Science, Space and Technology News 2024
In Danish meadows and pastures, despite expectations that competition would favor plants dispersing heavy seeds and having thin leaves, the opposite is observed, baffling researchers. A new extensive data analysis contradicts established theories, showing fewer weeds and plants with heavy seeds or thin leaves, highlighting the complexity and unpredictability of natural ecosystems.
Weeds do well with disturbance from cows and sheep that graze and tramp on the soil, for example. However, weeds have a harder time if there is no disturbance, and other plants then begin to take their place. The competition for sunlight and good soil increases. Thin leaves will have a competitive advantage because plants can replace old leaves with new ones without expending a large amount of energy. And the new leaves will be in a better position to absorb sunlight.”“As competition increases in these areas, seed size should also increase and leaves should become thinner. But the opposite is happening – and I simply can’t see why,” he says.Although Christian Frølund Damgaard is a biologist, he mostly works with statistics and large data sets.
The report is based on more than 250,000 data collections at more than 35,000 stations across Denmark. Some of the sites are sampled 24 times a year, while other sites are only visited once every five years.
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