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Namuhan, Wang J, Yang G, Song Y, Yu Y, Wang J, Wang X, Shi Y, Shen Y, Han X, Wuyunna, Zhang H. Mechanisms of biodiversity loss under nitrogen enrichment: unveiling a shift from light competition to cation toxicity. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024. [PMID: 38970455 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
The primary mechanisms contributing to nitrogen (N) addition induced grassland biodiversity loss, namely light competition and soil cation toxicity, are often examined separately in various studies. However, their relative significance in governing biodiversity loss along N addition gradient remains unclear. We conducted a 4-yr field experiment with five N addition rates (0, 2, 10, 20, and 50 g N m-2 yr-1) and performed a meta-analysis using global data from 239 observations in N-fertilized grassland ecosystems. Results from our field experiment and meta-analysis indicate that both light competition and soil cation (e.g. Mn2+ and Al3+) toxicity contribute to plant diversity loss under N enrichment. The relative importance of these mechanisms varied with N enrichment intensity. Light competition played a more significant role in influencing species richness under low N addition (≤ 10 g m-2 yr-1), while cation toxicity became increasingly dominant in reducing biodiversity under high N addition (>10 g m-2 yr-1). Therefore, a transition from light competition to cation toxicity occurs with increasing N availability. These findings imply that the biodiversity loss along the N gradient is regulated by distinct mechanisms, necessitating the adoption of differential management strategies to mitigate diversity loss under varying intensities of N enrichment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Namuhan
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian, 116600, China
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Jing Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Life Science and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Guojiao Yang
- College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Hainan, 570228, China
| | - Yantao Song
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian, 116600, China
| | - Yunguang Yu
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian, 116600, China
| | - Jidong Wang
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian, 116600, China
| | - Xiaoguang Wang
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian, 116600, China
| | - Yiping Shi
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian, 116600, China
| | - Yue Shen
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian, 116600, China
| | - Xingguo Han
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Life Science and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Wuyunna
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian, 116600, China
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Haiyang Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Life Science and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
- School of Life Sciences, Hebei Basic Science Center for Biotic Interaction, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
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Wang X, Wang J, Zou Y, Bie Y, Mahmood A, Zhang L, Liao L, Song Z, Liu G, Zhang C. Urea fertilization increased CO 2 and CH 4 emissions by enhancing C-cycling genes in semi-arid grasslands. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 356:120718. [PMID: 38537467 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120718] [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: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
Global climate change is predicted to increase exogenous N input into terrestrial ecosystems, leading to significant changes in soil C-cycling. However, it remains largely unknown how these changes affect soil C-cycling, especially in semi-arid grasslands, which are one of the most vulnerable ecosystems. Here, based on a 3-year field study involving N additions (0, 25, 50, and 100 kg ha-1 yr-1 of urea) in a semi-arid grassland on the Loess Plateau, we investigated the impact of urea fertilization on plant characteristics, soil properties, CO2 and CH4 emissions, and microbial C cycling genes. The compositions of genes involved in C cycling, including C fixation, degradation, methanogenesis, and methane oxidation, were determined using metagenomics analysis. We found that N enrichment increased both above- and belowground biomasses and soil organic C content, but this positive effect was weakened when excessive N was input (N100). N enrichment also altered the C-cycling processes by modifying C-cycle-related genes, specifically stimulating the Calvin cycle C-fixation process, which led to an increase in the relative abundance of cbbS, prkB, and cbbL genes. However, it had no significant effect on the Reductive citrate cycle and 3-hydroxypropionate bi-cycle. N enrichment led to higher soil CO2 and CH4 emissions compared to treatments without added N. This increase showed significant correlations with C degradation genes (bglA, per, and lpo), methanogenesis genes (mch, ftr, and mcr), methane oxidation genes (pmoA, pmoB, and pmoC), and the abundance of microbial taxa harboring these genes. Microbial C-cycling genes were primarily influenced by N-induced changes in soil properties. Specifically, reduced soil pH largely explained the alterations in methane metabolism, while elevated available N levels were mainly responsible for the shift in C fixation and C degradation genes. Our results suggest that soil N enrichment enhances microbial C-cycling processes and soil CO2 and CH4 emissions in semi-arid ecosystems, which contributes to more accurate predictions of ecosystem C-cycling under future climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi, 712100, PR China; Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Science, Shaanxi, 712100, PR China
| | - Jie Wang
- College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, PR China
| | - Yanuo Zou
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi, 712100, PR China; Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Science, Shaanxi, 712100, PR China
| | - Yujing Bie
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi, 712100, PR China; Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Science, Shaanxi, 712100, PR China
| | - Athar Mahmood
- Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan
| | - Lu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi, 712100, PR China; Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Science, Shaanxi, 712100, PR China
| | - Lirong Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi, 712100, PR China; Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Science, Shaanxi, 712100, PR China
| | - Zilin Song
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi, 712100, PR China
| | - Guobin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi, 712100, PR China; Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Science, Shaanxi, 712100, PR China.
| | - Chao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi, 712100, PR China; Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Science, Shaanxi, 712100, PR China.
