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Noualhaguet M, Work TT, Nock CA, Macdonald SE, Aubin I, Fenton NJ. Functional responses of understory plants to natural disturbance-based management in eastern and western Canada. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024; 34:e3011. [PMID: 39030784 DOI: 10.1002/eap.3011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/22/2024]
Abstract
Natural disturbance-based management (NDBM) is hypothesized to maintain managed forest ecosystem integrity by reducing differences between natural and managed forests. The effectiveness of this approach often entails local comparisons of species composition or diversity for a variety of biota from managed and unmanaged forests. Understory vegetation is regularly the focus of such comparison because of its importance in nutrient cycling, forest regeneration, and for wildlife. However, larger scale comparisons between regions with distinct species assemblages may require a trait-based approach to better understand understory responses to disturbance. We compared the long-term effects of retention harvesting on understory vegetation in two large experimental study sites located in eastern and western regions of the Canadian boreal forest. These sites included the Sylviculture en Aménagement Forestier Ecosystémique (SAFE) experiment and the Ecosystem Management Emulating Natural Disturbance (EMEND) experiment, located in the eastern and western regions of Canada, respectively. EMEND and SAFE share common boreal understory species but have distinct tree communities, soils, and climate. Both experiments were designed to evaluate how increasing tree retention after harvest affects biodiversity. Here, we examined taxonomic richness, functional diversity, and functional composition (using community trait mean values) of understory plant communities, and also examine intraspecific trait variability (ITV) for five species common and abundant in both experiments. We observed the limited impacts of retention level on richness, functional diversity, and functional composition of understory plants 20 years postharvest. However, ITV of leaf morphological traits varied between retention levels within each experiment, depending on the species identity. Common species had different functional responses to retention level, showing species-specific reactions to environmental variation. Our result suggests that understory plant communities in the boreal forest achieve resilience to disturbance both in terms of interspecific and intraspecific functional trait diversity. Such diversity may be key to maintaining understory biodiversity in the face of future disturbances and environmental change. Our results reveal the significance of ITV in plant communities for understanding responses to forest harvesting and the importance of choosing appropriate traits when studying species responses to the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Noualhaguet
- Institut de Recherche sur les Forêts, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada
| | - Timothy T Work
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Charles A Nock
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - S Ellen Macdonald
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Isabelle Aubin
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nicole J Fenton
- Institut de Recherche sur les Forêts, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada
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Markgraf R, Doyon F, Delagrange S, Kneeshaw D. Biomass allocation and plant morphology explain the difference in shrub species abundance in a temperate forest. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10774. [PMID: 38053791 PMCID: PMC10694385 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10774] [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: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In forested ecosystems, shrubs must succeed in persisting in low-light environments, while simultaneously having the ability to rapidly expand and occupy newly created canopy openings, yet little is known about the traits that make this possible. We hypothesize that shrub species that are abundant in the understory exhibit a specific set of functional traits that define their ability to persist during unfavorable periods and to rapidly exploit newly created habitats. We tested this by comparing field-measured functional traits such as biomass allocation, leaf display, crown morphology, and leaf traits, across individual size classes and two gap-forest environments of five shrub species. We observed significant differences in traits between species, size classes, and gap-forest environments. These differences were primarily related to biomass allocation traits, followed by leaf display, crown morphology, and leaf traits. Abundant shrubs like mountain maple (Acer spicatum) and hazelnut (Corylus cornuta) invested significantly more biomass in roots, had a larger total leaf area, and displayed leaves in a more efficient manner to intercept light. The high investment in root biomass can be interpreted as shrubs exploiting the persistence and colonization strategy through resprouting. Permanent sub-canopy status likely explains the importance of efficient leaf display, wherein abundant shrubs had a large leaf area with minimal support structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rudiger Markgraf
- Département des sciences biologiquesUniversité du Québec à Montréal, UQAMMontréalQuebecCanada
| | - Frédérik Doyon
- Département des Sciences NaturellesUniversité du Québec en Outaouais, UQOGatineauQuebecCanada
- Institut des Sciences de la Forêt Tempérée, ISFORTRiponQuebecCanada
| | - Sylvain Delagrange
- Département des Sciences NaturellesUniversité du Québec en Outaouais, UQOGatineauQuebecCanada
- Institut des Sciences de la Forêt Tempérée, ISFORTRiponQuebecCanada
| | - Daniel Kneeshaw
- Département des sciences biologiquesUniversité du Québec à Montréal, UQAMMontréalQuebecCanada
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Turtureanu PD, Pușcaș M, Podar D, Balázs ZR, Hurdu BI, Novikov A, Renaud J, Saillard A, Bec S, Șuteu D, Băcilă I, Choler P. Extent of intraspecific trait variability in ecologically central and marginal populations of a dominant alpine plant across European mountains. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 132:335-347. [PMID: 37478315 PMCID: PMC10583199 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Studying trait variability and restricted gene flow between populations of species can reveal species dynamics. Peripheral populations commonly exhibit lower genetic diversity and trait variability due to isolation and ecological marginality, unlike central populations experiencing gene flow and optimal conditions. This study focused on Carex curvula, the dominant species in alpine acidic meadows of European mountain regions. The species is sparser in dry areas such as the Pyrenees and Balkans, compared to the Central-Eastern Alps and Carpathians. We hypothesized that distinct population groups could be identified based on their mean functional trait values and their correlation with the environment; we predicted that ecologically marginal populations would have stronger trait correlations, lower within-population trait variability (intraspecific trait variability, ITV) and lower genetic diversity than populations of optimal habitats. METHODS Sampling was conducted in 34 populations that spanned the entire distribution range of C. curvula. We used hierarchical clustering to identify emergent functional groups of populations, defined by combinations of multiple traits associated with nutrient economy and drought tolerance (e.g. specific leaf area, anatomy). We contrasted the geographical distribution of these groups in relation to environment and genetic structure. We compared pairwise trait relationships, within-population trait variation (ITV) and neutral genetic diversity between groups. KEY RESULTS Our study identified emergent functional groups of populations. Those in the southernmost ranges, specifically the Pyrenees and Balkan region, showed drought-tolerant trait syndromes and correlated with indicators of limited water availability. While we noted a decline in population genetic diversity, we did not observe any significant changes in ITV in ecologically marginal (peripheral) populations. CONCLUSIONS Our research exemplifies the relationship between ecological marginality and geographical peripherality, which in this case study is linked to genetic depauperation but not to reduced ITV. Understanding these relationships is crucial for understanding the biogeographical factors shaping trait variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel Dan Turtureanu
- A. Borza Botanic Garden, Babeș-Bolyai University, 42 Republicii Street, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Centre for Systems Biology, Biodiversity and Bioresources (3B), Babeș-Bolyai University, 3-5 Clinicilor Street, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Emil G. Racoviță Institute, Babeș-Bolyai University, 5-7 Clinicilor Street, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Mihai Pușcaș
- A. Borza Botanic Garden, Babeș-Bolyai University, 42 Republicii Street, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Centre for Systems Biology, Biodiversity and Bioresources (3B), Babeș-Bolyai University, 3-5 Clinicilor Street, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Emil G. Racoviță Institute, Babeș-Bolyai University, 5-7 Clinicilor Street, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeș-Bolyai University, 44 Republicii Street, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Dorina Podar
