Functional roles of remnant plant populations in communities and ecosystems

A hypothesis is suggested for functional roles of remnant plant populations in communities and ecosystems. A remnant population is capable of persiste nce during extended time periods, despite a negative population growth rate , due to long-lived life stages and life-cycles, including loops that allow population persistence without completion of the whole life cycle. A list of critera is suggested to help identification of remnant plant populations . Several community and ecosystem features may result from the presence of remnant plant populations. Apart from increasing community and ecosystem re silience just by being present, remnant populations may contribute to resil ience through enhancing colonization by other plant species, by providing a persistent habitat for assemblages of animals and microorganisms, and by r educing variation in nutrient cycling. It is suggested that the common abil ity of plants to develop remnant populations is a contributing factor to ec osystem stability. Remnant populations are important for the capacity of ec osystems to cope with the present-day impact caused by human society, and t heir occurrence should be recognized in surveys of threatened plant species and communities.