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3
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He M, Barry KE, Soons MB, Allan E, Cappelli SL, Craven D, Doležal J, Isbell F, Lanta V, Lepš J, Liang M, Mason N, Palmborg C, Pichon NA, da Silveira Pontes L, Reich PB, Roscher C, Hautier Y. Cumulative nitrogen enrichment alters the drivers of grassland overyielding. Commun Biol 2024; 7:309. [PMID: 38467761 PMCID: PMC10928195 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-05999-9] [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: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Effects of plant diversity on grassland productivity, or overyielding, are found to be robust to nutrient enrichment. However, the impact of cumulative nitrogen (N) addition (total N added over time) on overyielding and its drivers are underexplored. Synthesizing data from 15 multi-year grassland biodiversity experiments with N addition, we found that N addition decreases complementarity effects and increases selection effects proportionately, resulting in no overall change in overyielding regardless of N addition rate. However, we observed a convex relationship between overyielding and cumulative N addition, driven by a shift from complementarity to selection effects. This shift suggests diminishing positive interactions and an increasing contribution of a few dominant species with increasing N accumulation. Recognizing the importance of cumulative N addition is vital for understanding its impacts on grassland overyielding, contributing essential insights for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem resilience in the face of increasing N deposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao He
- Ecology and Biodiversity group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 1479 Gortner Ave, St Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
| | - Kathryn E Barry
- Ecology and Biodiversity group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Merel B Soons
- Ecology and Biodiversity group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Eric Allan
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013, Bern, Switzerland
- Centre for Development and Environment CDE, University of Bern, Mittelstrasse 43, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Seraina L Cappelli
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 1479 Gortner Ave, St Paul, MN, 55108, USA
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Dylan Craven
- GEMA Center for Genomics, Ecology & Environment, Universidad Mayor, Camino La Pirámide, 5750, Huechuraba, Santiago, Chile
- Data Observatory Foundation, ANID Technology Center No. DO210001, Eliodoro Yáñez 2990, 7510277, Providencia, Santiago, Chile
| | - Jiří Doležal
- Department of Functional Ecology, Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, 252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Na Zlaté stoce 1, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Forest Isbell
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 1479 Gortner Ave, St Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Vojtěch Lanta
- Department of Functional Ecology, Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, 252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Lepš
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Na Zlaté stoce 1, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Maowei Liang
- Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, University of Minnesota, 2660 Fawn Lake Dr NE, East Bethel, MN, 55005, USA
| | - Norman Mason
- Landcare Research, Private Bag 3127, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand
| | - Cecilia Palmborg
- Department of Crop production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Noémie A Pichon
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013, Bern, Switzerland
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, CH-8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Laíse da Silveira Pontes
- Rural Development Institute of Paraná - IAPAR-EMATER, Av. Euzébio de Queirós, s/n°, CP 129, CEP 84001-970, Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil
| | - Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, 1479 Gortner Ave, St Paul, MN, 55108, USA
- Institute for Global Change Biology, and School for the Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, 440 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Christiane Roscher
- UFZ, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Physiological Diversity, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Puschstrasse 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Yann Hautier
- Ecology and Biodiversity group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Chen X, Lu H, Ren Z, Zhang Y, Liu R, Zhang Y, Han X. Reproductive height determines the loss of clonal grasses with nitrogen enrichment in a temperate grassland. PLANT DIVERSITY 2024; 46:256-264. [PMID: 38807914 PMCID: PMC11128833 DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2023.04.003] [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: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
Tall clonal grasses commonly display competitive advantages with nitrogen (N) enrichment. However, it is currently unknown whether the height is derived from the vegetative or reproductive module. Moreover, it is unclear whether the height of the vegetative or reproductive system regulates the probability of extinction and colonization, and determines species diversity. In this study, the impacts on clonal grasses were studied in a field experiment employing two frequencies (twice a year vs. monthly) crossing with nine N addition rates in a temperate grassland, China. We found that the N addition decreased species frequency and increased extinction probability, but did not change the species colonization probability. A low frequency of N addition decreased species frequency and colonization probability, but increased extinction probability. Moreover, we found that species reproductive height was the best index to predict the extinction probability of clonal grasses in N-enriched conditions. The low frequency of N addition may overestimate the negative effect from N deposition on clonal grass diversity, suggesting that a higher frequency of N addition is more suitable in assessing the ecological effects of N deposition. Overall, this study illustrates that reproductive height was associated with the clonal species extinction probability under N-enriched environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Haining Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhengru Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yuqiu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ruoxuan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yunhai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xingguo Han