- Centre for Systems Biology, Biodiversity and Bioresources (3B), Babeș-Bolyai University, 3-5 Clinicilor Street, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeș-Bolyai University, 44 Republicii Street, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Zoltán Robert Balázs
- Centre for Systems Biology, Biodiversity and Bioresources (3B), Babeș-Bolyai University, 3-5 Clinicilor Street, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeș-Bolyai University, 44 Republicii Street, 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Doctoral School of Integrative Biology, Babeș-Bolyai University, 1 Kogălniceanu Street, 400084 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Bogdan-Iuliu Hurdu
- Institute of Biological Research, National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences, 48 Republicii Street, 400015, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Andriy Novikov
- Department of Biosystematics and Evolution, State Museum of Natural History of the NAS of Ukraine, 18 Teatralna Street, 79008 Lviv, Ukraine
| | - Julien Renaud
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Amélie Saillard
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Stéphane Bec
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Dana Șuteu
- Institute of Biological Research, National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences, 48 Republicii Street, 400015, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Ioan Băcilă
- Institute of Biological Research, National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences, 48 Republicii Street, 400015, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Philippe Choler
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, F-38000 Grenoble, France
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Yang Y, Shi Y, Wei X, Han J, Wang J, Mu C, Zhang J. Changes in mass allocation play a more prominent role than morphology in resource acquisition of the rhizomatous Leymus chinensis under drought stress. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 132:121-132. [PMID: 37279964 PMCID: PMC10550271 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad073] [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: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Plants can respond to drought by changing their relative investments in the biomass and morphology of each organ. The aims of this study were to quantify the relative contribution of changes in morphology vs. allocation and determine how they affect each other. These results should help us understand the mechanisms that plants use to respond to drought events. METHODS In a glasshouse experiment, we applied a drought treatment (well-watered vs. drought) at early and late stages of plant growth, leading to four treatment combinations (well-watered in both early and late periods, WW; drought in the early period and well-watered in the late period, DW; well-watered in the early period and drought in the late period, WD; drought in both early and late periods, DD). We used the variance partitioning method to compare the contribution of organ (leaf and root) biomass allocation and morphology to the leaf area ratio, root length ratio and root area ratio, for the rhizomatous grass Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvelev. KEY RESULTS Compared with the continuously well-watered treatment, the leaf area ratio, root length ratio and root area ratio showed increasing trends under various drought treatments. The contribution of leaf mass allocation to leaf area ratio differed among the drought treatments and was 2.1- to 5.3-fold greater than leaf morphology, and the contribution of root mass allocation to root length ratio was ~2-fold greater than that of root morphology. In contrast, root morphology contributed more to the root area ratio than biomass allocation under drought in both the early and late periods. There was a negative correlation between the ratio of leaf mass fraction to root mass fraction and the ratio of specific leaf area to specific root length (or specific root area). CONCLUSIONS This study suggested that organ biomass allocation drove a larger proportion of variation than morphological traits for the absorption of resources in this rhizomatous grass. These findings should help us understand the adaptive mechanisms of plants when they are confronted with drought stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuheng Yang
- Institute of Grassland Science, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Yujie Shi
- Institute of Grassland Science, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Xiaowei Wei
- Institute of Grassland Science, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Jiayu Han
- Institute of Grassland Science, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Junfeng Wang
- Institute of Grassland Science, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Chunsheng Mu
- Institute of Grassland Science, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Jinwei Zhang
- Institute of Grassland Science, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
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Deng JY, Wang YJ, Chen LF, Luo T, Wang R, Chen XY. Functional trait divergence associated with heteromorphic leaves in a climbing fig. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1261240. [PMID: 37794929 PMCID: PMC10546399 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1261240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
Introduction Plants that display heteroblasty possess conspicuous variations in leaf morphology between their juvenile and adult phases, with certain species retaining juvenile-like leaves even in adulthood. Nevertheless, the ecological advantages of maintaining two or more distinct leaf types in heteroblastic plants at the adult stage remain unclear. Method The aim of this study is to examine the adaptive significance of heteroblastic leaves sampled from branches with divergent functions (sterile and fertile branches) of mature Ficus pumila individuals by comparing their morphological, anatomical, and physiological characteristics. Result Leaves on sterile branches (LSs) exhibited a significantly larger specific leaf area, thinner palisade and spongy tissues, lower chlorophyll contents, and lower light saturation points than leaves on fertile branches (LFs). These results demonstrate that LSs are better adapted to low light environments, while LFs are well equipped to take advantages of high light conditions. However, both LFs and LSs have a low light compensation point with no significant difference between them, indicating that they start to accumulate photosynthetic products under similar light conditions. Interestingly, significant higher net photosynthetic rate was detected in LFs, showing they have higher photosynthetic capacity. Furthermore, LFs produced significant more nutrients compared to LSs, which may associate to their ability of accumulating more photosynthetic products under full light conditions and higher photosynthetic capacity. Discussion Overall, we observed a pattern of divergence in morphological features of leaves on two functional branches. Anatomical and physiological features indicate that LFs have an advantage in varied light conditions, providing amounts of photosynthetic products to support the sexual reproduction, while LSs adapt to low light environments. Our findings provide evidence that heteroblasty facilitates F. pumila to utilize varying light environments, likely associated with its growth form as a climbing plant. This strategy allows the plant to allocate resources more effectively and optimize its overall fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun-Yin Deng
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yong-Jin Wang
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lu-Fan Chen
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tong Luo
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Rong Wang
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control & Ecological Security, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiao-Yong Chen
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control & Ecological Security, Shanghai, China
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García Criado M, Myers-Smith IH, Bjorkman AD, Normand S, Blach-Overgaard A, Thomas HJD, Eskelinen A, Happonen K, Alatalo JM, Anadon-Rosell A, Aubin I, Te Beest M, Betway-May KR, Blok D, Buras A, Cerabolini BEL, Christie K, Cornelissen JHC, Forbes BC, Frei ER, Grogan P, Hermanutz L, Hollister RD, Hudson J, Iturrate-Garcia M, Kaarlejärvi E, Kleyer M, Lamarque LJ, Lembrechts JJ, Lévesque E, Luoto M, Macek P, May JL, Prevéy JS, Schaepman-Strub G, Sheremetiev SN, Siegwart Collier L, Soudzilovskaia NA, Trant A, Venn SE, Virkkala AM. Plant traits poorly predict winner and loser shrub species in a warming tundra biome. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3837. [PMID: 37380662 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39573-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Climate change is leading to species redistributions. In the tundra biome, shrubs are generally expanding, but not all tundra shrub species will benefit from warming. Winner and loser species, and the characteristics that may determine success or failure, have not yet been fully identified. Here, we investigate whether past abundance changes, current range sizes and projected range shifts derived from species distribution models are related to plant trait values and intraspecific trait variation. We combined 17,921 trait records with observed past and modelled future distributions from 62 tundra shrub species across three continents. We found that species with greater variation in seed mass and specific leaf area had larger projected range shifts, and projected winner species had greater seed mass values. However, trait values and variation were not consistently related to current and projected ranges, nor to past abundance change. Overall, our findings indicate that abundance change and range shifts will not lead to directional modifications in shrub trait composition, since winner and loser species share relatively similar trait spaces.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Anne D Bjorkman
