Elevation Does Not Predict Density Dependent Population Dynamics in Valeriana edulis

Abstract

Density dependence—the impact of neighbors on the survival, growth, or reproduction of individuals—strongly impacts the size and dynamics of populations. However, it is unknown how the effects of density dependence vary across species ranges, which will be integral knowledge in the face of climate change and shifting populations. We sought to determine whether density dependence varies systematically across a species elevation range in the long-lived perennial plant Valeriana edulis (valerian). We assessed density dependence three ways across the species elevation range. First, we measured natural population density. Second, we quantified the impact of neighbor density on individuals survival, growth, flowering, and seed production. Third, we combined the measures of density dependent individual performance into a demographic model and projected the population’s carrying capacity. There was no significant relationship between observed population density and elevation. However, density dependence impacted multiple parts of the plant life cycle: size-specific survival and flowering probabilities of individual plants decreased with increasing numbers of neighbors. Finally, integrating the impacts of density across the full life cycle revealed that there was no significant relationship between elevation and model-projected carrying capacity. Taken together, these results suggest that density dependence has idiosyncratic effects on population dynamics across a species’ range. Davis 3

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