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Kühn P, Proß T, Römermann C, Wesche K, Bruelheide H. Using near-infrared spectroscopy to predict nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations of herbarium specimens under different storage conditions. PLANT METHODS 2024; 20:19. [PMID: 38303074 PMCID: PMC10835964 DOI: 10.1186/s13007-024-01146-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Herbaria are becoming increasingly important as archives of biodiversity, and play a central role in taxonomic and biogeographic studies. There is also an ongoing interest in functional traits and the way they mediate interactions between a plant species and its environment. Herbarium specimens allow tracking trait values over time, and thus, capturing consequences of anthropogenic activities such as eutrophication. Here, we present an open, reproducible, non-destructive workflow to collect leaf trait data from herbarium specimens using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), and a proof of concept for the reliability of this approach. RESULTS We carried out three experiments to test the suitability of non-destructive NIRS methods to predict leaf traits both for fresh and dried leaves: (1) With a fertilization experiment, we studied whether NIRS was able to capture changes in leaf N and leaf P during a fertilization experiment and we compared contents predicted by NIRS with results obtained from regular wet lab methods. Calibration models for leaf nitrogen and phosphorus contents had a quality of R2 = 0.7 and 0.5, respectively. We fitted calibration models for NIRS readings on fresh and dried leaf samples, both of which produced equally precise predictions compared to results from wet lab analyses. (2) We tested the effect of herbarium conservation on NIRS readings by simulating them through the application of six treatments combining freezing, drying and pesticide spraying in a factorial scheme and comparing these with untreated samples. No consistent changes were observed in the spectra quality before and after the simulated herbarium conditions. (3) Finally, we studied the effect of specimen storage duration using specimens from a 2018 study which were re-analyzed and compared with spectra obtained in 2021. No consistent changes in spectra were observed after the storage period. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrate the reliability of NIRS to measure leaf N and P on herbarium samples. Together with the calibration method and dataset presented here, they provide a toolset allowing researchers to study the development of leaf traits and their response to environmental changes over decades and even centuries in a fast and non-destructive manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Kühn
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Philosophenweg 16, 07743, Jena, Germany.
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Tobias Proß
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Christine Römermann
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Philosophenweg 16, 07743, Jena, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Senckenberg Institute of Plant Form and Function Jena, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Karsten Wesche
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Botany Department, Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz, Am Museum 1, 02826, Görlitz, Germany
- International Institute Zittau, Technische Universität Dresden, Am Grünen Graben 23, 02826, Görlitz, Germany
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle (Saale), Germany
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Felix JA, Stevenson PC, Koricheva J. Plant neighbourhood diversity effects on leaf traits: A meta-analysis. Funct Ecol 2023; 37:3150-3163. [PMID: 38505132 PMCID: PMC10946959 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Leaf traits often vary with plant neighbourhood composition, which in turn may mediate plant susceptibility to herbivory. However, it is unknown whether there are any common patterns of change in leaf trait expression in response to neighbourhood diversity, and whether these responses confer increased resistance or susceptibility to herbivores.We used meta-analysis to combine data from 43 studies that examined the influence of neighbourhood diversity on eight physical and chemical leaf traits that could affect herbivory. All leaf traits apart from leaf thickness were highly plastic and exhibited significant differences between plant monocultures and species mixtures, but the direction of effect was variable. Leaf toughness was the only trait that displayed a significant decrease with plant diversity, whereas specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf nitrogen were both marginally increased in species mixtures.The magnitude and direction of leaf trait responses to neighbourhood diversity were independent of plant density and phylogenetic diversity, but changes in SLA correlated positively with plant species richness. SLA was also significantly increased in experimental studies, but not in observational studies, while neighbourhoods containing nitrogen-fixers were associated with increased leaf nitrogen and reduced phenolics. When studies on the over-represented species Betula pendula were removed from the analysis, the effect of neighbourhood diversity on leaf toughness became nonsignificant, but phenolics were significantly reduced in diverse neighbourhoods composed of mature trees, and marginally reduced in species mixtures across all studies.Increases in plant neighbourhood diversity are often associated with reductions of herbivory, although in some cases, the reverse occurs, and plants growing in species mixtures are found to suffer greater herbivory than those in monocultures. This study offers a potential explanation for the latter phenomenon, as our results show that leaf trait expression is highly plastic in response to neighbourhood diversity, and in certain cases could lead to increased leaf quality, which in turn could promote greater rates of herbivory. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juri A. Felix
- Department of Biological SciencesRoyal Holloway University of LondonEghamUK
- Royal Botanic GardensKewUK
| | | | - Julia Koricheva
- Department of Biological SciencesRoyal Holloway University of LondonEghamUK
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Castro Sánchez-Bermejo P, Davrinche A, Matesanz S, Harpole WS, Haider S. Within-individual leaf trait variation increases with phenotypic integration in a subtropical tree diversity experiment. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 240:1390-1404. [PMID: 37710419 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Covariation of plant functional traits, that is, phenotypic integration, might constrain their variability. This was observed for inter- and intraspecific variation, but there is no evidence of a relationship between phenotypic integration and the functional variation within single plants (within-individual trait variation; WTV), which could be key to understand the extent of WTV in contexts like plant-plant interactions. We studied the relationship between WTV and phenotypic integration in c. 500 trees of 21 species in planted forest patches varying in species richness in subtropical China. Using visible and near-infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIRS), we measured nine leaf morphological and chemical traits. For each tree, we assessed metrics of single and multitrait variation to assess WTV, and we used plant trait network properties based on trait correlations to quantify phenotypic integration. Against expectations, strong phenotypic integration within a tree led to greater variation across leaves. Not only this was true for single traits, but also the dispersion in a tree's multitrait hypervolume was positively associated with tree's phenotypic integration. Surprisingly, we only detected weak influence of the surrounding tree-species diversity on these relationships. Our study suggests that integrated phenotypes allow the variability of leaf phenotypes within the organism and supports that phenotypic integration prevents maladaptive variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Castro Sánchez-Bermejo