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
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Ren J, Fang S, Wang QW, Liu H, Lin F, Ye J, Hao Z, Wang X, Fortunel C. Ontogeny influences tree growth response to soil fertility and neighbourhood crowding in an old-growth temperate forest. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 131:1061-1072. [PMID: 36454654 PMCID: PMC10457036 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcac146] [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: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Abiotic and biotic factors simultaneously affect tree growth and thus shape community structure and dynamics. In particular, trees of different size classes show different growth responses to soil nutrients and neighbourhood crowding, but our understanding of how species' joint responses to these factors vary between size classes remains limited in multi-storied temperate forests. Here, we investigated size class differences in tree growth response to soil gradients and neighbourhood crowding in an old-growth temperate forest. METHODS We combined growth data over 15 years from 38 902 individuals of 42 tree species with trait data in a 25-ha temperate forest plot in northeast China. We built hierarchical Bayesian models of tree growth to examine the effects of soil gradients and neighbourhood crowding between size classes and canopy types. KEY RESULTS We found that soil and neighbours mainly acted separately in shaping tree growth in small and large trees. Soil total nitrogen and phosphorus increased tree growth in small trees, in particular of understorey species, but not in large trees. Neighbours reduced tree growth in both tree size classes, with stronger effects on large than small trees, and on canopy than understorey species. Furthermore, small trees with higher specific leaf area grew faster in fertile soils, and small trees with less seed mass grew faster in crowded environments. Large trees with higher specific leaf area, specific root length and less seed mass grew faster in crowded environments, while these traits had limited influence on tree growth response to soil gradients. CONCLUSIONS Our study highlights the importance of size class in modulating the response of tree growth to soil and neighbours, and the differential role of species canopy types and functional traits in capturing these effects in large vs. small trees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Ren
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Shuai Fang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Qing-Wei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Hongyan Liu
- College of Urban and Environmental Science, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Fei Lin
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Ji Ye
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
| | - Zhanqing Hao
- School of Ecological and Environmental, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
| | - Xugao Wang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
- Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Neutrality, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Claire Fortunel
- AMAP (Botanique et Modélisation de l’Architecture des Plantes et des Végétations), Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Montpellier, France
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Huang X, He M, Guo Z, Li L, Hou F. Effects of grazing and precipitation addition induced by functional groups on the relationship between aboveground biomass and species richness of a typical steppe. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 339:117924. [PMID: 37060693 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117924] [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: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Several studies have explored the influence of grazing or precipitation addition (PA), two important components of human activities and global climate change on the structure and function of communities. However, the response of communities to a combination of grazing and PA remains largely unexplored. We investigated the impact of grazing and PA on the relationship between aboveground biomass (AGB) and species richness (SR) of communities in three-year field experiments conducted in a typical steppe in the Loess Plateau, using a split-plot design with grazing as the main-plot factor and PA as the split-plot factor. AGB and SR have response threshold value to PA, which was decreased by grazing for AGB, but increased for SR. This indicates that implementing grazing management strategies is conducive to strengthening the protection of biodiversity in arid and semi-arid grasslands. Grazing promoted the AGB-SR coupling of the community by increasing the SR of medium drought tolerance (MD), low drought tolerance, and grazing tolerant functional groups. Grazing also accelerated the AGB-SR decoupling of the community by changing the AGB of high drought tolerance, MD, high grazing tolerance, and medium grazing tolerance functional groups. PA mediated changes in MD and SR of both drought and grazing tolerant functional groups and AGB of low grazing tolerance promoted the coupling of AGB-SR of the community. The Two-dimension functional groups classification method reflects the changes of AGB and SR in communities more reasonable than the division of single-factor functional groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojuan Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China; Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
| | - Meiyue He
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China; Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
| | - Zhaoxia Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China; Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
| | - Lan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China; Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
| | - Fujiang Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China; Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China.
