Alpine cushion plants have species-specific effects on microhabitat and community structure in the tropical Andes

摘要

QuestionSpecies-specific interactions can connect particular species to others, which has important implications for species interdependence and co-existence. However, species-specific effects of ecosystem engineers remain little explored, particularly in the alpine tropics. We investigated the effects of two cushion plants with subtle differences in morphological traits in a tropical Andean ecosystem. We asked whether these foundation species differed in their effects on local abiotic factors, species richness and the structure of plant assemblages growing within them.