Herb response to gaps fails through five distinct limiting constraints

Evidence

3. Not all herbs respond positively to gaps due to (a) genetic limitations of some groups, (b) minimum thresholds of gap size for sufficient resource release, (c) environmental stress or resource depletion in some gaps, (d) competition with woody seedlings, sprouts, or shrubs, and (e) altered numbers or activity of mutualists or consumers. — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 1487

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Frequent gaps selected long-lived clonal forest herbs for gap-response ability — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 1476; Shade herbs persist only in small gaps unless sheltered by taller plants — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 1463; Sweetgrass depends on clonal rhizome spread, leaving it unable to recolonize fragmented land. — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom,…, 960

Broader Connections

• Frequent gaps selected long-lived clonal forest herbs for gap-response ability #expands (0.85) — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 1476
• Shade herbs persist only in small gaps unless sheltered by taller plants #qualifies (0.75) — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 1463