title: Safe sites, seed supply, and the recruitment function in plant populations.
abstract: The extent to which plant populations are seed vs. establishment limited can be understood by quantifying the recruitment function, describing the number of seedlings that establish as a function of the number of seeds added. Here, we derive a general equation for the recruitment function based on a mechanistic model describing how the availability of safe sites (sites suitable for germination and establishment) interacts with the number and distribution of seeds added to a plot to determine the number of recruits. The parameters of this recruitment function have a direct biological interpretation that can provide insight into the processes limiting recruitment in plant populations.
authors.affiliation: Bio-Protection Research Centre, P.O. Box 84, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand. Richard.Duncan@lincoln.ac.nz
authors.forename: Richard P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.forename: Jeffrey M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Diez
authors.forename: Jon J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wangen
authors.forename: Alice L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D019659:Asteraceae / Q000502:physiology*; D003710:Demography; D017753:Ecosystem; D008954:Models, Biological; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D012639:Seeds / Q000502:physiology*