The competitive effect of neighbouring plants on the growth of two eucalypts is stronger in dry conditions

Abstract

Abstract Plant growth is influenced by interactions with neighbouring plants. The strength and direction of the cumulative neighbourhood effect on growth can depend on neighbour properties, such as their abundance, size and proximity, as well as the degree of similarity between interacting plants and their traits, which can be captured by the species identity of neighbours. Such interactions are also influenced by the local environmental conditions that are largely determined by climate. Because neighbour and climatic effects are typically explored in isolation, particularly in long‐lived species such as trees, it is unclear how the impacts of neighbours on plant growth shift in response to temporal variation in climatic conditions. Here, we explored how neighbouring plants impact the annual growth of two eucalypts, Eucalyptus delegatensis and Eucalyptus regnans, over three growing seasons in an experimental forest in south‐east Tasmania, Australia. We assessed whether eucalypt growth rates could be described by the number, size, proximity, and species identity of neighbours, and how the strength of this effect was influenced by the growing season climatic conditions. We found that climate and neighbouring plants had an interactive impact on eucalypt growth. Neighbours had a consistent, competitive effect on the growth of both eucalypts in all three growing seasons which was strongly related to the cumulative neighbourhood biomass. The identity of neighbours was important in determining E. regnans growth only, whereby distinguishing neighbours according to functional group best described growth. Over all three growing seasons, we predicted that, on average, neighbours reduced E. delegatensis and E. regnans mean annual growth by 60.5% and 48.4%, respectively. However, the strength of the competitive effect of neighbours on eucalypt growth was related to growing season climate, being strongest when conditions were hot and dry and weakest in cool, wet conditions. Synthesis: Given the consistent results observed in two co‐occurring eucalypts, our findings suggest that drier and hotter climatic conditions increase the strength of competitive effects on tree growth. This has implications for future forest productivity given projected increased temperatures and variation in rainfall patterns globally.