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Liu M, Wang J, Zhao W, Korpelainen H, Li C. Females face more positive plant-soil feedback and intersexual competition under adequate nitrogen conditions compared to males in Populus cathayana. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 874:162479. [PMID: 36858242 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162479] [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: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Plant-soil feedback (PSF) and competition influence plant performance, community structure and functions. However, how nutrient availability affects the interaction of PSF, sexual competition and coexistence in dioecious plants is poorly understood. In this study, the strengths of PSF and sexual competition, and their responses to nutrient availability were assessed in dioecious Populus cathayana using a garden experiment. We found that PSF reduced but did not eliminate the inequal sexual competition at low nitrogen (N) availability. Intersexual competition and nutrient limitation induced more negative PSF, which promoted sexual coexistence. PSF and competition were rather related to sexual dimorphism. Female plants experience more positive PSF and intersexual competition under adequate N conditions compared to males; the contrary was true with low N supply. Furthermore, the stability of root exudate networks and soil nutrient availability reflects the possibility of sexual coexistence regulated by PSF. Intersexual interaction promote more stable root exudate profiles and more saccharide secretion at low N supply. Meanwhile, the increased soil N and P mineralization in females with cultivated males explained the possible coexistence between females and males at low nutrient availability. Thus, these results indicate that soil biota can mitigate differences in sexual competitiveness and improve the stability of root exudate networks, consequently promoting sexual coexistence at low nutrient availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao Liu
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Junhua Wang
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Wenting Zhao
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Helena Korpelainen
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, Viikki Plant Science Centre, P.O. Box 27, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Chunyang Li
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
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Issaka DS, Gross O, Ayilara I, Schabes T, DeMalach N. Density‐dependent and independent mechanisms jointly reduce species performance under nitrogen enrichment. OIKOS 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- David Sampson Issaka
- Inst. of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem Rehovot Israel
| | - Or Gross
- Inst. of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem Rehovot Israel
| | - Itunuoluwa Ayilara
- Inst. of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem Rehovot Israel
| | - Tal Schabes
- Inst. of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem Rehovot Israel
| | - Niv DeMalach
- Inst. of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem Rehovot Israel
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9
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Zhang P, Borer ET, Seabloom EW, Soons MB, Hefting MM, Kowalchuk GA, Adler PB, Chu C, Zhou X, Brown CS, Guo Z, Zhou X, Zhao Z, Du G, Hautier Y. Space resource utilization of dominant species integrates abundance‐ and functional‐based processes for better predictions of plant diversity dynamics. OIKOS 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro‐ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou Univ. Lanzhou Gansu Province PR China
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Dept of Biology, Utrecht Univ. Utrecht the Netherlands
| | | | - Eric W. Seabloom
- Dept of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Univ. of MN St. Paul MN USA
| | - Merel B. Soons
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Dept of Biology, Utrecht Univ. Utrecht the Netherlands
| | - Mariet M. Hefting
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Dept of Biology, Utrecht Univ. Utrecht the Netherlands
| | - George A. Kowalchuk
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Dept of Biology, Utrecht Univ. Utrecht the Netherlands
| | - Peter B. Adler
- Dept of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center, Utah State Univ. Logan UT USA
| | - Chengjin Chu
- Dept of Ecology, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat‐sen Univ. Guangzhou Guangdong Province PR China
| | - Xiaolong Zhou
- Inst. of Arid Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang Univ. Urumqi Xinjiang Province PR China
| | - Cynthia S. Brown
- Dept of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, Colorado State Univ. Fort Collins CO USA
| | - Zhi Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro‐ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou Univ. Lanzhou Gansu Province PR China
| | - Xianhui Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro‐ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou Univ. Lanzhou Gansu Province PR China
| | - Zhigang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro‐ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou Univ. Lanzhou Gansu Province PR China
| | - Guozhen Du
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro‐ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou Univ. Lanzhou Gansu Province PR China
| | - Yann Hautier
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Dept of Biology, Utrecht Univ. Utrecht the Netherlands
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10
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Jia P, Wang J, Liang H, Wu ZH, Li F, Li W. Replacement control of Mikania micrantha in orchards and its eco-physiological mechanism. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1095946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Mikania micrantha is one of the most notorious invasive weeds in south China, especially in orchard habitats. Based on the principle of niche competition, screening plants with strong competitiveness and managing vacant niches through natural alternative methods (replacement control) were expected to achieve sustainable ecological management of invasive species. To this end, two legumes, Desmodium heterocarpon and Senna tora, were selected to conduct field competition experiments with M. micrantha to investigate the interspecific competitiveness of these two legumes and M. micrantha from the aspects of adaptability to low light and response to drought stress. We found that the relative interaction indexes of D. heterocarpon and S. tora to M. micrantha were both negative and the competitive inhibition of S. tora on M. micrantha was higher than that of D. heterocarpon. Compared with M. micrantha, D. heterocarpon and S. tora have higher photosynthetic efficiency and lower dark respiration efficiency under low-light conditions, thus maintaining positive plant carbon balance capacity in the low-light understory and becoming more shade-tolerant. Besides, the water stress experiment found that M. micrantha had the lowest tolerance to drought stress, followed by S. tora, and D. heterocarpon was the most drought tolerant. These results showed that D. heterocarpon and S. tora can effectively prevent and control M. micrantha, mainly due to their higher competitiveness, shade tolerance, and drought tolerance. The control effect of D. heterocarpon is better than that of S. tora which is an alien species. Therefore, we believed that the replacement control of the invasive weed M. micrantha by D. heterocarpon is expected to be a sustainable ecological management strategy for M. micrantha biocontrol in the dryland orchard habitat. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the selection of species for alternative control in the future and provide new ideas for solving the problem of repeated regeneration in the existing M. micrantha control process.
