Abstract
Positive interactions in alpine plant communities have been reported to increase in importance with increasing altitude and exposure. Positive and negative interactions between plants might occur simultaneously, so the net plant-plant interaction is determined by the balance between positive and negative effects. I investigated the relative effect of facilitation and resource competition by surrounding dwarf shrubs on Carex bigelowii in two contrasting arctic-alpine tundra heathlands. Carex bigelowii was positively associated with dwarf shrubs on an exposed mountain ridge but negatively associated with dwarf shrubs on a protected heath. A removal experiment indicated that positive associations at the exposed site are the result of facilitation of C. bigelowii by the dwarf shrub canopy. Our understanding of arctic and alpine plant communities can be enhanced by regarding plant interactions as combinations of positive and negative components.
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