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Tüfekcioğlu İ, Tavşanoğlu Ç. Growth form, regeneration mode, and vegetation type explain leaf trait variability at the species and community levels in Mediterranean woody vegetation. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11145. [PMID: 38469041 PMCID: PMC10927360 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Leaf traits are good indicators of ecosystem functioning and plant adaptations to environmental conditions. We examined whether leaf trait variability at species and community levels in Mediterranean woody vegetation is explained by growth form, regeneration mode, and vegetation type. We studied several plant communities across five vegetation types - semi-closed forest, open forest, closed shrubland, open shrubland, and scrubland - in southwestern Anatolia, Türkiye. Using linear mixed models, community-weighted trait means, and principal component analysis, we tested how much variability in three leaf traits (specific leaf area, leaf thickness, and leaf area) is accounted for species, growth form, regeneration mode, and vegetation type. Despite a large amount of leaf trait variability both within- and among-species existed, functional groups still accounted for a significant part of this variability. Resprouters had higher SLA and leaf area and lower leaf thickness than non-resprouters. However, further functional separation in regeneration mode, by considering the propagule-persistence trait and the seed bank locality, explained leaf trait variability better than only resprouting ability. Although no consistent pattern was observed in three leaf traits in the growth form, we found evidence for the difference in SLA and leaf thickness between shrubs and large shrubs, and subshrubs had smaller leaves than other growth forms. Vegetation type also accounted for a substantial amount of leaf trait variability. Specifically, plant communities in closed habitats had larger leaf area than open ones, and those in scrublands had higher SLA, lower leaf thickness, and lower leaf area than other vegetation types. Climate and phylogeny had limited contribution to the results obtained, with the exception of a significant phylogenetic effect in explaining the differences in SLA between resprouters and non-resprouters. Our results suggest that multiple drivers are responsible for shaping plant trait variability in Mediterranean plant communities, including growth form, regeneration mode, and vegetation type.
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Affiliation(s)
- İrem Tüfekcioğlu
- Institute of ScienceHacettepe UniversityAnkaraTurkey
- Division of Ecology, Department of BiologyHacettepe UniversityAnkaraTurkey
| | - Çağatay Tavşanoğlu
- Division of Ecology, Department of BiologyHacettepe UniversityAnkaraTurkey
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Wei S, Zhang Q, Tang S, Liao W. Genetic and ecophysiological evidence that hybridization facilitated lineage diversification in yellow Camellia (Theaceae) species: a case study of natural hybridization between C. micrantha and C. flavida. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 23:154. [PMID: 36944951 PMCID: PMC10031943 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-023-04164-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hybridization is generally considered an important creative evolutionary force, yet this evolutionary process is still poorly characterized in karst plants. In this study, we focus on natural hybridization in yellow Camellia species, a group of habitat specialists confined to karst/non-karst habitats in southwestern China. RESULTS Based on population genome data obtain from double digest restriction-site associated DNA (ddRAD) sequencing, we found evidence for natural hybridization and introgression between C. micrantha and C. flavida, and specifically confirmed their hybrid population, C. "ptilosperma". Ecophysiological results suggested that extreme hydraulic traits were fixed in C. "ptilosperma", these being consistent with its distinct ecological niche, which lies outside its parental ranges. CONCLUSION The identified hybridization event is expected to have played a role in generating novel variation during, in which the hybrid population displays different phenological characteristics and novel ecophysiological traits associated with the colonization of a new niche in limestone karst.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujuan Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Ministry of Education, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541004, China
| | - Qiwei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Ministry of Education, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541004, China
| | - Shaoqing Tang
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Ministry of Education, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541004, China.
