of patch sampled in the ‘open’ areas. Again, all established plant individuals within these selected open areas were identified to species and recorded. The percentage cover of cushions and open area was determined at each site along 50 m linear transects. We sampled a mean (± 1 SE) of 81 (± 3) sets of paired cushion and open plots per site. At all sites, the non-cushion species were mostly herbaceous perennials with the small size and prostrate growth typical of alpine species (Körner 2003). In two sites (e.g., central Chilean Andes, Sierra Nevada Spain), the vegetation also contained small prostrate shrubs and annuals that usually grow in open areas. Counting individuals was a simple way of measuring abundance of a given species and we did not deal separately with clonal species but counted its shoots as individuals. The mean density of individuals measured in this way was 13 (± 23 SD) individuals per m², ranging from 1 to 143 individuals per m². At a subset of sites soil samples were collected and soil moisture (20 sites) and soil organic matter content (15 sites) were determined.

Table A1. Study site locations and sampled cushion species.

Country	Cushion species	Latitude	Longitude	Altitude	N
Chile	Azorella monantha	-51.176	-72.848	720	103
Chile	Azorella monantha	-50.824	-73.000	710	47
Chile	Bolax gummiferia	-50.824	-72.998	750	50
Chile	Bolax gummiferia	-50.817	-72.989	920	50
Chile	Azorella monantha	-50.815	-72.992	890	53
New Zealand^b	Phyllacne colensoi	-45.752	167.399	1456	79
New Zealand^c	Dracophyllum sp.	-45.322	169.208	1678	65
New Zealand^a	Raoulia sp.	-43.509	171.544	1518	90
Argentina	Mulinium leptacanthum	-41.268	-71.303	1700	100
Argentina	Oreopolus glacialis	-41.268	-71.303	1700	100
Argentina	Discaria nana	-41.268	-71.303	1700	100
Chile	Azorella trifurcata	-37.463	-71.317	1400	52
Chile	Oreopolus glacialis	-37.459	-71.123	2052	55
Chile	Azorella madreporica	-33.334	-70.247	3258	100
Chile	Laretia acaulis	-33.334	-70.247	3259	100
Chile	Laretia acaulis	-33.329	-70.267	3300	100
Chile	Laretia acaulis	-33.326	-70.283	3000	100
Chile	Azorella madreporica	-33.325	-70.239	3394	100
Chile	Azorella madreporica	-33.319	-70.260	3600	100
Chile	Azorella madreporica	-33.316	-70.236	3625	100
Chile	Adesmia subterranea	-30.418	-70.263	3744	100
Chile	Azorella madreporica	-30.418	-70.263	3744	100
Chile	Adesmia subterranea	-30.394	-70.242	3922	100
Chile	Azorella madreporica	-30.394	-70.242	3922	100
Chile	Picnophyllum bryoides	-22.576	-68.037	4300	100
Ecuador	Pentacalia microdon	-0.656	-78.440	4500	85
Ecuador	Azorella aretioides	-0.472	-78.159	4700	85
Ecuador	Xenophyllum humile	-0.472	-78.158	4700	85
Ecuador	Azorella aretioides	-0.467	-78.167	4550	90
Nepal	Astragalus sp.	28.136	85.344	4265	82
Lebanon^a	Onobrychis cornuta	33.975	35.848	2222	60
Lebanon^a	Astragulus zachlensis	33.977	35.848	2223	60
USA	Geum rossii	35.341	-111.684	3650	80
USA	Geum rossii	35.343	-111.682	3800	80
Iran	Astragulus macrosemius	35.894	51.407	3676	80
Spain^c	Arenaria tetraquetra ssp. amabilis	36.997	-3.313	3110	100
Spain^c	Arenaria tetraquetra ssp. amabilis	37.036	-3.303	2575	100
Spain^c	Arenaria tetraquetra ssp. amabilis	37.051	-3.371	3239	100
Spain^c	Arenaria tetraquetra ssp. amabilis	37.081	-3.381	2750	85
Spain^c	Plantago holosteum	37.081	-3.381	2750	85
USA^a	Phlox condensata	37.533	-118.205	3603	100
USA^a	Townsendia leptotes	37.550	-118.215	3563	100
USA	Eriogonum gracilipes	37.551	-118.224	3726	80
China^c	Thylacospermum caespitosum	39.302	96.303	4239	60
China^c	Rhodiola juparensis	39.355	96.262	3709	70
China^c	Thylacospermum caespitosum	39.503	96.505	4228	80
USA	Eriogonum umbellatum	40.695	-110.905	3550	80
Spain^c	Minuartia recurva	40.800	-3.933	2340	101
Spain	Silene acaulis	42.689	0.646	2318	85
Spain	Saponaria caespitosa	42.690	0.649	2318	93
USA	Silene acaulis	44.969	-109.440	3263	72
USA	Trifolium nanum	44.972	-109.448	3231	28
Switzerland^c	Carex firma	46.423	7.628	2305	82
Switzerland^c	Silene acaulis	46.425	7.629	2297	80
Switzerland^a	Silene acaulis	46.478	9.583	2484	75
Italy	Carex firma	46.487	11.807	2208	90
Italy	Cerastium alpinum	46.502	11.809	2913	91
Italy	Silene acaulis	46.506	12.020	2357	100
Italy	Silene acaulis	46.530	12.016	2473	57
Italy	Minuartia sp.	46.530	12.003	2734	100
USA	Eriogonum ovalium	46.868	-113.964	1232	30
USA	Eriogonum ovalium	46.883	-113.983	1117	30
USA	Antennaria umbrinella	47.078	-112.372	1796	30
USA	Dasiphora fruticosa	48.479	-113.332	2241	78
USA	Silene acaulis	48.479	-113.329	2280	114
USA	Sibbaldia sp.	48.485	-113.322	2290	104
USA	Silene acaulis	48.725	-113.682	2143	80
USA	Silene acaulis	48.780	-113.767	2273	80
USA	Silene acaulis	48.784	-113.767	2515	80
Canada	Silene acaulis	49.051	-120.218	2510	47
Canada	Saxifraga oppositifolia	49.051	-120.218	2510	39
Canada	Silene acaulis	49.057	-120.220	2476	80
Slovakia	Silene acaulis	49.236	20.219	1982	90
Slovakia	Minuartia sedoides	49.236	20.219	1982	32
Canada^c	Silene acaulis	50.032	-122.571	2100	61
Canada	Silene acaulis	50.032	-122.571	2100	100
Canada^c	Silene acaulis	50.611	-114.976	2516	99
Canada	Silene acaulis	51.209	-122.562	2191	73
Canada	Silene acaulis	57.061	-122.864	1754	81
Canada	Silene acaulis	57.061	-122.866	1757	70
Canada	Silene acaulis	57.063	-122.865	1747	62
Sweden	Silene acaulis	68.357	18.499	1050	50
Norway^c	Silene acaulis	78.912	12.017	30	74

a (only soil moisture data), b (only SOM data), c (soil moisture and SOM data)

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