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Zhou X, Dong L, Zhang Y, Li J, Ren Z, Niu K. Trait-dependent importance of intraspecific variation relative to species turnover in determining community functional composition following nutrient enrichment. Oecologia 2024; 205:107-119. [PMID: 38698244 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05555-6] [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: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Community weighted mean trait, i.e., functional composition, has been extensively used for upscaling of individual traits to the community functional attributes and ecosystem functioning in recent years. Yet, the importance of intraspecific trait variation relative to species turnover in determining changes in CWM still remains unclear, especially under nutrient enrichment scenarios. In this study, we conducted a global data synthesis analysis and three nutrient addition experiments in two sites of alpine grassland to reveal the extent to which species turnover and ITV contribute to shift in CWM in response to nutrient enrichment. The results consistently show that the importance of ITV relative to species turnover in regulating CWM in response to nutrient enrichment strongly depends on trait attributes rather than on environmental factors (fertilization type, climatic factors, soil properties, and light transmittance). For whole plant traits (height) and leaf morphological traits, species turnover is generally more important than ITV in determining CWM following most treatments of nutrient addition. However, for leaf nutrient traits, ITV outweighed species turnover in determining shifts in CWM in response to almost all treatments of nutrient addition, regardless of types and gradients of the nutrient addition. Thus, our study not only provides robust evidence for trait-dependent importance of ITV in mediating community functional composition, but also highlights the need to consider the nature of functional traits in linking ITV to community assembly and ecosystem functioning under global nutrient enrichment scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolong Zhou
- College of Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830046, China
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830046, China
- Technology Innovation Center for Ecological Monitoring and Restoration of Desert-Oasis, MNR, Urumqi, 830046, China
| | - Liuwen Dong
- College of Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830046, China
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830046, China
- Technology Innovation Center for Ecological Monitoring and Restoration of Desert-Oasis, MNR, Urumqi, 830046, China
| | - Yongjun Zhang
- College of Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830046, China
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830046, China
- Technology Innovation Center for Ecological Monitoring and Restoration of Desert-Oasis, MNR, Urumqi, 830046, China
| | - Jingdong Li
- College of Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830046, China
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830046, China
- Technology Innovation Center for Ecological Monitoring and Restoration of Desert-Oasis, MNR, Urumqi, 830046, China
| | - Zhengwei Ren
- College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
| | - Kechang Niu
- College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Yili Normal University, Yining, 835000, China.
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
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Daniel C, Allan E, Saiz H, Godoy O. Fast-slow traits predict competition network structure and its response to resources and enemies. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14425. [PMID: 38577899 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14425] [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: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Plants interact in complex networks but how network structure depends on resources, natural enemies and species resource-use strategy remains poorly understood. Here, we quantified competition networks among 18 plants varying in fast-slow strategy, by testing how increased nutrient availability and reduced foliar pathogens affected intra- and inter-specific interactions. Our results show that nitrogen and pathogens altered several aspects of network structure, often in unexpected ways due to fast and slow growing species responding differently. Nitrogen addition increased competition asymmetry in slow growing networks, as expected, but decreased it in fast growing networks. Pathogen reduction made networks more even and less skewed because pathogens targeted weaker competitors. Surprisingly, pathogens and nitrogen dampened each other's effect. Our results show that plant growth strategy is key to understand how competition respond to resources and enemies, a prediction from classic theories which has rarely been tested by linking functional traits to competition networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Daniel
- Institute for Plant Sciences (IPS), Bern University, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Eric Allan
- Institute for Plant Sciences (IPS), Bern University, Bern, Switzerland
- Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Hugo Saiz
- Institute for Plant Sciences (IPS), Bern University, Bern, Switzerland
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón (IUCA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Huesca, Spain
| | - Oscar Godoy
- Departamento de Biología, Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina (INMAR), Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real, Spain
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
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3
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Schmid JS, Huth A, Taubert F. Impact of mowing frequency and temperature on the production of temperate grasslands: explanations received by an individual‐based model. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Julia S. Schmid
- Dept of Ecological Modeling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ Leipzig Germany
| | - Andreas Huth
- Dept of Ecological Modeling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ Leipzig Germany
- Inst. for Environmental Systems Research, Dept of Mathematics/Computer Science, Univ. of Osnabrück Osnabrück Germany
| | - Franziska Taubert
- Dept of Ecological Modeling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ Leipzig Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig Germany
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4