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Signe Normand
- Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | - Haydn J D Thomas
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - Anu Eskelinen
- Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Konsta Happonen
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Juha M Alatalo
- Environmental Science Center, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Alba Anadon-Rosell
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Isabelle Aubin
- Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste Marie, ON, Canada
| | - Mariska Te Beest
- Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
| | | | - Daan Blok
- Dutch Research Council (NWO), The Hague, The Netherlands
| | - Allan Buras
- Land Surface-Atmosphere Interactions, School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Freising, Germany
| | - Bruno E L Cerabolini
- Department of Biotechnologies and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Katherine Christie
- Threatened, Endangered, and Diversity Program, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Anchorage, USA
| | - J Hans C Cornelissen
- Section Systems Ecology, Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment (A-LIFE), Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Bruce C Forbes
- Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland
| | - Esther R Frei
- WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Climate Change and Extremes in Alpine Regions Research Centre CERC, Davos, Switzerland
| | - Paul Grogan
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, ON, Canada
| | - Luise Hermanutz
- Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | | | - James Hudson
- Government of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Maitane Iturrate-Garcia
- Department of Chemical and Biological Metrology, Federal Institute of Metrology METAS, Bern-Wabern, Switzerland
| | - Elina Kaarlejärvi
- Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Michael Kleyer
- Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Laurent J Lamarque
- Département des Sciences de l'environnement et Centre d'études nordiques, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada
| | - Jonas J Lembrechts
- Research Group Plants and Ecosystems (PLECO), University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Esther Lévesque
- Département des Sciences de l'environnement et Centre d'études nordiques, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada
| | - Miska Luoto
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Petr Macek
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Jeremy L May
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Marietta College, Marietta, OH, USA
| | - Janet S Prevéy
- WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Gabriela Schaepman-Strub
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Laura Siegwart Collier
- Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada
- Terra Nova National Park, Parks Canada Agency, Glovertown, NL, Canada
| | | | - Andrew Trant
- School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Susanna E Venn
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, Australia
| | - Anna-Maria Virkkala
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Woodwell Climate Research Center, Falmouth, MA, USA
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Crisfield VE, Ficken CD, Allen BE, Jog SK, Bried JT. The potential of trait data to increase the availability of bioindicators: A case study using plant conservatism values. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023:e2866. [PMID: 37102427 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Biological indicators are commonly used to evaluate ecosystem condition. However, their use is often constrained by the availability of information with which to assign species-specific indicator values, which reflect species' responses to the environmental conditions being evaluated by the indicator. As these responses are driven by underlying traits, and trait data for numerous species are available in publicly accessible databases, one possible approach to approximating missing bioindicator values is through traits. We used the Floristic Quality Assessment (FQA) framework and its component indicator of disturbance sensitivity, species-specific ecological conservatism scores (C-scores), as a study system to test the potential of this approach. We tested the consistency of relationships between trait values and expert-assigned C-scores and the trait-based predictability of C-scores across five regions. Furthermore, as a proof-of-concept exercise, we used a multi-trait model to try to reconstruct C-scores, and compared the model predictions to expert-assigned scores. Out of 20 traits tested, there was evidence of regional consistency for germination rate, growth rate, propagation type, dispersal unit, and leaf nitrogen. However, the individual traits showed low predictability (R2 = 0.1-0.2) for C-scores, and a multi-trait model produced substantial classification errors; in many cases, >50% of species were misclassified. The mismatches may largely be explained by the inability to generalize regionally varying C-scores from geographically neutral/naive trait data stored in databases, and the synthetic nature of C-scores. Based on these results, we recommend possible next steps for expanding the availability of species-based bioindication frameworks such as the FQA. These steps include increasing the availability of geographic and environmental data in trait databases, incorporating data about intraspecific trait variability into these databases, conducting hypothesis-driven investigations into trait-indicator relationships, and having regional experts review our results to determine if there are patterns in the species that were correctly or incorrectly classified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varina E Crisfield
- Department of Biology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - Cari D Ficken
- Department of Geology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Brandon E Allen
- Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Suneeti K Jog
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Jason T Bried
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
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8
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Liu L, Xia H, Quan X, Wang Y. Plant trait-based life strategies of overlapping species vary in different succession stages of subtropical forests, Eastern China. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1103937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Plants growing in forests at different succession stages in diverse habitats may adopt various life strategies from the perspective of plant functional traits. However, species composition differs with forest succession, and the effects of forest succession on traits have often been explored without considering the effects of species identity. We comprehensively investigated intraspecific variations in 12 traits of six overlapping species (two tree species and four understory shrub species) in three typical subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests at different succession stages in eastern China. We found that intraspecific variations differed among traits. Fine root specific length presented large intraspecific variation, leaf area, specific leaf area and fine root tissue density showed medium intraspecific variations, and other traits displayed small intraspecific variations. Trees and understory shrubs in the early-stage forest exhibited higher leaf thickness, dry matter contents and tissue densities of leaves, roots, twigs, and stems and lower leaf area and specific leaf area. Those in the medium- and late-stage forests displayed contrasting trait characteristics. From the perspective of plant functional traits, plants in the early-stage forest formed a series of trait combinations for a resource conservative strategy with a low growth rate to adapt to fragile habitats with poor soil nutrients and changeable soil temperature and humidity, and those in the medium- and late-stage forests (especially the former) formed converse trait combinations for a resource acquisitive strategy with a high growth rate to adapt to low light availability and strongly competitive habitats. Our study reveals that plants in forests at different succession stages adopt various life strategies and provides data to the TRY and China plant trait databases.