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), 06108, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Andréa Davrinche
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), 06108, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Research Centre for Ecological Change (REC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - Silvia Matesanz
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología, Geología, Física y Química inorgánica, ESCET, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, 28933, Spain
| | - W Stanley Harpole
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), 06108, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Sylvia Haider
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), 06108, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Institute of Ecology, Lüneburg, 21335, Germany
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Deschamps L, Proulx R, Rheault G, Gross N, Watson C, Maire V. Species richness drives selection of individuals within wetlands based on traits related to acquisition and utilization of light. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9959. [PMID: 37038518 PMCID: PMC10082176 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9959] [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: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Selection within natural communities has mainly been studied along large abiotic gradients, while the selection of individuals within populations should occur locally in response to biotic filters. To better leverage the role of the latter, we considered the hierarchal nature of environmental selection for the multiple dimensions of the trait space across biological levels, that is, from the species to the community and the ecosystem levels. We replicated a natural species richness gradient where communities included from two to 16 species within four wetlands (bog, fen, meadow, and marsh) contrasting in plant productivity. We sampled functional traits from individuals in each community and used hierarchical distributional modeling in order to analyze the independent variation of the mean and dispersion of functional trait space at ecosystem, community, and species levels. The plant productivity gradient observed between wetlands led to species turnover and selection of traits related to leaf nutrient conservation/acquisition strategy. Within wetlands, plant species richness drove trait variation across both communities and species. Among communities, variation of species richness correlated with the selection of individuals according to their use of vertical space and leaf adaptations to light conditions. Within species, intraspecific light-related trait variation in response to species richness was associated with stable population density for some species, while others reached low population density in more diverse communities. Within ecosystems, variation in biotic conditions selects individuals along functional dimensions that are independent of those selected across ecosystems. Within-species variations of light-related traits are related to demographic responses, linking biotic selection of individuals within communities to eco-evolutionary dynamics of species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Deschamps
- Département des sciences de l'environnementUniversité du Québec à Trois‐RivièresTrois RivièresCanada
| | - Raphaël Proulx
- Département des sciences de l'environnementUniversité du Québec à Trois‐RivièresTrois RivièresCanada
| | - Guillaume Rheault
- Département des sciences de l'environnementUniversité du Québec à Trois‐RivièresTrois RivièresCanada
| | - Nicolas Gross
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, VetAgro SupUnité Mixte de Recherche Ecosystème PrairialClermont‐FerrandFrance
| | - Christopher Watson
- Département des sciences de l'environnementUniversité du Québec à Trois‐RivièresTrois RivièresCanada
| | - Vincent Maire
- Département des sciences de l'environnementUniversité du Québec à Trois‐RivièresTrois RivièresCanada
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Anttonen P, Li Y, Chesters D, Davrinche A, Haider S, Bruelheide H, Chen JT, Wang MQ, Ma KP, Zhu CD, Schuldt A. Leaf Nutritional Content, Tree Richness, and Season Shape the Caterpillar Functional Trait Composition Hosted by Trees. INSECTS 2022; 13:1100. [PMID: 36555010 PMCID: PMC9785672 DOI: 10.3390/insects13121100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Nutritional content of host plants is expected to drive caterpillar species assemblages and their trait composition. These relationships are altered by tree richness-induced neighborhood variation and a seasonal decline in leaf quality. We tested how key functional traits related to the growth and defenses of the average caterpillar hosted by a tree species are shaped by nutritional host quality. We measured morphological traits and estimated plant community-level diet breadth based on occurrences from 1020 caterpillars representing 146 species in a subtropical tree diversity experiment from spring to autumn in one year. We focused on interspecific caterpillar trait variation by analyzing presence-only patterns of caterpillar species for each tree species. Our results show that tree richness positively affected caterpillar species-sharing among tree species, which resulted in lowered trait variation and led to higher caterpillar richness for each tree species. However, community-level diet breadth depended more on the nutritional content of host trees. Higher nutritional quality also supported species-poorer but more abundant communities of smaller and less well-defended caterpillars. This study demonstrates that the leaf nutritional quality of trees shapes caterpillar trait composition across diverse species assemblages at fine spatial scales in a way that can be predicted by ecological theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Perttu Anttonen
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06108 Halle, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Yi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Douglas Chesters
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- International College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Andréa Davrinche
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06108 Halle, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sylvia Haider
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06108 Halle, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06108 Halle, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jing-Ting Chen
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- College of Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ming-Qiang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Ke-Ping Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Chao-Dong Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- International College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- College of Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Andreas Schuldt
- Department of Forest Nature Conservation, Georg-August-University Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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Trogisch S, Liu X, Rutten G, Bruelheide H. Tree diversity effects on ecosystem functioning–Introduction. Basic Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2021.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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