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Zhang X, Feng Q, Cao J, Biswas A, Su H, Liu W, Qin Y, Zhu M. Response of leaf stoichiometry of Potentilla anserina to elevation in China's Qilian Mountains. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:941357. [PMID: 36226296 PMCID: PMC9549292 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.941357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Plants adapt to changes in elevation by regulating their leaf ecological stoichiometry. Potentilla anserina L. that grows rapidly under poor or even bare soil conditions has become an important ground cover plant for ecological restoration. However, its leaf ecological stoichiometry has been given little attention, resulting in an insufficient understanding of its environmental adaptability and growth strategies. The objective of this study was to compare the leaf stoichiometry of P. anserina at different elevations (2,400, 2,600, 2,800, 3,000, 3,200, 3,500, and 3,800 m) in the middle eastern part of Qilian Mountains. With an increase in elevation, leaf carbon concentration [(C)leaf] significantly decreased, with the maximum value of 446.04 g·kg-1 (2,400 m) and the minimum value of 396.78 g·kg-1 (3,500 m). Leaf nitrogen concentration [(N)leaf] also increased with an increase in elevation, and its maximum and minimum values were 37.57 g·kg-1 (3,500 m) and 23.71 g·kg-1 (2,800 m), respectively. Leaf phosphorus concentration [(P)leaf] was the highest (2.79 g·kg-1) at 2,400 m and the lowest (0.91 g·kg-1) at 2,800 m. The [C]leaf/[N]leaf decreased with an increase in elevation, while [N]leaf/[P]leaf showed an opposite trend. The mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, soil pH, organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus at different elevations mainly affected [C]leaf, [N]leaf, and [P]leaf. The growth of P. anserina in the study area was mainly limited by P, and this limitation was stronger with increased elevation. Progressively reducing P loss at high elevation is of great significance to the survival of P. anserina in this specific region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Ecohydrology of Inland River Basin, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Feng
- Key Laboratory of Ecohydrology of Inland River Basin, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Qi Feng
| | - Jianjun Cao
- College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Asim Biswas
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Haohai Su
- College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Wei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Ecohydrology of Inland River Basin, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
- Qilian Mountains Eco-Environment Research Center in Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yanyan Qin
- Key Laboratory of Ecohydrology of Inland River Basin, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
- Qilian Mountains Eco-Environment Research Center in Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Process and Climate Change in Cold and Arid Regions, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Meng Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Ecohydrology of Inland River Basin, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
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PACHECO TVSS, SOUSA LF, SANTOS ACD, SANTOS JGDD, DIM VP, SILVA HMSD, PACHECO WF. Phosphorus fertilization in the implantation of a silvopastoral system: morphogenic and structural characteristics of Mombaça grass. REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE SAÚDE E PRODUÇÃO ANIMAL 2021. [DOI: 10.1590/s1519-99402122012021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of phosphate fertilization on morphogenic and structural characteristics of Mombasa grass under conditions of implantation of silvopastoral system with eucalyptus and monoculture in the Amazon/Cerrado ecotone. The experiment was conducted at UFT-EMVZ during the rainy seasons of the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 agricultural years. The experimental area was subdivided into two cultivation systems, Mombaça grass monoculture, with 0.25 hectare and silvopastoral system, intercropping eucalyptus with Mombaça grass, with 0.75 hectare area. The design used was a 4 x 2 factorial IHD with four doses of phosphorus (0; 50; 100; 200 kg.ha -1 P2O5 year-1) and two cultivation systems (monoculture and silvopastoral) with three repetitions. Three cycles were evaluated for an average rest period of 21 days. Weekly measurements were taken to evaluate structural and morphogenic characteristics of plants. In general, factors tested such as phosphorus fertilization, cultivation system and year (implantation and following year) showed influence, altering the development of Mombaça grass, reflecting on the morphogenic and structural characteristics. Tiller population density, crop growth rate, leaf area index showed interactions between phosphorus fertilization and the cultivation systems analyzed (P <0.05). Phosphorus fertilization used in the implantation, moment of greatest requirement of the plant, influenced forage development by increasing the crop growth rate, leaf appearance, as well as leaf and stem elongation in the two evaluated systems.
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Metcalfe H, Milne AE, Deledalle F, Storkey J. Using functional traits to model annual plant community dynamics. Ecology 2020; 101:e03167. [PMID: 32845999 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Predicting the response of biological communities to changes in the environment or management is a fundamental pursuit of community ecology. Meeting this challenge requires the integration of multiple processes: habitat filtering, niche differentiation, biotic interactions, competitive exclusion, and stochastic demographic events. Most approaches to this long-standing problem focus either on the role of the environment, using trait-based filtering approaches, or on quantifying biotic interactions with process-based community dynamics models. We introduce a novel approach that uses functional traits to parameterize a process-based model. By combining the two approaches we make use of the extensive literature on traits and community filtering as a convenient means of reducing the parameterization requirements of a complex population dynamics model whilst retaining the power to capture the processes underlying community assembly. Using arable weed communities as a case study, we demonstrate that this approach results in predictions that show realistic distributions of traits and that trait selection predicted by our simulations is consistent with in-field observations. We demonstrate that trait-based filtering approaches can be combined with process-based models to derive the emergent distribution of traits. While initially developed to predict the impact of crop management on functional shifts in weed communities, our approach has the potential to be applied to other annual plant communities if the generality of relationships between traits and model parameters can be confirmed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Metcalfe
- Sustainable Agricultural Sciences, Rothamsted Research, West Common, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, UK
| | - Alice E Milne
- Sustainable Agricultural Sciences, Rothamsted Research, West Common, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, UK
| | - Florent Deledalle
- Sustainable Agricultural Sciences, Rothamsted Research, West Common, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, UK
| | - Jonathan Storkey
- Sustainable Agricultural Sciences, Rothamsted Research, West Common, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, UK
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7