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11
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Waterton J, Hammond M, Lau JA. Evolutionary effects of nitrogen are not easily predicted from ecological responses. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2022; 109:1741-1756. [PMID: 36371717 PMCID: PMC10099611 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) addition alters the abiotic and biotic environment, potentially leading to changes in patterns of natural selection (i.e., trait-fitness relationships) and the opportunity for selection (i.e., variance in relative fitness). Because N addition favors species with light acquisition strategies (e.g., tall species), we predicted that N would strengthen selection favoring those same traits. We also predicted that N could alter the opportunity for selection via its effects on mean fitness and/or competitive asymmetries. METHODS We quantified the strength of selection and the opportunity for selection in replicated populations of the annual grass Setaria faberi (giant foxtail) growing in a long-term N addition experiment. We also correlated these population-level parameters with community-level metrics to identify the proximate causes of N-mediated evolutionary effects. RESULTS N addition increased aboveground productivity, light asymmetry, and reduced species diversity. Contrary to expectations, N addition did not strengthen selection for trait values associated with higher light acquisition such as greater height and specific leaf area (SLA); rather, it strengthened selection favoring lower SLA. Light asymmetry and species diversity were associated with selection for height and SLA, suggesting a role for these factors in driving N-mediated selection. The opportunity for selection was not influenced by N addition but was negatively associated with species diversity. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that anthropogenic N enrichment can affect evolutionary processes, but that evolutionary changes in plant traits within populations are unlikely to parallel the shifts in plant traits observed at the community level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Waterton
- Department of BiologyIndiana University1001 E. 3rd St.BloomingtonIN47405USA
| | - Mark Hammond
- Kellogg Biological StationMichigan State UniversityHickory CornersMI49060USA
| | - Jennifer A. Lau
- Department of Biology and the Environmental Resilience InstituteIndiana University1001 E. 3rd St.BloomingtonIN47405USA
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12
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Liu M, Xu X, Yang B, Zhang N, Ma Z, van Dam NM, Bruelheide H. Niche partitioning in nitrogen uptake among subtropical tree species enhances biomass production. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 823:153716. [PMID: 35149074 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153716] [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: 11/21/2021] [Revised: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) is a main nutrient limiting plant growth in most terrestrial ecosystems, but so far it remains unknown which role plant N uptake plays for the positive relationship between species richness and productivity. An in situ15N labeling experiment was carried out by planting four subtropical tree species (i.e., Koelreuteria bipinnata, Lithocarpus glaber, Cyclobalanopsis myrsinaefolia and Castanopsis eyrei) in pots, at richness levels 1, 2 and 4 species per pot. Plant N uptake preference for inorganic N form of NO3- to NH4+ and organic N form of glycine, as well as biomass and plant functional traits was evaluated under different tree species richness level. Overall, pot biomass productivity increased with tree species richness. Biomass of the most productive species, K. bipinnata increased, but not at the expense of a decreased growth of the other species. In mixtures, the species shifted their preference for the inorganic N form, from NO3- to NH4+ or vice versa. The uptake preference for glycine remained stable along the species richness gradient. Plant N uptake was well correlated with numerous functional traits, both aboveground, such as height and shoot diameter, and belowground, such as root diameter and root length. We conclude that increased ecosystem biomass production with tree species richness could be largely explained by niche partitioning in N uptake among tree species. Our findings highlight that niche partitioning for N uptake should be a possible important mechanism maintaining species diversity and ecosystem production in subtropical forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Liu
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yanqi Lake, Huairou District, Beijing 101408, China
| | - Xingliang Xu
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Bo Yang
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Biodiversity, Jingdezhen University, 3 Fuliang Avenue, Jingdezhen 333400, Jiangxi, China
| | - Naili Zhang
- The Key Laboratory for Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Zeqing Ma
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Nicole M van Dam
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger-Str. 159, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108 Halle (Saale), Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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13
