1
|
Plos C, Hensen I, Korell L, Auge H, Römermann C. Plant species phenology differs between climate and land-use scenarios and relates to plant functional traits. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11441. [PMID: 38799400 PMCID: PMC11116844 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Phenological shifts due to changing climate are often highly species and context specific. Land-use practices such as mowing or grazing directly affect the phenology of grassland species, but it is unclear if plants are similarly affected by climate change in differently managed grassland systems such as meadows and pastures. Functional traits have a high potential to explain phenological shifts and might help to understand species-specific and land-use-specific phenological responses to changes in climate. In the large-scale field experiment Global Change Experimental Facility (GCEF), we monitored the first flowering day, last flowering day, flowering duration, and day of peak flowering, of 17 herbaceous grassland species under ambient and future climate conditions, comparing meadows and pastures. Both climate and land use impacted the flowering phenology of plant species in species-specific ways. We did not find evidence for interacting effects of climate and land-use type on plant phenology. However, the data indicate that microclimatic and microsite conditions on meadows and pastures were differently affected by future climate, making differential effects on meadows and pastures likely. Functional traits, including the phenological niche and grassland utilization indicator values, explained species-specific phenological climate responses. Late flowering species and species with a low mowing tolerance advanced their flowering more strongly under future climate. Long flowering species and species following an acquisitive strategy (high specific leaf area, high mowing tolerance, and high forage value) advanced their flowering end more strongly and thus more strongly shortened their flowering under future climate. We associated these trait-response relationships primarily with a phenological drought escape during summer. Our results provide novel insights on how climate and land use impact the flowering phenology of grassland species and we highlight the role of functional traits in mediating phenological responses to climate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Plos
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of Biology, Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle‐WittenbergHalle (Saale)Germany
| | - Isabell Hensen
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of Biology, Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle‐WittenbergHalle (Saale)Germany
| | - Lotte Korell
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz‐Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ)Halle (Saale)Germany
| | - Harald Auge
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz‐Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ)Halle (Saale)Germany
| | - Christine Römermann
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution with Herbarium Haussknecht and Botanical Garden, Friedrich Schiller University JenaJenaGermany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Neyret M, Le Provost G, Boesing AL, Schneider FD, Baulechner D, Bergmann J, de Vries FT, Fiore-Donno AM, Geisen S, Goldmann K, Merges A, Saifutdinov RA, Simons NK, Tobias JA, Zaitsev AS, Gossner MM, Jung K, Kandeler E, Krauss J, Penone C, Schloter M, Schulz S, Staab M, Wolters V, Apostolakis A, Birkhofer K, Boch S, Boeddinghaus RS, Bolliger R, Bonkowski M, Buscot F, Dumack K, Fischer M, Gan HY, Heinze J, Hölzel N, John K, Klaus VH, Kleinebecker T, Marhan S, Müller J, Renner SC, Rillig MC, Schenk NV, Schöning I, Schrumpf M, Seibold S, Socher SA, Solly EF, Teuscher M, van Kleunen M, Wubet T, Manning P. A slow-fast trait continuum at the whole community level in relation to land-use intensification. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1251. [PMID: 38341437 PMCID: PMC10858939 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45113-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Organismal functional strategies form a continuum from slow- to fast-growing organisms, in response to common drivers such as resource availability and disturbance. However, whether there is synchronisation of these strategies at the entire community level is unclear. Here, we combine trait data for >2800 above- and belowground taxa from 14 trophic guilds spanning a disturbance and resource availability gradient in German grasslands. The results indicate that most guilds consistently respond to these drivers through both direct and trophically mediated effects, resulting in a 'slow-fast' axis at the level of the entire community. Using 15 indicators of carbon and nutrient fluxes, biomass production and decomposition, we also show that fast trait communities are associated with faster rates of ecosystem functioning. These findings demonstrate that 'slow' and 'fast' strategies can be manifested at the level of whole communities, opening new avenues of ecosystem-level functional classification.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Margot Neyret
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt, Germany.