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Hu Y, Siddiqui MH, Li C, Jiang L, Zhang H, Zhao X. Polyamine Metabolism, Photorespiration, and Excitation Energy Allocation in Photosystem II Are Potentially Regulatory Hubs in Poplar Adaptation to Soil Nitrogen Availability. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:1271. [PMID: 32983189 PMCID: PMC7479266 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.01271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen fertilization is common for poplar trees to improve growth and productivity. The utilization of N by poplar largely depends on fertilizer application patterns; however, the underlying regulatory hubs are not fully understood. In this study, N utilization and potentially physiological regulations of two poplar clones (XQH and BC5) were assessed through two related experiments (i: five levels of N supply and ii: conventional and exponential N additions). Poplar growth (leaf area) and N utilization significantly increased under fertilized compared to unfertilized conditions, whereas photosynthetic N utilization efficiency significantly decreased under low N supplies. Growth characteristics were better in the XQH than in the BC5 clone under the same N supplies, indicating higher N utilization efficiency. Leaf absorbed light energy, and thermal dissipation fraction was significantly different for XQH clone between conventional and exponential N additions. Leaf concentrations of putrescine (Put) and acetylated Put were significantly higher in exponential than in conventional N addition. Photorespiration significantly increased in leaves of XQH clone under exponential compared to conventional N addition. Our results indicate that an interaction of the clone and N supply pattern significantly occurs in poplar growth; leaf expansion and the storage N allocations are the central hubs in the regulation of poplar N utilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanbo Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- Forestry College, Beihua University, Jilin, China
| | - Manzer H. Siddiqui
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Chunming Li
- Institute of Forestry Science, Heilongjiang Academy of Forestry, Harbin, China
| | - Luping Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Heng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Xiyang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
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8
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Yuan J, Li H, Yang Y. The Compensatory Tillering in the Forage Grass Hordeum brevisubulatum After Simulated Grazing of Different Severity. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:792. [PMID: 32595678 PMCID: PMC7304348 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
The response of compensatory growth is an important adaptive strategy for plants to grazing. However, most previous studies on compensatory growth of plants focused on the compensation of the biomass or the number of sexual reproductive offspring and neglected the compensatory growth of vegetative reproduction (VR). This is important not only for plant compensatory growth studies, but also for theoretical and practical studies of grassland production. The clonal tussock grass Hordeum brevisubulatum was selected as the research object. Four different clipping severities (unclipping and clipping stubble at heights of 15, 10, and 5 cm) at the jointing stage and flowering stage were implemented to study the effect of simulated grazing. To explore the effect of recovery growth time on plant growth after simulated grazing, three sampling times were used at different recovery times after simulated grazing (1, 3, and 7 weeks). We found that light and moderate grazing severity significantly increased the number of vegetative reproduction modules, the promotion of simulated grazing on the number of vegetative reproduction modules was higher in the jointing stage than the flowering stage, and the increase in simulated grazing severity decreased with prolonged recovery growth time. The number of tillers significantly decreased with the increase in simulated grazing in both the jointing and flowering stages at 1 week after damage, and the decreasing effect weakened with the prolonged recovery growth time. The bud number mainly showed over-compensation, the juvenile tiller number showed complete compensation, and the tiller number showed under-compensation at 1 and 3 weeks after recovery growth. The number of tillers showed complete compensation under different grazing severities in the jointing stage, while it showed under-compensation in the flowering stage at 7 weeks after recovery growth. Our results indicated that different grazing severities in the jointing stage could promote the output of tillers with matter production capacity from vegetative reproduction modules, as well as improve the capability of compensatory growth. Therefore, in plant production, there will be a sustainable development effect on the renewal and productivity of the H. brevisubulatum population, resulting in different grazing severities in the jointing stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihong Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
- Jiangxi Academy of Forestry, Nanchang, China
| | - Haiyan Li
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
- *Correspondence: Haiyan Li,
| | - Yunfei Yang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
- Yunfei Yang,
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Dong K, Hao G, Yang N, Zhang JL, Ding XF, Ren HQ, Shen JF, Wang JL, Jiang L, Zhao NX, Gao YB. Community assembly mechanisms and succession processes significantly differ among treatments during the restoration of Stipa grandis - Leymus chinensis communities. Sci Rep 2019; 9:16289. [PMID: 31705024 PMCID: PMC6841928 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-52734-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding community assembly mechanisms is helpful to predict community dynamics. To explore which community assembly mechanism(s) drive(s) the grassland restoration in semi-arid region, we investigated the relationships between plant trait and species relative abundance (SRA), and estimated community functional diversity indices for each community under different treatments (enclosure, grazing and mowing treatment) in a restoration region of Stipa grandis - Leymus chinensis communities in the northern China from 2010 to 2012. There was a high fraction of significant relationships between trait value and SRA, suggesting that niche theory structured the grassland restoration in this region. The functional richness was higher and the functional divergence was lower in the enclosure community than that in the grazing or mowing community, and significantly positive plant height - SRA relationship was found in the enclosure community. These findings demonstrated that limiting similarity based on niche theory was more important in structuring the enclosure community and that environmental filtering based on niche theory played a more important role in driving the grazing or mowing community. Only the factor of year significantly affected the functional evenness (FEve), and the lowest FEve in 2011 implied that the relatively lower precipitation could enhance the effect of limiting similarity on community assembly in the semi-arid grassland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Dong
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P.R. China
| | - Guang Hao
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P.R. China
| | - Nan Yang
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P.R. China
| | - Jian-Li Zhang
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P.R. China
| | - Xin-Feng Ding
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P.R. China
| | - Hui-Qin Ren
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P.R. China
| | - Jun-Fang Shen
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P.R. China
| | - Jin-Long Wang
- College of Agronomy & Resources and Environment, Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin, 300384, P.R. China
| | - Lin Jiang
- School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Nian-Xi Zhao
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P.R. China.