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Searle EB, Chen HYH, Paquette A. Higher tree diversity is linked to higher tree mortality. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2013171119. [PMID: 35500110 PMCID: PMC9171344 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2013171119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Examining the relationship between tree diversity and ecosystem functioning has been a recent focus of forest ecology. Particular emphasis has been given to the impact of tree diversity on productivity and to its potential to mitigate negative global change effects; however, little attention has been paid to tree mortality. This is critical because both tree mortality and productivity underpin forest ecosystem dynamics and therefore forest carbon sequestration. Neglecting tree mortality leaves a large part of the picture undocumented. Here we show that increasingly diverse forest stands have increasingly high mortality probabilities. We found that the most species-rich stands in temperate biomes had mortality probabilities more than sevenfold higher than monospecific stands (∼0.6% year−1 in monospecific stands to 4.0% year−1 in the most species-rich stands) while in boreal stands increases were less pronounced but still significant (∼1.1% year−1 in monospecific stands to 1.8% year−1 in the most species-rich stands). Tree species richness was the third-most-important predictor of mortality in our models in temperate forests and the fifth-most-important predictor in boreal forests. Our results highlight that while the promotion of tree diversity undoubtedly has many positive effects on ecosystem functioning and the services that trees provide to humanity, it remains important to consider all aspects of forest dynamics in order to properly predict the implications of maintaining and promoting tree diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric B. Searle
- Département des sciences biologiques, Centre for Forest Research, Université du Québec à Montréal, CP 8888, Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, Canada H3C 3P8
| | - Han Y. H. Chen
- Faculty of Natural Resources Management, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada P7B 5E1
| | - Alain Paquette
- Département des sciences biologiques, Centre for Forest Research, Université du Québec à Montréal, CP 8888, Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, Canada H3C 3P8
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14
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Qi M, DeMalach N, Dong Y, Zhang H, Sun T. Coexistence under hierarchical resource exploitation: the role of R*-preemption tradeoff. Am Nat 2022; 200:193-201. [DOI: 10.1086/720269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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15
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Braun L, Kadmon R, Tomiolo S, Májeková M, Tielbörger K. Is more less? A comprehensive experimental test of soil depth effects on grassland diversity. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lara Braun
- Inst. of Ecology and Evolution, Plant Ecology Group, Univ. of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| | - Ronen Kadmon
- Dept of Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, The Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem Givat Ram Jerusalem Israel
| | - Sara Tomiolo
- Inst. of Ecology and Evolution, Plant Ecology Group, Univ. of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| | - Maria Májeková
- Inst. of Ecology and Evolution, Plant Ecology Group, Univ. of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| | - Katja Tielbörger
- Inst. of Ecology and Evolution, Plant Ecology Group, Univ. of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
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16
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Brown C, Cahill JF. Competitive size‐asymmetry, not intensity, is linked to species loss and gain in a native grassland community. Ecology 2022; 103:e3675. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
- Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill University of Arizona Tucson AZ USA
| | - James F. Cahill
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
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17
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Silva CA, Hudak AT, Vierling LA, Valbuena R, Cardil A, Mohan M, de Almeida DRA, Broadbent EN, Almeyda Zambrano AM, Wilkinson B, Sharma A, Drake JB, Medley PB, Vogel JG, Prata GA, Atkins JW, Hamamura C, Jonson DJ, Klauberg C. Treetop: A Shiny‐based Application and R package for Extracting Forest Information from
LiDAR
data for Ecologists and Conservationists. Methods Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Alberto Silva
- Forest Biometrics and Remote Sensing Laboratory (Silva Lab) School of Forest Gainesville FL USA
| | - Andrew T. Hudak
- USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 1221 South Main Street Moscow ID USA
| | - Lee A. Vierling
- Department of Natural Resources and Society College of Natural Resources Moscow ID USA
| | | | - Adrian Cardil
- Department of Agriculture and Forest Engineering University of Lleida Lleida Spain
- Tecnosylva. Parque Tecnológico de León. 24009 León Spain
| | - Midhun Mohan
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources North Carolina State University Raleigh NC USA
| | | | - Eben N. Broadbent
- Spatial Ecology and Conservation Lab, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences University of Florida Gainesville FL USA
| | - Angelica M. Almeyda Zambrano
- Spatial Ecology and Conservation Lab, Department of Tourism, Recreation and Sport Management University of Florida Gainesville FL
| | - Ben Wilkinson
- Geomatics Program, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences University of Florida Gainesville FL
| | - Ajay Sharma
- West Florida Research and Education Center School of Forest Milton FL
| | - Jason B. Drake
- USDA Forest Service, National Forests in Florida, 325 John Knox Rd., Suite F‐100 Tallahassee FL
| | - Paul B. Medley
- USDA Forest Service, National Forests in Florida, 325 John Knox Rd., Suite F‐100 Tallahassee FL
