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<p>Facilitative interactions are widely recognized for buffering abiotic stress and promoting plant recruitment in drylands, yet their persistence under climate warming remains poorly resolved under field conditions. Here, we experimentally test whether nurse plant facilitation can withstand increasing temperature during the most vulnerable stages of the plant life cycle. We combined open-top chamber warming (0.5–4.5&#xa0;°C, consistent with CMIP6 projections) with field manipulations of microhabitat (open microsites vs. beneath <i>Neltuma laevigata</i> canopies) to evaluate seedling emergence and early survival of two Chihuahuan Desert cacti (<i>Kroenleinia grusonii</i> and <i>Ferocactus latispinus</i>). Warming altered emergence patterns in a species-specific manner, in some cases enhancing seedling emergence beneath nurse plants following precipitation pulses. However, these transient benefits did not translate into successful recruitment: warming consistently reduced seedling survival across both species and microhabitats, overriding the protective effects of nurse plants. Mortality was rapid and nearly complete in open microsites, and remained high even under canopy cover, indicating only partial buffering. These results suggest that facilitation operates within a constrained thermal window and may become less effective when physiological thresholds are exceeded. Consequently, climate warming is likely to shift recruitment bottlenecks from seedling emergence to post-emergence survival, effectively narrowing the regeneration niche of desert plants. By linking microclimatic buffering with demographic responses across life stages, our study provides empirical evidence for a thermal limit of facilitation and highlights its implications for community assembly and ecosystem resilience under climate change.</p>

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Thermal limits of facilitation: experimental warming constrains cactus recruitment in drylands

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月29日

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  • Francisco Arturo Guerra-Coss,
  • José Luis Aragón-Gastélum,
  • Joel Flores,
  • Sandra Milena Gelviz-Gelvez

摘要

Facilitative interactions are widely recognized for buffering abiotic stress and promoting plant recruitment in drylands, yet their persistence under climate warming remains poorly resolved under field conditions. Here, we experimentally test whether nurse plant facilitation can withstand increasing temperature during the most vulnerable stages of the plant life cycle. We combined open-top chamber warming (0.5–4.5 °C, consistent with CMIP6 projections) with field manipulations of microhabitat (open microsites vs. beneath Neltuma laevigata canopies) to evaluate seedling emergence and early survival of two Chihuahuan Desert cacti (Kroenleinia grusonii and Ferocactus latispinus). Warming altered emergence patterns in a species-specific manner, in some cases enhancing seedling emergence beneath nurse plants following precipitation pulses. However, these transient benefits did not translate into successful recruitment: warming consistently reduced seedling survival across both species and microhabitats, overriding the protective effects of nurse plants. Mortality was rapid and nearly complete in open microsites, and remained high even under canopy cover, indicating only partial buffering. These results suggest that facilitation operates within a constrained thermal window and may become less effective when physiological thresholds are exceeded. Consequently, climate warming is likely to shift recruitment bottlenecks from seedling emergence to post-emergence survival, effectively narrowing the regeneration niche of desert plants. By linking microclimatic buffering with demographic responses across life stages, our study provides empirical evidence for a thermal limit of facilitation and highlights its implications for community assembly and ecosystem resilience under climate change.