| | - Yu-Bao Gao
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P.R. China
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Yuan J, Wang P, Yang Y. Effects of Simulated Herbivory on the Vegetative Reproduction and Compensatory Growth of Hordeum brevisubulatum at Different Ontogenic Stages. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:ijerph16091663. [PMID: 31086095 PMCID: PMC6539574 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16091663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Revised: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The response of plant vegetative reproduction and compensatory growth to herbivory has been widely discussed in biological and ecological research. Most previous research has supported the idea that both vegetative reproduction and compensatory growth are affected by their ontogenic stage. However, in many studies, the effects of foraging at different ontogenic stages was often confounded with the effects of foraging at different phenological periods for perennials. Our experiment was conducted in a natural meadow with a perennial grass, Hordeum brevisubulatum, and four ontogenic stages were chosen as our experimental objects. Three different clipping intensities during three phenological periods were implemented to explore the effects of simulating animal foraging on vegetative reproduction and compensatory plant growth. The results indicated that there were significant effects of ontogenic stage, phenological period, and clipping intensity on vegetative reproduction and compensatory growth. Moderate clipping intensities significantly increased the number of vegetative tillers, the total number of juvenile tillers and buds, and the aboveground biomass at early phenological periods for individuals at early ontogenic stages. Our results suggested that moderate clipping intensities could induce only an over-compensation response in perennial grasses at both the early ontogenic stage and phenological period, and the ability of compensatory growth gradually decreased with the progression of the ontogenic stage. This is of great significance to the primary production of grasslands subjected to herbivory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihong Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.
| | - Ping Wang
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, China.
| | - Yunfei Yang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.
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11
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Lost in trait space: species-poor communities are inflexible in properties that drive ecosystem functioning. ADV ECOL RES 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2019.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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12
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Duchini PG, Guzatti GC, Echeverria JR, Américo LF, Sbrissia AF. Experimental evidence that the perennial grass persistence pathway is linked to plant growth strategy. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0207360. [PMID: 30475824 PMCID: PMC6261051 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Grass species can be classified into different functional types based on their growth strategies, and contrasting persistence strategies are observed in different grass species. Excluding seedling recruitments, changes in populations of grasses are basically a trade-off between natality and mortality of tillers. We hypothesised that the persistence pathway of perennial grasses is linked to their growth strategy, regardless whether they are growing as monoculture or as a mixture. Species with contrasting growth strategies (Arrhenatherum elatius L., Dactylis glomerata L., and Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) were cultivated as monocultures and as a mixture and their tiller natality and mortality were evaluated for two years after swards establishment. All pastures maintained their population size during the experimental period, although decreases in tiller densities occurred during the warmer season. Arrhenatherum elatius had the highest tiller mortality and natality whereas the F. arundinacea had the lowest ones. Arrhenatherum elatius had many tillers appearing in all seasons but their tillers were short-lived. Conversely, F. arundinacea and D. glomerata developed numerous tillers during autumn and winter and their tillers survived, on average, almost six and three times longer than those of A. elatius, respectively. There were no differences in tillering dynamics among populations grown in monocultures or in the mixture. Regardless of whether they were cultivated in monocultures or as a mixture, the persistence pathway of perennial grasses is linked with their growth strategies with exploitative species presenting a high tiller turnover throughout the year whereas the persistence of more conservative species is based on a high tiller survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo Gonçalves Duchini
- Animal Production and Food Science Department of Santa Catarina State University (UDESC/CAV), Avenida Luiz de Camões, Lages, SC, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Cristina Guzatti
- Animal Production and Food Science Department of Santa Catarina State University (UDESC/CAV), Avenida Luiz de Camões, Lages, SC, Brazil
| | - Joilson Roda Echeverria
- Animal Production and Food Science Department of Santa Catarina State University (UDESC/CAV), Avenida Luiz de Camões, Lages, SC, Brazil
| | - Luana Fidelis Américo
- Animal Production and Food Science Department of Santa Catarina State University (UDESC/CAV), Avenida Luiz de Camões, Lages, SC, Brazil
| | - André Fischer Sbrissia
- Animal Production and Food Science Department of Santa Catarina State University (UDESC/CAV), Avenida Luiz de Camões, Lages, SC, Brazil
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13
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Khalil MI, Gibson DJ, Baer SG, Willand JE. Functional diversity is more sensitive to biotic filters than phylogenetic diversity during community assembly. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed I. Khalil
- Department of Plant Biology and Center for Ecology Southern Illinois University Carbondale 1263 Lincoln Drive Carbondale Illinois 62901 USA
| | - David J. Gibson
- Department of Plant Biology and Center for Ecology Southern Illinois University Carbondale 1263 Lincoln Drive Carbondale Illinois 62901 USA
| | - Sara G. Baer
- Department of Plant Biology and Center for Ecology Southern Illinois University Carbondale 1263 Lincoln Drive Carbondale Illinois 62901 USA
| | - Jason E. Willand
- Biology Department Missouri Southern State University 3950 Newman Road Joplin Missouri 64801 USA