| | | | - Gabriel Atticciati Prata
- Spatial Ecology and Conservation Lab, Department of Tourism, Recreation and Sport Management University of Florida Gainesville FL
| | - Jeff W. Atkins
- USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, PO Box 700 New Ellenton SC
| | | | | | - Carine Klauberg
- Federal University of São João Del Rei – UFSJ Sete Lagoas MG Brazil
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18
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Zhong M, Liu C, Wang X, Hu W, Qiao N, Song H, Chen J, Miao Y, Wang G, Wang D, Yang Z. Belowground Root Competition Alters the Grass Seedling Establishment Response to Light by a Nitrogen Addition and Mowing Experiment in a Temperate Steppe. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:801343. [PMID: 35909790 PMCID: PMC9331913 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.801343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Predicting species responses to climate change and land use practices requires understanding both the direct effects of environmental factors as well as the indirect effects mediated by changes in belowground and aboveground competition. Belowground root competition from surrounding vegetation and aboveground light competition are two important factors affecting seedling establishment. However, few studies have jointly examined the effect of belowground root and light competition on seedling establishment, especially under long-term nitrogen addition and mowing. Here, we examined how belowground root competition from surrounding vegetation and aboveground light competition affect seedling establishment within a long-term nitrogen addition and mowing experiment. Seedlings of two grasses (Stipa krylovii and Cleistogenes squarrosa) were grown with and without belowground root competition under control, nitrogen addition, and mowing treatments, and their growth characteristics were monitored. The seedlings of the two grasses achieved higher total biomass, height, mean shoot and root mass, but a lower root/shoot ratio in the absence than in the presence of belowground root competition. Nitrogen addition significantly decreased shoot biomass, root biomass, and the survival of the two grasses. Regression analyses revealed that the biomass of the two grass was strongly negatively correlated with net primary productivity under belowground root competition, but with the intercept photosynthetic active radiation in the absence of belowground root competition. This experiment demonstrates that belowground root competition can alter the grass seedling establishment response to light in a long-term nitrogen addition and mowing experiment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingxing Zhong
- Tourism College, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Global Change Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Chun Liu
- Department of Ecology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiukang Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Yanan University, Yan'an, China
| | - Wei Hu
- Key Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Ning Qiao
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Global Change Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Hongquan Song
- College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Ji Chen
- Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
| | - Yuan Miao
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Global Change Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Gang Wang
- Laboratory of Resources and Applied Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Dong Wang
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Global Change Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
- *Correspondence: Dong Wang
| | - Zhongling Yang
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Global Change Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
- Zhongling Yang
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19
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Govaert S, Vangansbeke P, Blondeel H, De Lombaerde E, Verheyen K, De Frenne P. Forest understorey plant responses to long-term experimental warming, light and nitrogen addition. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2021; 23:1051-1062. [PMID: 34516719 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Climate change, eutrophication and intensified forest management are affecting forest understorey plants, a major component of forest biodiversity. The main impacts of these drivers have often been studied, but we lack a good understanding of how key understorey species are affected by potential interactive effects of these drivers and which species drive community changes. Here we assessed the responses of 15 species occurring in the understorey of a deciduous temperate forest to experimental warming, light addition and enhanced nitrogen inputs in permanent plots surveyed for 9 years. We analysed vegetation cover and key functional traits (plant height, specific leaf area and reproductive traits) at the species level and identified the species driving community change with principal response curves (PRC). Light addition and warming, and to a lesser extent also nitrogen addition, had profound effects on cover and functional traits. Many species showed directional change over time, and this change can either be strengthened or weakened by treatments, indicating the importance of long-term monitoring. Against expectations, we observed few interactions between treatments. Species responses to treatments were related to ecological strategies (generalists versus forest specialist). Generalists, such as Rubus fruticosus, benefitted from the warming and light treatments and outcompeted forest specialists. This might ultimately lead to biotic homogenization. Since the treatment effects of light and warming were additive, keeping the canopy closed will only mitigate, but not stop, the effects of global warming on the forest understorey plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Govaert
