\"We studied tussock tundra in arctic Alaska where plant growth is primarily lim
ID: 287860 • Letter: #
Question
"We studied tussock tundra in arctic Alaska where plant growth is
primarily limited by soil nitrogen availability10. Despite this shared
limitation, species with graminoid, deciduous shrub, evergreen
shrub, cryptogam and forb growth forms typically co-occur in
tussock tundra at scales of less than 0.1m2 (ref. 11). This `paradox of
diversity' could be resolved if variations in resource acquisition in
space and time among plant species lead to resource partitioning12,
thereby allowing coexistence on a single limiting resource. There is
abundant evidence that tundra plant species differ in rooting
depth13, phenology14, and uptake preferences for different chemical
forms of nitrogen (ammonium, nitrate and a variety of free amino
acids)13,15. Similar interspeci®c differences have been observed for
many other plant communities12,16,17. However, evidence that such
differences contribute to resource partitioning within communities
is limited18. We used 15"
based off this paragraph what is the “paradox of diversity” in tundra plant communities?
Explanation / Answer
The concept of limiting factor in ecology is based on the Liebig's law of the minimum, which states that the growth of an organism or a population is not dependant on the total amount of resources available but on that one resource which is essential but scarce among all. So in this case, the limiting factor for the plant growth at tussock tundra in arctic Alaska is soil nitrogen. However, despite this limiting factor, the plant community at tussock tundra exhibits a significant diversity with graminoid, deciduous shrub, evergreen shrub, cryptogam and forb growth forms. How then, despite the scarce availability of this shared resource (soil nitrogen), such diversity is observed? The occurrence of this diversity despite the limited availability of limiting resource is what is referred to as the 'paradox of diversity' in this text.
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