- Laboratoire d'Écologie Alpine, Université Grenoble Alpes - CNRS - Université Savoie Mont Blanc, Grenoble, France.
| | | | | | - Florian D Schneider
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt, Germany
- ISOE - Institute for social-ecological research, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Dennis Baulechner
- Justus Liebig University, Department of Animal Ecology, Giessen, Germany
| | - Joana Bergmann
- Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Franciska T de Vries
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Stefan Geisen
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Kezia Goldmann
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Soil Ecology Department, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Anna Merges
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Ruslan A Saifutdinov
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Nadja K Simons
- Ecological Networks, Technical University Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
- Applied Biodiversity Sciences, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Joseph A Tobias
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Andrey S Zaitsev
- Justus Liebig University, Department of Animal Ecology, Giessen, Germany
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Senckenberg Museum for Natural History Görlitz, Görlitz, Germany
| | - Martin M Gossner
- Forest Entomology, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Kirsten Jung
- Institut of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Ellen Kandeler
- Department of Soil Biology, Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Jochen Krauss
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Caterina Penone
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Michael Schloter
- Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, Research Unit for Comparative Microbiome Analysis, Oberschleissheim, Germany
- Chair of Environmental Microbiology, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Stefanie Schulz
- Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, Research Unit for Comparative Microbiome Analysis, Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - Michael Staab
- Ecological Networks, Technical University Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Volkmar Wolters
- Justus Liebig University, Department of Animal Ecology, Giessen, Germany
| | - Antonios Apostolakis
- Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Klaus Birkhofer
- Department of Ecology, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Cottbus, Germany
| | - Steffen Boch
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Runa S Boeddinghaus
- Department of Soil Biology, Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
- Department Plant Production and Production Related Environmental Protection, Center for Agricultural Technology Augustenberg (LTZ), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Ralph Bolliger
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Michael Bonkowski
- Terrestrial Ecology, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany
| | - François Buscot
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Soil Ecology Department, Halle/Saale, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle - Jena-, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kenneth Dumack
- Terrestrial Ecology, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany
| | - Markus Fischer
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Huei Ying Gan
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironments Tübingen (SHEP), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Johannes Heinze
- Department of Biodiversity, Heinz Sielmann Foundation, Wustermark, Germany
| | - Norbert Hölzel
- Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Katharina John
- Justus Liebig University, Department of Animal Ecology, Giessen, Germany
| | - Valentin H Klaus
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Forage Production and Grassland Systems, Agroscope, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Till Kleinebecker
- Institute for Landscape Ecology and Resources Management (ILR), Research Centre for BioSystems, Land Use and Nutrition (iFZ), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Centre for International Development and Environmental Research (ZEU), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Sven Marhan
- Department of Soil Biology, Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Jörg Müller
- Department of Nature Conservation, Heinz Sielmann Foundation, Wustermark, Germany
| | - Swen C Renner
- Ornithology, Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Autria, Germany
| | | | - Noëlle V Schenk
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ingo Schöning
- Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - Marion Schrumpf
- Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - Sebastian Seibold
- Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Life Sciences, Freising, Germany
- TUD Dresden University of Technology, Forest Zoology, Tharandt, Germany
| | - Stephanie A Socher
- Paris Lodron University Salzburg, Department Environment and Biodiversity, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Emily F Solly
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Computation Hydrosystems Department, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Miriam Teuscher
- University of Göttingen, Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Mark van Kleunen
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation, Taizhou University, Taizhou, China
- Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Tesfaye Wubet
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle - Jena-, Leipzig, Germany
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Community Ecology Department, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Peter Manning
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt, Germany.
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Grazing and light modify Silene latifolia responses to nutrients and future climate. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276789. [DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Altered climate, nutrient enrichment and changes in grazing patterns are important environmental and biotic changes in temperate grassland systems. Singly and in concert these factors can influence plant performance and traits, with consequences for species competitive ability, and thus for species coexistence, community composition and diversity. However, we lack experimental tests of the mechanisms, such as competition for light, driving plant performance and traits under nutrient enrichment, grazer exclusion and future climate. We used transplants of Silene latifolia, a widespread grassland forb in Europe, to study plant responses to interactions among climate, nutrients, grazing and light. We recorded transplant biomass, height, specific leaf area (SLA) and foliar carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N) in full-factorial combinations of future climate treatment, fertilization, grazer exclusion and light addition via LED-lamps. Future climate and fertilization together increased transplant height but only in unlighted plots. Light addition increased SLA in ambient climate, and decreased C:N in unfertilized plots. Further, transplants had higher biomass in future climatic conditions when protected from grazers. In general, grazing had a strong negative effect on all measured variables regardless of added nutrients and light. Our results show that competition for light may lead to taller individuals and interacts with climate and nutrients to affect traits related to resource-use. Furthermore, our study suggests grazing may counteract the benefits of future climate on the biomass of species such as Silene latifolia. Consequently, grazers and light may be important modulators of individual plant performance and traits under nutrient enrichment and future climatic conditions.