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Weemstra M, Roumet C, Cruz-Maldonado N, Anthelme F, Stokes A, Freschet GT. Environmental variation drives the decoupling of leaf and root traits within species along an elevation gradient. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2022; 130:419-430. [PMID: 35405006 PMCID: PMC9486920 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcac052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Plant performance is enhanced by balancing above- and below-ground resource uptake through the intraspecific adjustment of leaf and root traits. It is assumed that these organ adjustments are at least partly coordinated, so that analogous leaf and root traits broadly covary. Understanding the extent of such intraspecific leaf-root trait covariation would strongly contribute to our understanding of how plants match above- and below-ground resource use strategies as their environment changes, but comprehensive studies are lacking. METHODS We measured analogous leaf and root traits from 11 species, as well as climate, soil and vegetation properties along a 1000-m elevation gradient in the French Alps. We determined how traits varied along the gradient, to what extent this variation was determined by the way different traits respond to environmental cues acting at different spatial scales (i.e. within and between elevations), and whether trait pairs covaried within species. KEY RESULTS Leaf and root trait patterns strongly diverged: across the 11 species along the gradient, intraspecific leaf trait patterns were largely consistent, whereas root trait patterns were highly idiosyncratic. We also observed that, when compared with leaves, intraspecific variation was greater in root traits, due to the strong effects of the local environment (i.e. at the same elevation), while landscape-level effects (i.e. at different elevations) were minor. Overall, intraspecific trait correlations between analogous leaf and root traits were nearly absent. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that environmental gradients at the landscape level, as well as local heterogeneity in soil properties, are the drivers of a strong decoupling between analogous leaf and root traits within species. This decoupling of plant resource acquisition strategies highlights how plants can exhibit diverse whole-plant acclimation strategies to modify above- and below-ground resource uptake, improving their resilience to environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - C Roumet
- CEFE, University of Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - N Cruz-Maldonado
- AMAP, INRAE, CIRAD, IRD, CNRS, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - F Anthelme
- AMAP, INRAE, CIRAD, IRD, CNRS, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - A Stokes
- AMAP, INRAE, CIRAD, IRD, CNRS, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - G T Freschet
- Station d’Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, CNRS, 2 route du CNRS, 09200 Moulis, France
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Encinas‐Valero M, Esteban R, Hereş A, Vivas M, Fakhet D, Aranjuelo I, Solla A, Moreno G, Curiel Yuste J. Holm oak decline is determined by shifts in fine root phenotypic plasticity in response to belowground stress. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 235:2237-2251. [PMID: 35491749 PMCID: PMC9541754 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Climate change and pathogen outbreaks are the two major causes of decline in Mediterranean holm oak trees (Quercus ilex L. subsp. ballota (Desf.) Samp.). Crown-level changes in response to these stressful conditions have been widely documented but the responses of the root systems remain unexplored. The effects of environmental stress over roots and its potential role during the declining process need to be evaluated. We aimed to study how key morphological and architectural root parameters and nonstructural carbohydrates of roots are affected along a holm oak health gradient (i.e. within healthy, susceptible and declining trees). Holm oaks with different health statuses had different soil resource-uptake strategies. While healthy and susceptible trees showed a conservative resource-uptake strategy independently of soil nutrient availability, declining trees optimized soil resource acquisition by increasing the phenotypic plasticity of their fine root system. This increase in fine root phenotypic plasticity in declining holm oaks represents an energy-consuming strategy promoted to cope with the stress and at the expense of foliage maintenance. Our study describes a potential feedback loop resulting from strong unprecedented belowground stress that ultimately may lead to poor adaptation and tree death in the Spanish dehesa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Encinas‐Valero
- BC3‐Basque Centre for Climate ChangeScientific Campus of the University of the Basque CountryB/Sarriena s/n48940LeioaBizkaiaSpain
| | - Raquel Esteban
- Department of Plant Biology and EcologyUniversity of Basque Country (UPV/EHU)B/Sarriena s/n48940LeioaBizkaiaSpain
| | - Ana‐Maria Hereş
- BC3‐Basque Centre for Climate ChangeScientific Campus of the University of the Basque CountryB/Sarriena s/n48940LeioaBizkaiaSpain
- Department of Forest SciencesTransilvania University of BraşovSirul Beethoven‐1500123BraşovRomania
| | - María Vivas
- Faculty of ForestryInstitute for Dehesa Research (INDEHESA)Universidad de ExtremaduraAvenida Virgen del Puerto 210600PlasenciaCáceresSpain
| | - Dorra Fakhet
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología (IdAB)Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)‐Gobierno de NavarraAvenida Pamplona 12331192MutilvaSpain
| | - Iker Aranjuelo
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología (IdAB)Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)‐Gobierno de NavarraAvenida Pamplona 12331192MutilvaSpain
| | - Alejandro Solla
- Faculty of ForestryInstitute for Dehesa Research (INDEHESA)Universidad de ExtremaduraAvenida Virgen del Puerto 210600PlasenciaCáceresSpain
| | - Gerardo Moreno
- Faculty of ForestryInstitute for Dehesa Research (INDEHESA)Universidad de ExtremaduraAvenida Virgen del Puerto 210600PlasenciaCáceresSpain
| | - Jorge Curiel Yuste
- BC3‐Basque Centre for Climate ChangeScientific Campus of the University of the Basque CountryB/Sarriena s/n48940LeioaBizkaiaSpain
- IKERBASQUE – Basque Foundation for SciencePlaza Euskadi 5E‐48009BilbaoBizkaiaSpain
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11
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Changes in Understory Composition of Rural North American Temperate Forests after a 14-Year Period with Focus on Exotic and Sensitive Plant Species. FORESTS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/f13050678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
A better understanding of the mechanisms influencing compositional changes in understory plant communities is crucial to protect temperate forests against global change stressors, including anthropogenic disturbances and invasion by exotic species. We assessed changes in species composition after a 14-year period in 20 rural temperate forest stands located in the northern hardwood biome of eastern Canada. We identified species that underwent the largest changes in relative occurrence during that period and assessed the influence of biotic and anthropogenic filters on the trajectory of those understory communities. We found small but significant compositional changes after 14 years, mostly related to a decrease in species diversity in the younger forest stands originating from abandoned pasture. The largest occurrence gains for understory species were observed in these stands, but also in stands with lower understory community diversity. Understory species occurrence losses could not be linked to any of the biotic and anthropogenic filters considered in this study presumably because they were difficult to isolate from secondary successional dynamics. Shade tolerant exotic species showed a small but significant increase in relative occurrence over 14 years, with notable gains in only a few stands. We observed generalized occurrence gains for sensitive spring geophytes during the same period throughout most sites. Overall, the understory vegetation community of rural temperate forests in this region was found to be relatively stable and seems to retain its potential for natural recovery after disturbance.