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Liu Z, Baoyin T, Duan J, Yang G, Sun J, Li X. Nutrient Characteristics in Relation to Plant Size of a Perennial Grass Under Grazing Exclusion in Degraded Grassland. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2018; 9:295. [PMID: 29593759 PMCID: PMC5857597 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.00295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2018] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Identifying the linkages between nutrient properties and plant size is important for reducing uncertainty in understanding the mechanisms of plant phenotypic plasticity. Although the positive effects of grazing exclusion on plant morphological plasticity has been well documented, surprisingly little is known about the relationship of nutrient strategies with plant shoot size after long-term grazing exclusion. We experimentally investigated the impacts of grazing exclusion over time (0, 9, 15, and 35 years) on the relationships of nutrient traits (nutrient concentration, allocation, and stoichiometry) of with morphological plasticity in Leymus chinensis, which is a dominant species in grasslands of Inner Mongolia, China. Our results showed that there was a significantly negative correlation between the degrees of plasticity and stability of various morphological traits. Increases in plant size by 126.41, 164.17, and 247.47% were observed with the increase of grazing exclusion time of 9, 15, and 35 years, respectively. Plant size was negatively correlated with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations, but was positively correlated with carbon (C) concentration. Biomass partitioning and leaf to stem ratios of nutrient concentrations contributed more than 95% of the changes in N, P, and C allocation in L. chinensis leaves and stems induced by grazing exclusions. Nine years' grazing exclusion rapidly changed the nutrient concentrations (averaged by -34.84%), leaf to stem nutrient allocations (averaged by -86.75%), and ecological stoichiometry (averaged by +46.54%) compared to free-grazing, whereas there was no significant trend of these nutrient traits across the 9, 15, and 35 years' grazing exclusion in L. chinensis individuals. Our findings suggest that with the increase of the duration of the grazing exclusion, time effects on plant performances gradually weakened both in plant morphological plasticity and nutrient properties. There is a significant negative effect between plant sizes and nutrient traits under long-term grazing exclusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiying Liu
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology, School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Taogetao Baoyin
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology, School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Junjie Duan
- National Forage Improvement Center, Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hohhot, China
| | - Guofeng Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Juan Sun
- School of Animal Science and Technology, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Xiliang Li
- National Forage Improvement Center, Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hohhot, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology and Restoration of the Ministry of Agriculture, Hohhot, China
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15
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Fontana V, Kohler M, Niedrist G, Bahn M, Tappeiner U, Frenck G. Decomposing the land-use specific response of plant functional traits along environmental gradients. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 599-600:750-759. [PMID: 28499223 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.04.245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2017] [Revised: 04/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Environmental conditions affect functional trait variability within communities and thus shape ecosystem properties. With the ability of plants to adapt morphologically and physiologically to changing abiotic conditions, gradient analysis was shown to be a suitable tool to identify the drivers which determine trait values. Apart from direct environmental drivers and indirect gradients such as elevation, also anthropogenic effects (e.g. irrigation, grazing) can influence trait variability. Our aim was to assess the interactive effects of different environmental drivers on major plant traits and to investigate how these are modulated within two different land-use types (hay meadow vs. pasture). An elevational gradient spanning 1000m was decomposed into its underlying direct components (temperature, water input, length of growing season) for the investigation of gradual responses of five prominent functional traits (aboveground dry weight (AGDW), vegetative height (VegHt), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf nitrogen concentration (LNC)) for key species from two functional groups (grasses, forbs) in the two land-use/management regimes. The present study revealed that the detailed analysis of single direct gradients provides substantial additional information on trait response which remains hidden or is even reversed if only indirect gradients such as elevation are analysed. However, trait response to the combination of the three direct gradients aligned surprisingly well with trait response to the indirect gradient underpinning the adequate representation of temperature, water input and length of growing season by elevation. The response of traits significantly depended on the management regime and corresponding intensity which was shown to play an overriding role and constrained and attenuated response ranges of traits to climatic gradients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Fontana
- Institute for Alpine Environment, Eurac Research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bozen/Bolzano, Italy
| | - Marina Kohler
- Institute of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - Georg Niedrist
- Institute for Alpine Environment, Eurac Research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bozen/Bolzano, Italy
| | - Michael Bahn
- Institute of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Ulrike Tappeiner
- Institute for Alpine Environment, Eurac Research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bozen/Bolzano, Italy; Institute of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Georg Frenck
- Institute for Alpine Environment, Eurac Research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bozen/Bolzano, Italy; Institute of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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16
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Yin X, Qi W, Du G. Diversity effects under different nutrient addition and cutting frequency environments in experimental plant communities. Ecol Res 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s11284-017-1474-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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17
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Firn J, Schütz M, Nguyen H, Risch AC. Herbivores sculpt leaf traits differently in grasslands depending on life form and land-use histories. Ecology 2017; 98:239-252. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2016] [Revised: 09/06/2016] [Accepted: 09/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Firn
- School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences; Faculty of Science and Technology; Queensland University of Technology; Brisbane Queensland 4001 Australia
| | - Martin Schütz
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL); Zürcherstrasse 111 8903 Birmensdorf Switzerland
| | - Huong Nguyen
- School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences; Faculty of Science and Technology; Queensland University of Technology; Brisbane Queensland 4001 Australia
| | - Anita C. Risch
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL); Zürcherstrasse 111 8903 Birmensdorf Switzerland
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18