Collapse
|
4
|
Kretz L, Bondar-Kunze E, Hein T, Richter R, Schulz-Zunkel C, Seele-Dilbat C, van der Plas F, Vieweg M, Wirth C. Vegetation characteristics control local sediment and nutrient retention on but not underneath vegetation in floodplain meadows. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0252694. [PMID: 34855757 PMCID: PMC8638890 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sediment and nutrient retention are essential ecosystem functions that floodplains provide and that improve river water quality. During floods, the floodplain vegetation retains sediment, which settles on plant surfaces and the soil underneath plants. Both sedimentation processes require that flow velocity is reduced, which may be caused by the topographic features and the vegetation structure of the floodplain. However, the relative importance of these two drivers and their key components have rarely been both quantified. In addition to topographic factors, we expect vegetation height and density, mean leaf size and pubescence, as well as species diversity of the floodplain vegetation to increase the floodplain's capacity for sedimentation. To test this, we measured sediment and nutrients (carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus) both on the vegetation itself and on sediment traps underneath the vegetation after a flood at 24 sites along the River Mulde (Germany). Additionally, we measured biotic and topographic predictor variables. Sedimentation on the vegetation surface was positively driven by plant biomass and the height variation of the vegetation, and decreased with the hydrological distance (total R2 = 0.56). Sedimentation underneath the vegetation was not driven by any vegetation characteristics but decreased with hydrological distance (total R2 = 0.42). Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus content in the sediment on the traps increased with the total amount of sediment (total R2 = 0.64, 0.62 and 0.84, respectively), while C, N and P on the vegetation additionally increased with hydrological distance (total R2 = 0.80, 0.79 and 0.92, respectively). This offers the potential to promote sediment and especially nutrient retention via vegetation management, such as adapted mowing. The pronounced signal of the hydrological distance to the river emphasises the importance of a laterally connected floodplain with abandoned meanders and morphological depressions. Our study improves our understanding of the locations where floodplain management has its most significant impact on sediment and nutrient retention to increase water purification processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lena Kretz
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Life science, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Conservation Biology and Social-Ecological Systems, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Bondar-Kunze
- Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- WasserCluster Lunz, Lunz am See, Austria
| | - Thomas Hein
- Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- WasserCluster Lunz, Lunz am See, Austria
| | - Ronny Richter
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Life science, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Geoinformatics and Remote Sensing, Institute for Geography, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christiane Schulz-Zunkel
- Department of Conservation Biology and Social-Ecological Systems, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Carolin Seele-Dilbat
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Life science, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Conservation Biology and Social-Ecological Systems, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Fons van der Plas
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Michael Vieweg
- Department of Conservation Biology and Social-Ecological Systems, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christian Wirth
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Life science, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck Institute of Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
LC-MS based plant metabolic profiles of thirteen grassland species grown in diverse neighbourhoods. Sci Data 2021; 8:52. [PMID: 33563993 PMCID: PMC7873126 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-021-00836-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In plants, secondary metabolite profiles provide a unique opportunity to explore seasonal variation and responses to the environment. These include both abiotic and biotic factors. In field experiments, such stress factors occur in combination. This variation alters the plant metabolic profiles in yet uninvestigated ways. This data set contains trait and mass spectrometry data of thirteen grassland species collected at four time points in the growing season in 2017. We collected above-ground vegetative material of seven grass and six herb species that were grown in plant communities with different levels of diversity in the Jena Experiment. For each sample, we recorded visible traits and acquired shoot metabolic profiles on a UPLC-ESI-Qq-TOF-MS. We performed the raw data pre-processing in Galaxy-W4M and prepared the data for statistical analysis in R by applying missing data imputation, batch correction, and validity checks on the features. This comprehensive data set provides the opportunity to investigate environmental dynamics across diverse neighbourhoods that are reflected in the metabolomic profile.
