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Nurse plants also aid with recovery after herbivore grazing, because they provide higher levels of resources to the plant. [8] The effect of nurse plants on any particular species is dependent upon species richness and the dispersal strategy of the organism. [8] Nurse plants can help with seedling recruitment and protect plants from granivory.
This plant acts as a nurse plant for other species, providing shade and increased soil nitrogen for young growing plants. It also protects seedlings from herbivory. It is the main nurse plant for saguaro in Organ Pipe National Monument. [4] It also serves as nurse plant for yellow paloverde, ocotillo, and some prickly pear species. [7]
A nurse tree in an Oregon forest Young saguaros under a nurse tree. A nurse tree is a larger, faster-growing tree that shelters a smaller, slower-growing tree or plant. The nurse tree can provide shade, shelter from wind, and protection from animals that would feed on the smaller plant and significant changes in temperature. [1]
Like the now familiar example of nurse plants in harsh environments, nurse logs in a forest are sites of increased seed germination and seedling survival because the raised substrate of a log frees seedlings from competition with plants and mosses on the forest floor. [13]
In forests, trees and shrubs often serve as nurse plants that facilitate the establishment and seedling growth of understory plants. The forest canopy protects young understory plants from extremes of temperature and dry conditions. [17]
A nurse log is a fallen tree which, as it decays, provides ecological facilitation to seedlings. Broader definitions include providing shade or support to other plants. Some of the advantages a nurse log offers to a seedling are: water, moss thickness, leaf litter, mycorrhizae, disease protection, nutrients, and sunlight.
Plants are found growing in oak forest, grasslands, silt flats, and in rocky outcrops at elevations of 600 to 2,600 metres (2,000 to 8,500 ft). [4] These nurse plants protect these smaller plant species below them from harsh weather conditions; being able to provide shade for the cacti in arid and sunny environments.
Oats as nurse crop for alfalfa. In agriculture, a nurse crop is an annual crop used to assist in establishment of a perennial crop. [1] The widest use of nurse crops is in the establishment of legumaceous plants such as alfalfa, clover, and trefoil. [1] [2] Occasionally, nurse crops are used for establishment of perennial grasses. [citation needed]