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Funk JL, Larson JE, Ames GM, Butterfield BJ, Cavender‐Bares J, Firn J, Laughlin DC, Sutton‐Grier AE, Williams L, Wright J. Revisiting the
H
oly
G
rail: using plant functional traits to understand ecological processes. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2016; 92:1156-1173. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 389] [Impact Index Per Article: 48.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2015] [Revised: 03/14/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L. Funk
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University 1 University Drive Orange CA 92866 USA
| | - Julie E. Larson
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University 1 University Drive Orange CA 92866 USA
| | - Gregory M. Ames
- Department of Biology Duke University Box 90338 Durham NC 27708 USA
| | - Bradley J. Butterfield
- Merriam‐Powell Center for Environmental Research and Department of Biological Sciences Northern Arizona University Box 5640 Flagstaff AZ 86011 USA
| | - Jeannine Cavender‐Bares
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior University of Minnesota 1475 Gortner Avenue St. Paul MN 55108 USA
| | - Jennifer Firn
- School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences, Queensland University of Technology Gardens Point Brisbane Queensland 4000 Australia
| | - Daniel C. Laughlin
- Environmental Research Institute and School of Science University of Waikato Private Bag 3105 Hamilton 3240 New Zealand
| | - Ariana E. Sutton‐Grier
- National Ocean Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 1305 East‐West Highway Silver Spring MD 20910 USA
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center University of Maryland 5825 University Research Ct #4001 College Park MD 20740 USA
| | - Laura Williams
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior University of Minnesota 1475 Gortner Avenue St. Paul MN 55108 USA
| | - Justin Wright
- Department of Biology Duke University Box 90338 Durham NC 27708 USA
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Siebenkäs A, Schumacher J, Roscher C. Phenotypic plasticity to light and nutrient availability alters functional trait ranking across eight perennial grassland species. AOB PLANTS 2015; 7:plv029. [PMID: 25818071 PMCID: PMC4417138 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plv029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2014] [Accepted: 03/13/2015] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Functional traits are often used as species-specific mean trait values in comparative plant ecology or trait-based predictions of ecosystem processes, assuming that interspecific differences are greater than intraspecific trait variation and that trait-based ranking of species is consistent across environments. Although this assumption is increasingly challenged, there is a lack of knowledge regarding to what degree the extent of intraspecific trait variation in response to varying environmental conditions depends on the considered traits and the characteristics of the studied species to evaluate the consequences for trait-based species ranking. We studied functional traits of eight perennial grassland species classified into different functional groups (forbs vs. grasses) and varying in their inherent growth stature (tall vs. small) in a common garden experiment with different environments crossing three levels of nutrient availability and three levels of light availability over 4 months of treatment applications. Grasses and forbs differed in almost all above- and belowground traits, while trait differences related to growth stature were generally small. The traits showing the strongest responses to resource availability were similarly for grasses and forbs those associated with allocation and resource uptake. The strength of trait variation in response to varying resource availability differed among functional groups (grasses > forbs) and species of varying growth stature (small-statured > tall-statured species) in many aboveground traits, but only to a lower extent in belowground traits. These differential responses altered trait-based species ranking in many aboveground traits, such as specific leaf area, tissue nitrogen and carbon concentrations and above-belowground allocation (leaf area ratio and root : shoot ratio) at varying resource supply, while trait-based species ranking was more consistent in belowground traits. Our study shows that species grouping according to functional traits is valid, but trait-based species ranking depends on environmental conditions, thus limiting the applicability of species-specific mean trait values in ecological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alrun Siebenkäs
- Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research -UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4, 06120 Halle, Germany
| | - Jens Schumacher
- Institute of Stochastics, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Ernst-Abbe-Platz 2, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Christiane Roscher
- Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research -UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4, 06120 Halle, Germany
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20
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Xi N, Carrère P, Bloor JMG. Plant community responses to precipitation and spatial pattern of nitrogen supply in an experimental grassland ecosystem. Oecologia 2015; 178:329-38. [PMID: 25783490 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3289-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2014] [Accepted: 03/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Recent work suggests that soil nutrient heterogeneity may modulate plant responses to drivers of global change, but interactions between N heterogeneity and changes in rainfall regime remain poorly understood. We used a model grassland system to investigate the interactive effects of N application pattern (homogeneous, heterogeneous) and precipitation-magnitude manipulation during the growing season (control, +50 % rainfall, -50 % rainfall) on aboveground biomass and plant community dominance patterns. Our study resulted in four major findings: patchy N addition increased within-plot variability in plant size structure at the species level, but did not alter total aboveground biomass; patchy N addition increased community dominance and caused a shift in the ranking of subordinate plant species; unlike community-level biomass, plant species differed in their biomass response to the rainfall treatments; and neither aboveground biomass nor community dominance showed significant interactions between N pattern and rainfall manipulation, suggesting that grassland responses to patchy N inputs are insensitive to water addition or rainfall reduction in our temperate study system. Overall, our results indicate that the spatial pattern of N inputs has greater effects on species biomass variability and community dominance than on aboveground production. These short-term changes in plant community structure may have significant implications for longer-term patterns of vegetation dynamics and plant-soil feedbacks. Moreover our results suggest that the magnitude of precipitation during the growing season plays a limited role in grassland responses to heterogeneous organic N inputs, emphasizing the need to consider other components of precipitation change in future heterogeneity studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nianxun Xi