Collapse
|
6
|
Dietz S, Herz K, Gorzolka K, Jandt U, Bruelheide H, Scheel D. Root exudate composition of grass and forb species in natural grasslands. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10691. [PMID: 32612150 PMCID: PMC7329890 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54309-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Plants exude a diverse cocktail of metabolites into the soil as response to exogenous and endogenous factors. So far, root exudates have mainly been studied under artificial conditions due to methodological difficulties. In this study, each five perennial grass and forb species were investigated for polar and semi-polar metabolites in exudates under field conditions. Metabolite collection and untargeted profiling approaches combined with a novel classification method allowed the designation of 182 metabolites. The composition of exuded polar metabolites depended mainly on the local environment, especially soil conditions, whereas the pattern of semi-polar metabolites was primarily affected by the species identity. The profiles of both polar and semi-polar metabolites differed between growth forms, with grass species being generally more similar to each other and more responsive to the abiotic environment than forb species. This study demonstrated the feasibility of investigating exudates under field conditions and to identify the driving factors of exudate composition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Dietz
- Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Weinberg 3, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany.
| | - Katharina Herz
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle [Saale], Germany
| | - Karin Gorzolka
- Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Weinberg 3, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Ute Jandt
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle [Saale], Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle [Saale], Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Dierk Scheel
- Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Weinberg 3, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Zeldin J, Lichtenberger TM, Foxx AJ, Webb Williams E, Kramer AT. Intraspecific functional trait structure of restoration‐relevant species: Implications for restoration seed sourcing. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Zeldin
- Plant Science and Conservation Chicago Botanic Garden Glencoe IL USA
| | - Taran M. Lichtenberger
- Plant Science and Conservation Chicago Botanic Garden Glencoe IL USA
- Plant Biology and Conservation Northwestern University Evanston IL USA
| | - Alicia J. Foxx
- Plant Science and Conservation Chicago Botanic Garden Glencoe IL USA
- Plant Biology and Conservation Northwestern University Evanston IL USA
| | | | - Andrea T. Kramer
- Plant Science and Conservation Chicago Botanic Garden Glencoe IL USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Resident and phytometer plants host comparable rhizosphere fungal communities in managed grassland ecosystems. Sci Rep 2020; 10:919. [PMID: 31969613 PMCID: PMC6976665 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-57760-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Plants are known to modulate their own rhizosphere mycobiome. However, field studies that use resident plants to relate the microbiome assemblage to environmental factors such as land-use suffer from the problem that confounding factors such as plant age and performance may override the targeted effects. In contrast, the use of even-aged phytometer plants pre-cultivated under uniform conditions helps to reduce such random variation. We investigated the rhizosphere mycobiomes of phytometer and resident plants of two common grassland species, Dactylis glomerata L. s. str. and Plantago lanceolata L. along a land-use intensity gradient using ITS rRNA Illumina amplicon sequencing. Remarkably, we did not detect effects of the plant types (resident vs. phytometer plant, even though some fungal taxa exhibited plant species specificity), indicating that phytometer plants hosted a comparable rhizosphere mycobiome as resident plants. Our data indicate that the plant species harbor distinct fungal communities, with fungal richness in the rhizosphere of P. lanceolata being substantially higher than that of D. glomerata. Land-use intensity had a clear impact on the mycobiome of both plant species, with specific fungal genera showing differential tolerance to high intensities. Overall, the phytometer approach has a high potential to reveal environmental impacts on rhizosphere communities.
Collapse
|
9
|
Welk A, Welk E, Baudis M, Böckelmann J, Bruelheide H. Plant species' range type determines local responses to biotic interactions and land use. Ecology 2019; 100:e02890. [PMID: 31509229 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Revised: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Geographic plant distribution is often assumed to be predominantly limited directly by the climatic tolerances of species. However, the role of climate is now known to be mainly an indirect one mostly mediating dispersal and establishment, species interactions, or habitat characteristics, which all are often modified by human land use. In these complex systems, negative biotic interactions are predicted to increase in relative importance toward benign climatic conditions. We tested this hypothesis experimentally by exposing plant species with different geographic distribution ranges to different climates, biotic interactions, and land use. Thereby, species predominantly distributed in regions with benign climatic conditions were expected to be better able to cope with negative biotic interactions than species from regions with environmentally stressful climatic conditions. We present results of a fully crossed two-year transplantation field experiment replicated in 45 plots in three study regions along a precipitation gradient across Germany. We manipulated biotic interactions (presence/absence of competition and mollusk herbivory) in grasslands of different management regimes (meadows, mown pastures, pastures). The transplanted phytometers consisted of six congeneric species pairs, each representing one oceanic and one distinctly more continental range type. The oceanic range type is predominantly distributed in benign climatic conditions in Western Europe, while the more continental type is distributed in regions with more stressful climatic conditions in Eastern Europe. This experimental setting allowed us to study the impact of negative biotic interactions along an abiotic stress gradient under realistic land-use conditions. Under competition and mollusk herbivory, growth performance was more strongly reduced in continental compared to oceanic species. Range types also differed in their responses to grassland management. Differences in survival between the congeneric species were found to be region-specific and largely unaffected by biotic interactions and land use. In consequence, our results suggest that local responses to biotic interactions and land-use practices of otherwise very similar plant species can differ strongly depending on species' large-scale geographical distribution. Regionally differing responses to biotic interactions also show that local conditions can drastically change responses expected from macroecological theory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Astrid Welk