| | - Wenbo Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
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Li J, Zhang L, Li Y. Exposed Rock Reduces Tree Size, but Not Diversity. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:851781. [PMID: 35747882 PMCID: PMC9210165 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.851781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Karst made up of limestone is widely considered a "Noah's ark" of biodiversity. Rock and soil substrates comprise two different site types in karst terrain, although both can support dense forests. However, it is unclear whether and how the presence of exposed rock affects forest diversity and tree size. We established a 2.2 ha plot (200 × 110 m) in an old-growth oak forest (> 300 years) in karst terrain in southwestern China. We classified the plot into rock and soil components; we analyzed plant diversity and tree size in each component using species diversity indices (richness, number of individuals, Shannon-Wiener index, and Pielou evenness index), stand spatial structure parameters, diameter at breast height (DBH), tree height (TH), and tree basal area (BA). We also analyzed the distributional patterns of species at the sites using non-metric multidimensional scaling, then assessed the effects of abiotic environmental variables on diversity and tree size using redundancy analysis. Our results indicated that both site types (i.e., rock and soil) had similar overall species diversity; trees and shrubs were largely distributed at random within the study site. Tree size was evenly differentiated in the community, and trees were dominant, particularly on soil. Trees on rock were in a status of medium mixture, whereas shrubs on rock were highly mixed. The opposite trend was observed for trees and shrubs growing on soil. The DBH, TH, and BA were smaller in trees growing on rock than in trees growing on soil. Abiotic environmental variables had varying effects on the diversity and size of trees at the two site types; they only explained 21.76 and 14.30% of total variation, respectively. These results suggest that exposed rock has the effect of reducing tree size, but not diversity, thus highlighting the important role of rock in maintaining diversity; moreover, the results imply that karst microhabitats may mitigate the impacts of topography on tree diversity and growth. Greater attention should be focused on exposed rock in the conservation and management of karst forests and the restoration of degraded forest ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Li
- College of Forestry, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Lianjin Zhang
- Experimental Center of Forestry in North China, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
| | - Yuanfa Li
- College of Forestry, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
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Azad MS, Mollick AS, Setu FA, Islam Khan MN, Kamruzzaman M. Stand structure, tree species diversity and leaf morphological plasticity in Xylocarpus mekongensis Pierre among salinity zones in the Sundarbans, Bangladesh. JOURNAL OF ASIA-PACIFIC BIODIVERSITY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.japb.2022.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
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Zheng J, Jiang Y, Qian H, Mao Y, Zhang C, Tang X, Jin Y, Yi Y. Size-dependent and environment-mediated shifts in leaf traits of a deciduous tree species in a subtropical forest. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8516. [PMID: 35136561 PMCID: PMC8809444 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS Understanding the joint effects of plant development and environment on shifts of intraspecific leaf traits will advance the understandings of the causes of intraspecific trait variation. We address this question by focusing on a widespread species Clausena dunniana in a subtropical broad-leaved forest. METHODS We sampled 262 individuals of C. dunniana at two major topographic habitat types, the slope and hilltop, within the karst forests in Maolan Nature Reserve in southwestern China. We measured individual plant level leaf traits (i.e., specific leaf area (SLA), leaf area, leaf dry-matter content (LDMC), and leaf thickness) that are associated with plant resource-use strategies. We adopted a linear mixed-effects model in which the plant size (i.e., the first principal component of plant basal diameter and plant height) and environmental factors (i.e., topographic habitat, canopy height, and rock-bareness) were used as independent variables, to estimate their influences on the shifts of leaf traits. KEY RESULTS We found that (1) plant size and the environmental factors independently drove the intraspecific leaf trait shifts of C. dunniana, of which plant size explained less variances than environmental factors. (2) With increasing plant size, C. dunniana individuals had increasingly smaller SLA but larger sized leaves. (3) The most influential environmental factor was topographic habitat; it drove the shifts of all the four traits examined. Clausena dunniana individuals on hilltops had leaf traits representing more conservative resource-use strategies (e.g., smaller SLA, higher LDMC) than individuals on slopes. On top of that, local-scale environmental factors further modified leaf trait shifts. CONCLUSIONS Plant size and environment independently shaped the variations in intraspecific leaf traits of C. dunniana in the subtropical karst forest of Maolan. Compared with plant size, the environment played a more critical role in shaping intraspecific leaf trait variations, and potentially also the underlying individual-level plant resource-use strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zheng