- Grassland Ecosystem Research Unit, INRA-UREP, 5 Chemin de Beaulieu, 63039, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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21
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Wang M, Wan P, Chai Y, Guo Y, Zhang X, Yue M. Adaptative Strategy of Leaf Traits to Drought Conditions: Quercus alienavar. acuteserrataForest (the Qinling Mts. China). POLISH JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.3161/15052249pje2015.63.1.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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22
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Maire V, Gross N, Hill D, Martin R, Wirth C, Wright IJ, Soussana JF. Disentangling coordination among functional traits using an individual-centred model: impact on plant performance at intra- and inter-specific levels. PLoS One 2013; 8:e77372. [PMID: 24130879 PMCID: PMC3793938 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0077372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2012] [Accepted: 09/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Plant functional traits co-vary along strategy spectra, thereby defining trade-offs for resource acquisition and utilization amongst other processes. A main objective of plant ecology is to quantify the correlations among traits and ask why some of them are sufficiently closely coordinated to form a single axis of functional specialization. However, due to trait co-variations in nature, it is difficult to propose a mechanistic and causal explanation for the origin of trade-offs among traits observed at both intra- and inter-specific level. Methodology/Principal Findings Using the Gemini individual-centered model which coordinates physiological and morphological processes, we investigated with 12 grass species the consequences of deliberately decoupling variation of leaf traits (specific leaf area, leaf lifespan) and plant stature (height and tiller number) on plant growth and phenotypic variability. For all species under both high and low N supplies, simulated trait values maximizing plant growth in monocultures matched observed trait values. Moreover, at the intraspecific level, plastic trait responses to N addition predicted by the model were in close agreement with observed trait responses. In a 4D trait space, our modeling approach highlighted that the unique trait combination maximizing plant growth under a given environmental condition was determined by a coordination of leaf, root and whole plant processes that tended to co-limit the acquisition and use of carbon and of nitrogen. Conclusion/Significance Our study provides a mechanistic explanation for the origin of trade-offs between plant functional traits and further predicts plasticity in plant traits in response to environmental changes. In a multidimensional trait space, regions occupied by current plant species can therefore be viewed as adaptive corridors where trait combinations minimize allometric and physiological constraints from the organ to the whole plant levels. The regions outside this corridor are empty because of inferior plant performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Maire
- INRA Grassland Ecosystem Research (UR 874), Clermont-Ferrand, France
- * E-mail: (VM); (NG)
| | - Nicolas Gross
- INRA Grassland Ecosystem Research (UR 874), Clermont-Ferrand, France
- INRA, USC Agripop (CEBC-CNRS), F-79360, Villier-en-Bois, France
- CEBC-CNRS (UPR 1934), F-79360, Villier-en-Bois, France
- * E-mail: (VM); (NG)
| | - David Hill
- CNRS LIMOS (UMR 6158), Blaise Pascal University, Aubière, France
| | - Raphaël Martin
- INRA Grassland Ecosystem Research (UR 874), Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Christian Wirth
- Universität Leipzig, Institut für Biologie I, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ian J. Wright
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales, Australia
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23
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Mitchell RM, Bakker JD. Quantifying and comparing intraspecific functional trait variability: a case study withHypochaeris radicata. Funct Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel M. Mitchell
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences; University of Washington; Box 354115 Seattle Washington 98195-4115 USA
| | - Jonathan D. Bakker
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences; University of Washington; Box 354115 Seattle Washington 98195-4115 USA
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24
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Plasticity of plant form and function sustains productivity and dominance along environment and competition gradients. A modeling experiment with Gemini. Ecol Modell 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2012.03.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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25
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Walters MB, Gerlach JP. Intraspecific growth and functional leaf trait responses to natural soil resource gradients for conifer species with contrasting leaf habit. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2013; 33:297-310. [PMID: 23370548 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tps134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Interspecific relationships among species mean leaf traits, performance and species resource/climate distributions help provide the foundation for a predictive, functionally based plant ecology. Intraspecific responses of leaf traits and performance to resource gradients and how these vary among species may be equally important but have received less attention. Here, we examine relationships between proxies of soil resource availability, leaf traits and growth (height at 25 years, SI25) for winter deciduous Larix decidua Mill. and evergreen Pinus resinosa Ait. trees distributed over soil resource gradients in the Great Lakes region of North America. We predicted that (i) leaf trait responses to soil resources within species will be similar to reported distributions of mean leaf traits over soil resource gradients among species; (ii) soil resource-related variation in leaf traits can help explain SI25; and (iii) SI25 will be greater for Larix than Pinus at higher soil resources and greater for Pinus than Larix at lower soil resources and this pattern will be associated with species differences in leaf trait responses to soil resources. Among the measured leaf traits (live N, Mg, Ca, K, P, and Mn, litter N, N resorption, carbon isotope discrimination, specific leaf area, lifespan), soil resources only impacted live and litter N for both species and K for Pinus. In turn, only the leaf traits responsive to soil resources affected SI25 in the expected manner. Larix had greater SI25 than Pinus across soil resource gradients and both species had similar growth and leaf trait sensitivities to resources. In summary: (i) several leaf traits reported to be associated with performance and edaphic distributions across species were, within species, unresponsive to nitrogen and water availability and unrelated to growth; (ii) leaf N showed high plasticity to soil resources and this plasticity was functionally relevant to growth over its entire range of response; (iii) large species-level differences in leaf traits between Larix and Pinus did not translate into different leaf trait and growth responses to soil resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael B Walters