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12
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Dallstream C, Weemstra M, Soper FM. A framework for fine‐root trait syndromes: syndrome coexistence may support phosphorus partitioning in tropical forests. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Monique Weemstra
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USA
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13
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Estarague A, Vasseur F, Sartori K, Bastias CC, Cornet D, Rouan L, Beurier G, Exposito-Alonso M, Herbette S, Bresson J, Vile D, Violle C. Into the range: a latitudinal gradient or a center-margins differentiation of ecological strategies in Arabidopsis thaliana? ANNALS OF BOTANY 2022; 129:343-356. [PMID: 34918027 PMCID: PMC8835660 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcab149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Determining within-species large-scale variation in phenotypic traits is central to elucidate the drivers of species' ranges. Intraspecific comparisons offer the opportunity to understand how trade-offs and biogeographical history constrain adaptation to contrasted environmental conditions. Here we test whether functional traits, ecological strategies from the CSR scheme and phenotypic plasticity in response to abiotic stress vary along a latitudinal or a center- margins gradient within the native range of Arabidopsis thaliana. METHODS We experimentally examined the phenotypic outcomes of plant adaptation at the center and margins of its geographic range using 30 accessions from southern, central and northern Europe. We characterized the variation of traits related to stress tolerance, resource use, colonization ability, CSR strategy scores, survival and fecundity in response to high temperature (34 °C) or frost (- 6 °C), combined with a water deficit treatment. KEY RESULTS We found evidence for both a latitudinal and a center-margins differentiation for the traits under scrutiny. Age at maturity, leaf dry matter content, specific leaf area and leaf nitrogen content varied along a latitudinal gradient. Northern accessions presented a greater survival to stress than central and southern accessions. Leaf area, C-scores, R-scores and fruit number followed a center-margins differentiation. Central accessions displayed a higher phenotypic plasticity than northern and southern accessions for most studied traits. CONCLUSIONS Traits related to an acquisitive/conservative resource-use trade-off followed a latitudinal gradient. Traits associated with a competition/colonization trade-off differentiated along the historic colonization of the distribution range and then followed a center-margins differentiation. Our findings pinpoint the need to consider the joint effect of evolutionary history and environmental factors when examining phenotypic variation across the distribution range of a species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélien Estarague
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, F-34293, Montpellier, France
- Laboratoire d’Ecophysiologie des Plantes sous Stress Environnementaux (LEPSE), INRAE, Montpellier SupAgro, UMR759, F-34060, Montpellier, France
| | - François Vasseur
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, F-34293, Montpellier, France
| | - Kevin Sartori
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, F-34293, Montpellier, France
- Department of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Denis Cornet
- CIRAD, UMR AGAP Institut, F-34398, Montpellier, France
- UMR AGAP Institut, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, F-34398, Montpellier, France
| | - Lauriane Rouan
- CIRAD, UMR AGAP Institut, F-34398, Montpellier, France
- UMR AGAP Institut, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, F-34398, Montpellier, France
| | - Gregory Beurier
- CIRAD, UMR AGAP Institut, F-34398, Montpellier, France
- UMR AGAP Institut, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, F-34398, Montpellier, France
| | - Moises Exposito-Alonso
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | | | - Justine Bresson
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, F-34293, Montpellier, France
| | - Denis Vile
- Laboratoire d’Ecophysiologie des Plantes sous Stress Environnementaux (LEPSE), INRAE, Montpellier SupAgro, UMR759, F-34060, Montpellier, France
| | - Cyrille Violle
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, F-34293, Montpellier, France
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14
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Freschet GT, Roumet C, Comas LH, Weemstra M, Bengough AG, Rewald B, Bardgett RD, De Deyn GB, Johnson D, Klimešová J, Lukac M, McCormack ML, Meier IC, Pagès L, Poorter H, Prieto I, Wurzburger N, Zadworny M, Bagniewska-Zadworna A, Blancaflor EB, Brunner I, Gessler A, Hobbie SE, Iversen CM, Mommer L, Picon-Cochard C, Postma JA, Rose L, Ryser P, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Soudzilovskaia NA, Sun T, Valverde-Barrantes OJ, Weigelt A, York LM, Stokes A. Root traits as drivers of plant and ecosystem functioning: current understanding, pitfalls and future research needs. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 232:1123-1158. [PMID: 33159479 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
The effects of plants on the biosphere, atmosphere and geosphere are key determinants of terrestrial ecosystem functioning. However, despite substantial progress made regarding plant belowground components, we are still only beginning to explore the complex relationships between root traits and functions. Drawing on the literature in plant physiology, ecophysiology, ecology, agronomy and soil science, we reviewed 24 aspects of plant and ecosystem functioning and their relationships with a number of root system traits, including aspects of architecture, physiology, morphology, anatomy, chemistry, biomechanics and biotic interactions. Based on this assessment, we critically evaluated the current strengths and gaps in our knowledge, and identify future research challenges in the field of root ecology. Most importantly, we found that belowground traits with the broadest importance in plant and ecosystem functioning are not those most commonly measured. Also, the estimation of trait relative importance for functioning requires us to consider a more comprehensive range of functionally relevant traits from a diverse range of species, across environments and over time series. We also advocate that establishing causal hierarchical links among root traits will provide a hypothesis-based framework to identify the most parsimonious sets of traits with the strongest links on functions, and to link genotypes to plant and ecosystem functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grégoire T Freschet
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, CNRS, 2 route du CNRS, Moulis, 09200, France
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, 34293, France
| | - Catherine Roumet
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, 34293, France
| | - Louise H Comas
- USDA-ARS Water Management and Systems Research Unit, 2150 Centre Avenue, Bldg D, Suite 320, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA
| | - Monique Weemstra
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, 34293, France
| | - A Glyn Bengough
- The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
- School of Science and Engineering, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 4HN, UK
| | - Boris Rewald
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, 1190, Austria
| | - Richard D Bardgett
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Gerlinde B De Deyn
- Soil Biology Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 6700 AA, the Netherlands
| | - David Johnson
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Jitka Klimešová
- Department of Functional Ecology, Institute of Botany CAS, Dukelska 135, Trebon, 37901, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Lukac
- School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6EU, UK
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, 165 00, Czech Republic
| | - M Luke McCormack
- Center for Tree Science, Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Rt. 53, Lisle, IL, 60532, USA
| | - Ina C Meier
- Plant Ecology, University of Goettingen, Untere Karspüle 2, Göttingen, 37073, Germany
- Functional Forest Ecology, University of Hamburg, Haidkrugsweg 1, Barsbüttel, 22885, Germany
| | - Loïc Pagès
- UR 1115 PSH, Centre PACA, site Agroparc, INRAE, Avignon Cedex 9, 84914, France
| | - Hendrik Poorter
- Plant Sciences (IBG-2), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, D-52425, Germany
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Iván Prieto
- Departamento de Conservación de Suelos y Agua, Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CEBAS-CSIC), Murcia, 30100, Spain
| | - Nina Wurzburger
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, 140 E. Green Street, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Marcin Zadworny
- Institute of Dendrology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Parkowa 5, Kórnik, 62-035, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Bagniewska-Zadworna
- Department of General Botany, Institute of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, Poznań, 61-614, Poland
| | - Elison B Blancaflor
- Noble Research Institute, LLC, 2510 Sam Noble Parkway, Ardmore, OK, 73401, USA
| | - Ivano Brunner