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Biodiversity Conservation in Karst Mountainous Areas of Southwestern ChinaGuizhou Normal UniversityGuiyangChina
- School of Life SciencesGuizhou Normal UniversityGuiyangChina
| | - Ya Jiang
- School of Life SciencesGuizhou Normal UniversityGuiyangChina
| | - Hong Qian
- Research and Collections CenterIllinois State MuseumSpringfieldIllinoisUSA
| | - Yanjiao Mao
- School of Life SciencesGuizhou Normal UniversityGuiyangChina
| | - Chao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Biodiversity Conservation in Karst Mountainous Areas of Southwestern ChinaGuizhou Normal UniversityGuiyangChina
| | - Xiaoxin Tang
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Biodiversity Conservation in Karst Mountainous Areas of Southwestern ChinaGuizhou Normal UniversityGuiyangChina
| | - Yi Jin
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Biodiversity Conservation in Karst Mountainous Areas of Southwestern ChinaGuizhou Normal UniversityGuiyangChina
| | - Yin Yi
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Biodiversity Conservation in Karst Mountainous Areas of Southwestern ChinaGuizhou Normal UniversityGuiyangChina
- Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Developmental Regulation of Guizhou ProvinceGuizhou Normal UniversityGuiyangChina
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Tang S, Liu J, Lambers H, Zhang L, Liu Z, Lin Y, Kuang Y. Increase in leaf organic acids to enhance adaptability of dominant plant species in karst habitats. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:10277-10289. [PMID: 34367574 PMCID: PMC8328463 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Estimation of leaf nutrient composition of dominant plant species from contrasting habitats (i.e., karst and nonkarst forests) provides an opportunity to understand how plants are adapted to karst habitats from the perspective of leaf traits. Here, we measured leaf traits-specific leaf area (SLA), concentrations of total carbon ([TC]), nitrogen ([TN]), phosphorus ([TP]), calcium ([Ca]), magnesium ([Mg]), manganese ([Mn]), minerals ([Min]), soluble sugars, soluble phenolics, lipids, and organic acids ([OA])-and calculated water-use efficiency (WUE), construction costs (CC), and N/P ratios, and searched for correlations between these traits of 18 abundant plant species in karst and nonkarst forests in southwestern China. Variation in leaf traits within and across the abundant species was both divergent and convergent. Leaf [TC], [Ca], [Min], [OA], and CC were habitat-dependent, while the others were not habitat- but species-specific. The correlations among [TN], [TP], SLA, [TC], CC, [Min], WUE, [OA], and CC were habitat-independent, and inherently associated with plant growth and carbon allocation; those between [CC] and [Lip], between [Ca] and [Mg], and between [Mg] and [WUE] were habitat-dependent. Habitat significantly affected leaf [Ca] and thus indirectly affected leaf [OA], [Min], and CC. Our results indicate that plants may regulate leaf [Ca] to moderate levels via adjusting leaf [OA] under both high and low soil Ca availability, and offer new insights into the abundance of common plant species in contrasting habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songbo Tang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded EcosystemsSouth China Botanical GardenChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Heshan National Field Research Station of Forest EcosystemSouth China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- College of Resources and EnvironmentUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Jianfeng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of State Forestry AdministrationResearch Institute of ForestryChinese Academy of ForestryBeijingChina
| | - Hans Lambers
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Western AustraliaPerthWAAustralia
- Department of Plant NutritionCollege of Resources and Environmental SciencesNational Academy of Agriculture Green DevelopmentKey Laboratory of Plant–Soil InteractionsMinistry of EducationChina Agricultural UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Lingling Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded EcosystemsSouth China Botanical GardenChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
| | - Zhanfeng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded EcosystemsSouth China Botanical GardenChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Heshan National Field Research Station of Forest EcosystemSouth China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
| | - Yutong Lin
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded EcosystemsSouth China Botanical GardenChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Heshan National Field Research Station of Forest EcosystemSouth China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- College of Resources and EnvironmentUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Yuanwen Kuang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded EcosystemsSouth China Botanical GardenChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Heshan National Field Research Station of Forest EcosystemSouth China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