- Department of Forestry, Michigan State University, 126 Natural Resources Bldg., East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
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26
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Schleip I, Lattanzi FA, Schnyder H. Common leaf life span of co-dominant species in a continuously grazed temperate pasture. Basic Appl Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2012.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Maire V, Gross N, Börger L, Proulx R, Wirth C, Pontes LDS, Soussana JF, Louault F. Habitat filtering and niche differentiation jointly explain species relative abundance within grassland communities along fertility and disturbance gradients. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2012; 196:497-509. [PMID: 22931515 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2012.04287.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2012] [Accepted: 07/18/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Deterministic niche-based processes have been proposed to explain species relative abundance within communities but lead to different predictions: habitat filtering (HF) predicts dominant species to exhibit similar traits while niche differentiation (ND) requires that species have dissimilar traits to coexist. Using a multiple trait-based approach, we evaluated the relative roles of HF and ND in determining species abundances in productive grasslands. Four dimensions of the functional niche of 12 co-occurring grass species were identified using 28 plant functional traits. Using this description of the species niche, we investigated patterns of functional similarity and dissimilarity and linked them to abundance in randomly assembled six-species communities subjected to fertilization/disturbance treatments. Our results suggest that HF and ND jointly determined species abundance by acting on contrasting niche dimensions. The effect of HF decreased relative to ND with increasing disturbance and decreasing fertilization. Dominant species exhibited similar traits in communities whereas dissimilarity favored the coexistence of rare species with dominants by decreasing inter-specific competition. This stabilizing effect on diversity was suggested by a negative relationship between species over-yielding and relative abundance. We discuss the importance of considering independent dimensions of functional niche to better understand species abundance and coexistence within communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Maire
- INRA UR874 UREP, 234 Avenue du Brézet, F-63100, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Nicolas Gross
- CEBC-CNRS (UPR 1934), 79360, Beauvoir sur Niort, France
- INRA, USC 1339, CEBC-CNRS, 79360, Beauvoir sur Niort, France
| | - Luca Börger
- CEBC-CNRS (UPR 1934), 79360, Beauvoir sur Niort, France
- INRA, USC 1339, CEBC-CNRS, 79360, Beauvoir sur Niort, France
| | - Raphaël Proulx
- Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, D-07745, Jena, Germany
- Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, CP 500, Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada, G9A 5H7
| | - Christian Wirth
- Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, D-07745, Jena, Germany
| | | | | | - Frédérique Louault
- INRA UR874 UREP, 234 Avenue du Brézet, F-63100, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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28
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Gemini: A grassland model simulating the role of plant traits for community dynamics and ecosystem functioning. Parameterization and evaluation. Ecol Modell 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2012.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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29
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Pontes LDS, Maire V, Louault F, Soussana JF, Carrère P. Impacts of species interactions on grass community productivity under contrasting management regimes. Oecologia 2011; 168:761-71. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-011-2129-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2010] [Accepted: 09/01/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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30
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Sandel B, Corbin JD, Krupa M. Using plant functional traits to guide restoration: A case study in California coastal grassland. Ecosphere 2011. [DOI: 10.1890/es10-00175.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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31
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Gubsch M, Buchmann N, Schmid B, Schulze ED, Lipowsky A, Roscher C. Differential effects of plant diversity on functional trait variation of grass species. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2011; 107:157-69. [PMID: 21068024 PMCID: PMC3002477 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcq220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2010] [Revised: 09/09/2010] [Accepted: 10/11/2010] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Functional trait differences and trait adjustment in response to influences of the biotic environment could reflect niche partitioning among species. In this study, we tested how variation in above-ground plant traits, chosen as indicators for light and nitrogen acquisition and use, differs among taxonomically closely related species (Poaceae) to assess their potential for niche segregation at increasing plant diversity. METHODS Traits of 12 grass species were measured in experimental grasslands (Jena Experiment) of varying species richness (from 1 to 60) and presence of particular functional groups (grasses, legumes, tall herbs and small herbs). KEY RESULTS Grass species increased shoot and leaf length, investment into supporting tissue (stem mass fraction) and specific leaf area as well as reduced foliar δ(13)C values with increasing species richness, indicating higher efforts for light acquisition. These species-richness effects could in part be explained by a higher probability of legume presence in more diverse communities. Leaf nitrogen concentrations increased and biomas s : N ratios in shoots decreased when grasses grew with legumes, indicating an improved nitrogen nutrition. Foliar δ(15)N values of grasses decreased when growing with legumes suggesting the use of depleted legume-derived N, while decreasing δ(15)N values with increasing species richness indicated a shift in the uptake of different N sources. However, efforts to optimize light and nitrogen acquisition by plastic adjustment of traits in response to species richness and legume presence, varied significantly among grass species. It was possible to show further that trait adjustment of grass species increased niche segregation in more diverse plant communities but that complementarity through niche separation may differ between light and nutrient acquisition. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that even among closely related species such as grasses different strategies are used to cope with neighbours. This lack in redundancy in turn may facilitate complementary resource use and coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlén Gubsch
- Institute of Plant, Animal and Agroecosystems Sciences, ETH Zurich, Universitaetsstrasse 2, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
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