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, D-06108, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Erik Welk
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, D-06108, Halle (Saale), Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mathias Baudis
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, D-06108, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Jörg Böckelmann
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, Division of Tropical Ecology and Animal Biodiversity, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, A-1030, Wien, Austria
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, D-06108, Halle (Saale), Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Miedema LJ, Capmourteres V, Anand M. Impact of land composition and configuration on the functional trait assembly of forest communities in southern Ontario. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Liane J. Miedema
- School of Environmental Sciences University of Guelph 50 Stone Road East Guelph Ontario N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - Virginia Capmourteres
- School of Environmental Sciences University of Guelph 50 Stone Road East Guelph Ontario N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - Madhur Anand
- School of Environmental Sciences University of Guelph 50 Stone Road East Guelph Ontario N1G 2W1 Canada
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Breitschwerdt E, Jandt U, Bruelheide H. Trait-performance relationships of grassland plant species differ between common garden and field conditions. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:1691-1701. [PMID: 30847065 PMCID: PMC6392492 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Revised: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The way functional traits affect growth of plant species may be highly context-specific. We asked which combinations of trait values are advantageous under field conditions in managed grasslands as compared to conditions without competition and land-use. In a two-year field experiment, we recorded the performance of 93 species transplanted into German grassland communities differing in land-use intensity and into a common garden, where species grew unaffected by land-use under favorable conditions regarding soil, water, and space. The plants' performance was characterized by two independent dimensions (relative growth rates (RGR) of height and leaf length vs. aboveground biomass and survival) that were differently related to the eight focal key traits in our study (leaf dry matter content (LDMC), specific leaf area (SLA), height, leaf anatomy, leaf persistence, leaf distribution, vegetative reproduction, and physical defense). We applied multivariate procrustes analyses to test for the correspondence of the optimal trait-performance relationships between field and common garden conditions. RGRs were species-specific and species ranks of RGRs in the field, and the common garden were significantly correlated. Different traits explained the performance in the field and the common garden; for example, leaf anatomy traits explained species performance only in the field, whereas plant height was found to be only important in the common garden. The ability to reproduce vegetatively, having leaves that are summer-persistent and with high leaf dry matter content (LDMC) were traits of major importance under both settings, albeit the magnitude of their influence differed slightly between the field and the common garden experiment. All optimal models included interactions between traits, pointing out the necessity to analyze traits in combination. The differences between field and common garden clearly demonstrate context dependency of trait-based growth models, which results in limited transferability of favorable trait combinations between different environmental settings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Breitschwerdt
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical GardenMartin Luther University Halle‐WittenbergHalleGermany
| | - Ute Jandt
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical GardenMartin Luther University Halle‐WittenbergHalleGermany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical GardenMartin Luther University Halle‐WittenbergHalleGermany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Schöps R, Goldmann K, Herz K, Lentendu G, Schöning I, Bruelheide H, Wubet T, Buscot F. Land-Use Intensity Rather Than Plant Functional Identity Shapes Bacterial and Fungal Rhizosphere Communities. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2711. [PMID: 30515138 PMCID: PMC6255942 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 10/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The rhizosphere encompasses the soil surrounding the surface of plants’ fine roots. Accordingly, the microbiome present is influenced by both soil type and plant species. Furthermore, soil microbial communities respond to land-use intensity due to the effects on soil conditions and plant performance. However, there is limited knowledge about the impact of grassland management practices under field conditions on the composition of both bacteria and fungi in the rhizosphere of different plant functional groups. In spring 2014 we planted four phytometer species, two forbs (Plantago lanceolata, Achillea millefolium) and two grasses (Dactylis glomerata, Arrhenatherum elatius) into 13 permanent experimental grassland plots, differing in management. After 6 months, rhizosphere and bulk soil associated with the phytometer plants were sampled, microbial genomic DNA was extracted and bacterial 16S and fungal ITS rDNA were sequenced using Illumina MiSeq. Our study revealed that the rhizosphere microbial community was more diverse than the bulk soil community. There were no differences in microbial community composition between the two plant functional groups, but a clear impact of root traits and edaphic conditions. Land-use intensity strongly affected plant productivity, neighboring plant richness and edaphic conditions, especially soil C/N ratio, which in turn had a strong influence on root traits and thereby explained to large extent microbial community composition. Rhizosphere microbes were mainly affected by abiotic factors, in particular by land-use intensity, while plant functional type had only subordinate effects. Our study provides novel insights into the assembly of rhizosphere bacterial and fungal communities in response to land-use intensity and plant functional groups in managed grassland ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Schöps