- Forest Soils and Biogeochemistry, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Zürcherstr. 111, Birmensdorf, 8903, Switzerland
| | - Arthur Gessler
- Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Zürcherstr. 111, Birmensdorf, 8903, Switzerland
- Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zurich, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Sarah E Hobbie
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Colleen M Iversen
- Environmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Liesje Mommer
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, PO box 47, Wageningen, 6700 AA, the Netherlands
| | | | - Johannes A Postma
- Plant Sciences (IBG-2), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, D-52425, Germany
| | - Laura Rose
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, CNRS, 2 route du CNRS, Moulis, 09200, France
| | - Peter Ryser
- Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, ON, P3E 2C6, Canada
| | | | - Nadejda A Soudzilovskaia
- Environmental Biology Department, Institute of Environmental Sciences, CML, Leiden University, Leiden, 2333 CC, the Netherlands
| | - Tao Sun
- Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Oscar J Valverde-Barrantes
- Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Alexandra Weigelt
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21-23, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Larry M York
- Noble Research Institute, LLC, 2510 Sam Noble Parkway, Ardmore, OK, 73401, USA
| | - Alexia Stokes
- INRA, AMAP, CIRAD, IRD, CNRS, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, 34000, France
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15
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Gervais-Bergeron B, Chagnon PL, Labrecque M. Willow Aboveground and Belowground Traits Can Predict Phytoremediation Services. PLANTS 2021; 10:plants10091824. [PMID: 34579357 PMCID: PMC8471398 DOI: 10.3390/plants10091824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The increasing number of contaminated sites worldwide calls for sustainable remediation, such as phytoremediation, in which plants are used to decontaminate soils. We hypothesized that better anchoring phytoremediation in plant ecophysiology has the potential to drastically improve its predictability. In this study, we explored how the community composition, diversity and coppicing of willow plantations, influenced phytoremediation services in a four-year field trial. We also evaluated how community-level plant functional traits might be used as predictors of phytoremediation services, which would be a promising avenue for plant selection in phytoremediation. We found no consistent impact of neither willow diversity nor coppicing on phytoremediation services directly. These services were rather explained by willow traits related to resource economics and management strategy along the plant "fast-slow" continuum. We also found greater belowground investments to promote plant bioconcentration and soil decontamination. These traits-services correlations were consistent for several trace elements investigated, suggesting high generalizability among contaminants. Overall, our study provides evidence, even using a short taxonomic (and thus functional) plant gradient, that traits can be used as predictors for phytoremediation efficiency for a broad variety of contaminants. This suggests that a trait-based approach has great potential to develop predictive plant selection strategies in phytoremediation trials, through a better rooting of applied sciences in fundamental plant ecophysiology.
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16
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Laughlin DC, Mommer L, Sabatini FM, Bruelheide H, Kuyper TW, McCormack ML, Bergmann J, Freschet GT, Guerrero-Ramírez NR, Iversen CM, Kattge J, Meier IC, Poorter H, Roumet C, Semchenko M, Sweeney CJ, Valverde-Barrantes OJ, van der Plas F, van Ruijven J, York LM, Aubin I, Burge OR, Byun C, Ćušterevska R, Dengler J, Forey E, Guerin GR, Hérault B, Jackson RB, Karger DN, Lenoir J, Lysenko T, Meir P, Niinemets Ü, Ozinga WA, Peñuelas J, Reich PB, Schmidt M, Schrodt F, Velázquez E, Weigelt A. Root traits explain plant species distributions along climatic gradients yet challenge the nature of ecological trade-offs. Nat Ecol Evol 2021; 5:1123-1134. [PMID: 34112996 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01471-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Ecological theory is built on trade-offs, where trait differences among species evolved as adaptations to different environments. Trade-offs are often assumed to be bidirectional, where opposite ends of a gradient in trait values confer advantages in different environments. However, unidirectional benefits could be widespread if extreme trait values confer advantages at one end of an environmental gradient, whereas a wide range of trait values are equally beneficial at the other end. Here, we show that root traits explain species occurrences along broad gradients of temperature and water availability, but model predictions only resembled trade-offs in two out of 24 models. Forest species with low specific root length and high root tissue density (RTD) were more likely to occur in warm climates but species with high specific root length and low RTD were more likely to occur in cold climates. Unidirectional benefits were more prevalent than trade-offs: for example, species with large-diameter roots and high RTD were more commonly associated with dry climates, but species with the opposite trait values were not associated with wet climates. Directional selection for traits consistently occurred in cold or dry climates, whereas a diversity of root trait values were equally viable in warm or wet climates. Explicit integration of unidirectional benefits into ecological theory is needed to advance our understanding of the consequences of trait variation on species responses to environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Liesje Mommer
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Francesco Maria Sabatini
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Thom W Kuyper
- Soil Biology Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Joana Bergmann
- Sustainable Grassland Systems, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Paulinenaue, Germany
| | - Grégoire T Freschet
- Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station (SETE), National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), Moulis, France
| | - Nathaly R Guerrero-Ramírez
- Biodiversity, Macroecology and Biogeography, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Colleen M Iversen
- Climate Change Science Institute and Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Jens Kattge
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Functional Biogeography, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - Ina C Meier
- Functional Forest Ecology, Department of Biology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hendrik Poorter
- Plant Sciences (IBG-2), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Catherine Roumet
- CEFE, University of Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Marina Semchenko
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Christopher J Sweeney
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Oscar J Valverde-Barrantes
- Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Fons van der Plas
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands.,Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jasper van Ruijven
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Isabelle Aubin
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada
| | - Olivia R Burge
- Ecosystems and Conservation, Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - Chaeho Byun
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Andong National University, Andong, Republic of Korea
| | - Renata Ćušterevska
- Institute of Biology, University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Skopje, North Macedonia
| | - Jürgen Dengler
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Natural Resource Sciences (IUNR), Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Wädenswil, Switzerland.,Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Estelle Forey
- Normandie Université, UNIROUEN, INRAE, ECODIV, Rouen, France
| | - Greg R Guerin
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.,Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Bruno Hérault
- CIRAD, UPR Forêts et Sociétés, Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire.,Forêts et Sociétés, University of Montpellier, CIRAD, Montpellier, France.,Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Robert B Jackson
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.,Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Dirk Nikolaus Karger
- Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Spatial Evolutionary Ecology, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Jonathan Lenoir
- UMR CNRS 7058 'Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés (EDYSAN)', Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
| | - Tatiana Lysenko
- Laboratory of Vegetation Science, Komarov Botanical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Saint Petersburg, Russia.,Laboratory of Phytodiversity Problems and Phytocoenology, Institute of Ecology of the Volga River Basin, Samara Scientific Center, RAS, Togliatti, Russia.,Group of Ecology of living organisms, Tobolsk Complex Scientific Station, Ural Branch, RAS, Tobolsk, Russia
