Abstract

We provide experimental evidence that nurse and beneficiary species identity simultaneously influence the balance between facilitation and competition. Our results suggest that ontogenetic shifts may be a widespread phenomenon in semi-arid ecosystems. We discuss that a key mechanism explaining these findings is the match between what nurse species offer and what beneficiary species require in terms of resources and conditions. As a con- sequence, different nurse species tend to favour or inhibit unique sets of benefi- ciary species beneath their canopies. We argue that species-specific facilitation is an overlooked mechanismpromoting b-diversity during community succession