- Department of Soil Ecology, UFZ - Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Halle, Germany.,Department of Biology II, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kezia Goldmann
- Department of Soil Ecology, UFZ - Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Halle, Germany
| | - Katharina Herz
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Guillaume Lentendu
- Department of Soil Ecology, UFZ - Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Halle, Germany.,Department of Ecology, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Ingo Schöning
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tesfaye Wubet
- Department of Soil Ecology, UFZ - Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Halle, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - François Buscot
- Department of Soil Ecology, UFZ - Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Halle, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Breitschwerdt E, Jandt U, Bruelheide H. Using co-occurrence information and trait composition to understand individual plant performance in grassland communities. Sci Rep 2018; 8:9076. [PMID: 29899342 PMCID: PMC5998150 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-27017-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2017] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Depending on the strength of environmental filtering and competitive exclusion, successful colonizers of plant communities show varying degrees of similarity to resident species with respect to functional traits. For the present study, colonizer's performance was assessed in relation to the degree of fit with the resident community, and in addition, in relation to the community's trait profile and the environmental factors at the study locations. The two-year field experiment investigated the relative growth rates of 130 species that had been transplanted into German grassland communities varying in intensities of land-use. The transplanted species were selected in accordance with the following scenarios: species with highly similar or dissimilar traits to residents, species with highest degree of co-occurrence with resident species and species chosen randomly from the local species pool. The performance of transplanted phytometers depended on the scenario according to which the species were selected, on community trait diversity, and in addition, often on the interaction of both and on land use intensity. The total amount of explained variance in performance was low, but increased considerably when species identity was taken into account. In general, individuals in the co-occurrence scenario performed better than those selected based on trait information or those selected randomly. Different predictors were important in different seasons, demonstrating a limited temporal validity of performance models.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Breitschwerdt
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle, Germany
| | - Ute Jandt
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle, Germany.
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Herz K, Dietz S, Haider S, Jandt U, Scheel D, Bruelheide H. Predicting individual plant performance in grasslands. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:8958-8965. [PMID: 29177035 PMCID: PMC5689490 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2017] [Revised: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 08/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant functional traits are widely used to predict community productivity. However, they are rarely used to predict individual plant performance in grasslands. To assess the relative importance of traits compared to environment, we planted seedlings of 20 common grassland species as phytometers into existing grassland communities varying in land‐use intensity. After 1 year, we dug out the plants and assessed root, leaf, and aboveground biomass, to measure plant performance. Furthermore, we determined the functional traits of the phytometers and of all plants growing in their local neighborhood. Neighborhood impacts were analyzed by calculating community‐weighted means (CWM) and functional diversity (FD) of every measured trait. We used model selection to identify the most important predictors of individual plant performance, which included phytometer traits, environmental conditions (climate, soil conditions, and land‐use intensity), as well as CWM and FD of the local neighborhood. Using variance partitioning, we found that most variation in individual plant performance was explained by the traits of the individual phytometer plant, ranging between 19.30% and 44.73% for leaf and aboveground dry mass, respectively. Similarly, in a linear mixed effects model across all species, performance was best predicted by phytometer traits. Among all environmental variables, only including land‐use intensity improved model quality. The models were also improved by functional characteristics of the local neighborhood, such as CWM of leaf dry matter content, root calcium concentration, and root mass per volume as well as FD of leaf potassium and root magnesium concentration and shoot dry matter content. However, their relative effect sizes were much lower than those of the phytometer traits. Our study clearly showed that under realistic field conditions, the performance of an individual plant can be predicted satisfyingly by its functional traits, presumably because traits also capture most of environmental and neighborhood conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Herz
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Halle Germany
| | - Sophie Dietz
- Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry Halle Germany
| | - Sylvia Haider
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Halle Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | - Ute Jandt
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Halle Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | - Dierk Scheel
- Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry Halle Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Halle Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Leipzig Germany
| |
Collapse
|