| | - Patrick Meir
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.,School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Ülo Niinemets
- Crop Science and Plant Biology, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia.,Estonian Academy of Sciences, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Wim A Ozinga
- Vegetation, Forest and Landscape Ecology, Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Josep Peñuelas
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Barcelona, Spain.,CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA.,Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Marco Schmidt
- Data and Modelling Centre, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt, Germany.,Palmengarten, Frankfurt, Germany
| | | | - Eduardo Velázquez
- Sustainable Forest Management Research Institute, University of Valladolid and INIA, Palencia, Spain.,School of Agricultural Engineering, University of Valladolid, Palencia, Spain
| | - Alexandra Weigelt
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
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17
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Fenollosa E, Jené L, Munné-Bosch S. Geographic patterns of seed trait variation in an invasive species: how much can close populations differ? Oecologia 2021; 196:747-761. [PMID: 34216272 PMCID: PMC8292299 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04971-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Seeds play a major role in plant species persistence and expansion, and therefore they are essential when modeling species dynamics. However, homogeneity in seed traits is generally assumed, underestimating intraspecific trait variability across the geographic space, which might bias species success models. The aim of this study was to evaluate the existence and consequences of interpopulation variability in seed traits of the invasive species Carpobrotus edulis at different geographical scales. We measured seed production, morphology, vigour and longevity of nine populations of C. edulis along the Catalan coast (NE Spain) from three differentiated zones with a human presence gradient. Geographic distances between populations were contrasted against individual and multivariate trait distances to explore trait variation along the territory, evaluating the role of bioclimatic variables and human density of the different zones. The analysis revealed high interpopulation variability that was not explained by geographic distance, as regardless of the little distance between some populations (< 0.5 km), significant differences were found in several seed traits. Seed production, germination, and persistence traits showed the strongest spatial variability up to 6000% of percent trait variability between populations, leading to differentiated C. edulis soil seed bank dynamics at small distances, which may demand differentiated strategies for a cost-effective species management. Seed trait variability was influenced by human density but also bioclimatic conditions, suggesting a potential impact of increased anthropogenic pressure and climate shifts. Geographic interpopulation trait variation should be included in ecological models and will be important for assessing species responses to environmental heterogeneity and change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erola Fenollosa
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
- Institute of Research in Biodiversity (IRBio-UB), Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Laia Jené
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sergi Munné-Bosch
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Research in Biodiversity (IRBio-UB), Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
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18
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Wang Z, Zhang J, Li Z, Liu H, Wang L, Wang W, Wang Y, Liang C. Single Grazing Is More Detrimental to Grasslands Than Mixed Grazing: Evidence From the Response of Functional Traits of Dominant Plants to Grazing Systems. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.682289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant functional traits reflect species ecological strategies and determine how plants respond to environmental changes, however, how dominant species in the Inner Mongolia grassland adapt to different grazing systems by changing their functional traits has not been systematically investigated. In this study, we established four 7-year grazing treatments in the Inner Mongolia grassland: cattle grazing, sheep grazing, mixed sheep and cattle grazing, and no grazing. Fourteen functional traits of three dominant species (Stipa grandis, Leymus chinensis, and Cleistogenes squarrosa) were measured under the different grazing treatments. We found convergences of plant functional traits that indicate herbivory avoidance or tolerance. Plants reduced their vegetative height (VH) and stem: leaf ratio (SLR) to avoid grazing; increased their ability to acquire resources by increasing their specific leaf area (SLA), leaf nitrogen concentration (LNC), and leaf phosphorus concentration (LPC); and reduced their leaf dry matter content (LDMC) to tolerate grazing. Moreover, plants may adapt to grazing by increasing the intraspecific variability of their functional traits. Sheep-only grazing adversely affected L. chinensis growth and survival, while cattle-only grazing hindered S. grandis growth and increased the intraspecific variability of its plant functional traits. Our study emphasizes that intraspecific variability is an important indicator of the responses of plant functional traits to grazing. Since single grazing is more detrimental to the functional traits of dominant plants, we suggest that mixed cattle and sheep grazing may be a more environmentally friendly and sustainable practice for the Inner Mongolia grassland than single grazing.
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19
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Lenters TP, Henderson A, Dracxler CM, Elias GA, Kamga SM, Couvreur TL, Kissling WD. Integration and harmonization of trait data from plant individuals across heterogeneous sources. ECOL INFORM 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2020.101206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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20
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Thom D, Taylor AR, Seidl R, Thuiller W, Wang J, Robideau M, Keeton WS. Forest structure, not climate, is the primary driver of functional diversity in northeastern North America. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 762:143070. [PMID: 33127131 PMCID: PMC7612768 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 10/10/2020] [Accepted: 10/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Functional diversity (FD), represented by plant traits, is fundamentally linked to an ecosystem's capacity to respond to environmental change. Yet, little is known about the spatial distribution of FD and its drivers. These knowledge gaps prevent the development of FD-based forest management approaches to increase the trait diversity insurance (i.e., the response diversity) against future environmental fluctuations and disturbances. Our study helps fill these knowledge gaps by (i) mapping the current FD distribution, (ii) and analyzing FD drivers across northeastern North America. Following the stress-dominance hypothesis, we expected a strong environmental filtering effect on FD. Moreover, we expected abundant species to determine the bulk of FD distributions as suggested by the mass-ratio hypothesis. We combined a literature and database review of 44 traits for 43 tree species with terrestrial inventory data of 48,426 plots spanning an environmental gradient from northern boreal to temperate biomes. We evaluated the statistical influence of 25 covariates related to forest structure, climate, topography, soils, and stewardship on FD by employing an ensemble approach consisting of 90 non-parametric models. Temperate forests and the boreal-temperate ecotone east and northeast of the Great Lakes were identified as FD hotspots. Environmental filtering by climate was of secondary importance, with forest structure explaining most of the FD distribution of tree species in northeastern North America. Thus, our study provides only partial support for the stress-dominance hypothesis. Species abundance weightings altered trait diversity distributions and drivers only marginally, supporting the mass-ratio hypothesis. Our results suggest that forest management could increase FD without requiring knowledge of functional ecology by fostering stand structural complexity instead. Further, mixing species from different functional groups identified in this study can enhance the trait diversity insurance of forests to an uncertain future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Thom
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, 81 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT 05405, USA; Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, 617 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05405, USA; Institute of Silviculture, Department of Forest- and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Peter-Jordan-Straße 82, 1190 Vienna, Austria; Ecosystem Dynamics and Forest Management Group, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354 Freising, Germany.