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Khan MNI, Khatun S, Azad MS, Mollick AS. Leaf morphological and anatomical plasticity in Sundri (Heritiera fomes Buch.-Ham.) along different canopy light and salinity zones in the Sundarbans mangrove forest, Bangladesh. Glob Ecol Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
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Geekiyanage N, Goodale UM, Cao K, Kitajima K. Plant ecology of tropical and subtropical karst ecosystems. Biotropica 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nalaka Geekiyanage
- Division of Forest and Biomaterial Science Graduate School of Agriculture Kyoto University Kitashirakawa OiwakeKyoto Japan
- Department of Plant Sciences Faculty of Agriculture Rajarata University Anuradhapura Sri Lanka
- Plant Ecophysiology & Evolution Group Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation College of Forestry Guangxi University NanningGuangxi China
| | - Uromi Manage Goodale
- Plant Ecophysiology & Evolution Group Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation College of Forestry Guangxi University NanningGuangxi China
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro‐Bioresources Guangxi University Nanning Guangxi China
| | - Kunfang Cao
- Plant Ecophysiology & Evolution Group Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation College of Forestry Guangxi University NanningGuangxi China
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro‐Bioresources Guangxi University Nanning Guangxi China
| | - Kaoru Kitajima
- Division of Forest and Biomaterial Science Graduate School of Agriculture Kyoto University Kitashirakawa OiwakeKyoto Japan
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Balboa Panama
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Leaf Venation Variation and Phenotypic Plasticity in Response to Environmental Heterogeneity in Parrotia subaequalis (H. T. Chang) R. M. Hao et H. T. Wei, An Endemic and Endangered Tree Species from China. FORESTS 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/f9050247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Geekiyanage N, Goodale UM, Cao K, Kitajima K. Leaf trait variations associated with habitat affinity of tropical karst tree species. Ecol Evol 2017; 8:286-295. [PMID: 29321871 PMCID: PMC5756878 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3611] [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: 06/27/2017] [Revised: 09/03/2017] [Accepted: 09/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Karst hills, that is, jagged topography created by dissolution of limestone and other soluble rocks, are distributed extensively in tropical forest regions, including southern parts of China. They are characterized by a sharp mosaic of water and nutrient availability, from exposed hilltops with poor soil development to valleys with occasional flooding, to which trees show species‐specific distributions. Here we report the relationship of leaf functional traits to habitat preference of tropical karst trees. We described leaf traits of 19 tropical tree species in a seasonal karst rainforest in Guangxi Province, China, 12 species in situ and 13 ex situ in a non‐karst arboretum, which served as a common garden, with six species sampled in both. We examined how the measured leaf traits differed in relation to species’ habitat affinity and evaluated trait consistency between natural habitats vs. the arboretum. Leaf mass per area (LMA) and optical traits (light absorption and reflectance characteristics between 400 and 1,050 nm) showed significant associations with each other and habitats, with hilltop species showing high values of LMA and low values of photochemical reflectance index (PRI). For the six species sampled in both the karst forest and the arboretum, LMA, leaf dry matter content, stomatal density, and vein length per area showed inconsistent within‐species variations, whereas some traits (stomatal pore index and lamina thickness) were similar between the two sites. In conclusion, trees specialized in exposed karst hilltops with little soils are characterized by thick leaves with high tissue density indicative of conservative resources use, and this trait syndrome could potentially be sensed remotely with PRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nalaka Geekiyanage
- Division of Forest and Biomaterial Science Graduate School of Agriculture Kyoto University Kyoto Japan.,Department of Plant Science Faculty of Agriculture Rajarata University Anuradhapura Sri Lanka.,Plant Ecophysiology and Evolution Group Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation College of Forestry Guangxi University Nanning Guangxi China
| | - Uromi Manage Goodale
- Plant Ecophysiology and Evolution Group Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation College of Forestry Guangxi University Nanning Guangxi China.,State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources Guangxi University Nanning Guangxi China
| | - Kunfang Cao
- Plant Ecophysiology and Evolution Group Guangxi Key Laboratory for Forest Ecology and Conservation College of Forestry Guangxi University Nanning Guangxi China.,State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources Guangxi University Nanning Guangxi China
| | - Kaoru Kitajima
- Division of Forest and Biomaterial Science Graduate School of Agriculture Kyoto University Kyoto Japan.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Balboa Republic of Panama
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