How specialized is a soil specialist? Early life history responses of a rare Eriogonum to site-level variation in volcanic soils.

Premise: Understanding edaphic specialization is crucial for conserving rare plants that may need relocation due to habitat loss. Focusing on Eriogonum crosbyae, a rare soil specialist in the Great Basin of the United States, we asked how site-level variation among volcanic soil outcrops affected plant growth and population distribution.

Methods: We measured emergence, survival, size, and biomass allocation of E.