| | - Anthony R Taylor
- Atlantic Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, 1350 Regent Street, P.O. Box 4000, Fredericton, NB E3B 5P7, Canada
| | - Rupert Seidl
- Institute of Silviculture, Department of Forest- and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna, Peter-Jordan-Straße 82, 1190 Vienna, Austria; Ecosystem Dynamics and Forest Management Group, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354 Freising, Germany; Berchtesgaden National Park, Doktorberg 6, 83471 Berchtesgaden, Germany
| | - Wilfried Thuiller
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Université Savoie-Mont-Blanc, LECA, Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Jiejie Wang
- Atlantic Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, 1350 Regent Street, P.O. Box 4000, Fredericton, NB E3B 5P7, Canada
| | - Mary Robideau
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, 81 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - William S Keeton
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, 81 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT 05405, USA; Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, 617 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
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21
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Westerband AC, Funk JL, Barton KE. Intraspecific trait variation in plants: a renewed focus on its role in ecological processes. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2021; 127:397-410. [PMID: 33507251 PMCID: PMC7988520 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcab011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Investigating the causes and consequences of intraspecific trait variation (ITV) in plants is not novel, as it has long been recognized that such variation shapes biotic and abiotic interactions. While evolutionary and population biology have extensively investigated ITV, only in the last 10 years has interest in ITV surged within community and comparative ecology. SCOPE Despite this recent interest, still lacking are thorough descriptions of ITV's extent, the spatial and temporal structure of ITV, and stronger connections between ITV and community and ecosystem properties. Our primary aim in this review is to synthesize the recent literature and ask: (1) How extensive is intraspecific variation in traits across scales, and what underlying mechanisms drive this variation? (2) How does this variation impact higher-order ecological processes (e.g. population dynamics, community assembly, invasion, ecosystem productivity)? (3) What are the consequences of ignoring ITV and how can these be mitigated? and (4) What are the most pressing research questions, and how can current practices be modified to suit our research needs? Our secondary aim is to target diverse and underrepresented traits and plant organs, including anatomy, wood, roots, hydraulics, reproduction and secondary chemistry. In addressing these aims, we showcase papers from the Special Issue. CONCLUSIONS Plant ITV plays a key role in determining individual and population performance, species interactions, community structure and assembly, and ecosystem properties. Its extent varies widely across species, traits and environments, and it remains difficult to develop a predictive model for ITV that is broadly applicable. Systematically characterizing the sources (e.g. ontogeny, population differences) of ITV will be a vital step forward towards identifying generalities and the underlying mechanisms that shape ITV. While the use of species means to link traits to higher-order processes may be appropriate in many cases, such approaches can obscure potentially meaningful variation. We urge the reporting of individual replicates and population means in online data repositories, a greater consideration of the mechanisms that enhance and constrain ITV's extent, and studies that span sub-disciplines.
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Affiliation(s)
- A C Westerband
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, Australia
| | - J L Funk
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - K E Barton
- School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
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22
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Weemstra M, Freschet GT, Stokes A, Roumet C. Patterns in intraspecific variation in root traits are species‐specific along an elevation gradient. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Monique Weemstra
- CEFE University of MontpellierCNRSEPHEIRDUniversity Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 Montpellier France
- AMAP INRAE CIRAD IRD CNRS University of Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - Grégoire T. Freschet
- CEFE University of MontpellierCNRSEPHEIRDUniversity Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 Montpellier France
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale CNRS Moulis France
| | - Alexia Stokes
- AMAP INRAE CIRAD IRD CNRS University of Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - Catherine Roumet
- CEFE University of MontpellierCNRSEPHEIRDUniversity Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 Montpellier France
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23
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Niu K, Zhang S, Lechowicz MJ. Harsh environmental regimes increase the functional significance of intraspecific variation in plant communities. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kechang Niu
- Department of Ecology School of Life Sciences Nanjing University Nanjing China
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Cornell University Ithaca NY USA
| | - Shiting Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro‐Ecosystems School of Life Science Lanzhou University Lanzhou China
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24
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Berzaghi F, Wright IJ, Kramer K, Oddou-Muratorio S, Bohn FJ, Reyer CPO, Sabaté S, Sanders TGM, Hartig F. Towards a New Generation of Trait-Flexible Vegetation Models. Trends Ecol Evol 2019; 35:191-205. [PMID: 31882280 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Plant trait variability, emerging from eco-evolutionary dynamics that range from alleles to macroecological scales, is one of the most elusive, but possibly most consequential, aspects of biodiversity. Plasticity, epigenetics, and genetic diversity are major determinants of how plants will respond to climate change, yet these processes are rarely represented in current vegetation models. Here, we provide an overview of the challenges associated with understanding the causes and consequences of plant trait variability, and review current developments to include plasticity and evolutionary mechanisms in vegetation models. We also present a roadmap of research priorities to develop a next generation of vegetation models with flexible traits. Including trait variability in vegetation models is necessary to better represent biosphere responses to global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Berzaghi
- Laboratory for Sciences of Climate and Environment (LSCE) - UMR CEA/CNRS/UVSQ, Gif-sur-Yvette 91191, France; Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2022, Australia; Dipartimento per la Innovazione nei sistemi Biologici, Agroalimentari e Forestali, University of Tuscia, Viterbo 01100, Italy.
| | - Ian J Wright
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2022, Australia
| | - Koen Kramer
- Wageningen University and Research, Droevendaalse steeg 4, 6700AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Friedrich J Bohn
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), Kreuzeckbahnstrasse 19, Garmisch-Partenkirchen 82467, Germany; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, Leipzig 04318, Germany
| | - Christopher P O Reyer
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, PO Box 60 12 03, D-14412 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Santiago Sabaté
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona (UB), Barcelona 08028, Spain; CREAF (Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications), Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain
| | - Tanja G M Sanders
- Thuenen Institut of Forest Ecosystems, Alfred-Moeller-Str. 1, Haus 41/42, 16225 Eberswalde, Germany
| | - Florian Hartig
- Theoretical Ecology, Faculty of Biology and Preclinical Medicine, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 3, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
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