Sediment availability provokes a shift from Brownian to Lévy‐like clonal expansion in a dune building grass

Valérie C. Reijers, Selwyn Hoeks, Jim Belzen van, Koen Siteur, Anne J. A. Rond de, Clea N. Ven van de, Carlijn Lammers, Johan Koppel van de, Tjisse Heide van der

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

In biogeomorphic landscapes, plant traits can steer landscape development through plant‐mediated feedback interactions. Interspecific differences in clonal expansion strategy can therefore lead to the emergence of different landscape organisations. Yet, whether landscape‐forming plants adopt different clonal expansion strategies depending on their physical environment remains to be tested. Here, we use a field survey and a complementary mesocosm approach to investigate whether sediment deposition affects the clonal expansion strategy employed by dune‐building marram grass individuals. Our results reveal a consistent shift in expansion pattern from more clumped, Brownian‐like, movement in sediment‐poor conditions, to patchier, Lévy‐like, movement under high sediment supply rates. Additional model simulations illustrate that the sediment‐dependent shift in movement strategies induces a shift in optimisation of the cost–benefit relation between landscape engineering (i.e. dune formation) and expansion. Plasticity in expansion strategy may therefore allow landscape‐forming plants to optimise their engineering ability depending on their physical landscape.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberele.13638
Pages (from-to)258-268
JournalEcology Letters
Volume24
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020

Keywords

  • Ammophila arenaria
  • biogeomorphic landscapes
  • clonal expansion
  • coastal dunes
  • engineeringtraits
  • habitat modification
  • Levy movement

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