Do nutrient availability and competition limit plant growth of herbaceous species in the boreal forest understory?

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to investigate whether nutrient availability and competition limit aboveground growth of five herbaceous species in the boreal forest understory. The experiment involved adding fertilizer and removing neighbors of selected target individuals of five different species. Aboveground biomass and leaf number were measured as the response variables, and treatment effects were tested using ANOVA and ANCOVA. The five species showed variable responses to fertilizer addition with Achillea millefolium, Festuca altaica, and Mertensia paniculata showing significant increases. Lupinus arcticus had no response and there was a strong negative effect on survival of Anemone parviflora. Achillea was the only species that showed some growth limitation due to neighboring individuals for both biomass and leaf number; other species showed no response.