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Gontrode-Melle, Belgium
| | - P Vangansbeke
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Gontrode-Melle, Belgium
| | - H Blondeel
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Gontrode-Melle, Belgium
| | - E De Lombaerde
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Gontrode-Melle, Belgium
| | - K Verheyen
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Gontrode-Melle, Belgium
| | - P De Frenne
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Gontrode-Melle, Belgium
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20
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Barros-Rodríguez A, Rangseekaew P, Lasudee K, Pathom-aree W, Manzanera M. Impacts of Agriculture on the Environment and Soil Microbial Biodiversity. PLANTS 2021; 10:plants10112325. [PMID: 34834690 PMCID: PMC8619008 DOI: 10.3390/plants10112325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Agriculture represents an important mechanism in terms of reducing plant, animal, and microbial biodiversity and altering the environment. The pressure to cope with the increasing food demands of the human population has intensified the environmental impact, and alternative ways to produce food are required in order to minimize the decrease in biodiversity. Conventional agricultural practices, such as floods and irrigation systems; the removal of undesired vegetation by fires, tilling, and plowing; the use of herbicides, fertilizers, and pesticides; and the intensification of these practices over the last 50 years, have led to one of the most important environmental threats—a major loss of biodiversity. In this study, we review the impact that agriculture and its intensification have had on the environment and biodiversity since its invention. Moreover, we demonstrate how these impacts could be reduced through the use of microorganisms as biostimulants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Pharada Rangseekaew
- Doctor of Philosophy Program in Applied Microbiology (International Program), Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand;
- Graduate School, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
| | - Krisana Lasudee
- Research Center of Excellence in Bioresources for Agriculture, Industry and Medicine, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand; (K.L.); (W.P.-a.)
| | - Wasu Pathom-aree
- Research Center of Excellence in Bioresources for Agriculture, Industry and Medicine, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand; (K.L.); (W.P.-a.)
| | - Maximino Manzanera
- Department of Microbiology, Institute for Water Research, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-958-248324; Fax: +34-958-243094
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21
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Xiang M, Wu J, Wu J, Guo Y, Lha D, Pan Y, Zhang X. Heavy Grazing Altered the Biodiversity–Productivity Relationship of Alpine Grasslands in Lhasa River Valley, Tibet. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.698707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Grazing is a crucial anthropogenic disturbance on grasslands. However, it is unknown how livestock grazing affects the relationship between biodiversity and productivity of alpine grasslands in Tibet. We carried out a grazing-manipulated experiment from 2016 to 2019 with grazing intensity levels of null (control, grazing exclusion, C.K.), moderate grazing [1.65 standardized sheep unit (SSU) per hectare, M.G.], and heavy grazing (2.47 SSU per hectare, H.G.) on a typical alpine grassland in the Lhasa River Basin, central Tibet. We measured aboveground biomass (AGB), species assembly (alpha and beta diversity indices), and soil nutrients’ availability. The results showed that grazing differently affected plant community in different treatments. Notably, the total dissimilarity value between C.K. and H.G. is 0.334. Grazing decreased the Shannon–Wiener index, increased the Berger–Parker index from 2016 to 2018 significantly, and decreased AGB and total soil nitrogen (STN) significantly. Our results also showed that the grazing affected the relationship between AGB and diversity indices and soil nutrients, including soil organic carbon (SOC) and total soil phosphorus (STP). Specifically, AGB decreased with increasing SOC and STP in all treatments, and heavy grazing changed the positive relationships between AGB, STP, and Shannon–Wiener index to negative correlations significantly compared with grazing exclusion. There was a significant negative correlation between Berger–Parker and Shannon–Wiener indices under each treatment. The general linear models showed that H.G. altered the relationship between diversity and productivity of grassland in central Tibet, and AGB and Shannon–Wiener index positively correlated in C.K. but negatively correlated in H.G. Our study suggests that H.G. caused a negative relationship between plant diversity and productivity. Therefore, sustainable grazing management calls for a need of better understanding the relationship between biodiversity and productivity of alpine grassland in central Tibet.
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22
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Sauter F, Albrecht H, Kollmann J, Lang M. Competition components along productivity gradients – revisiting a classic dispute in ecology. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.07706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Sauter
- Technische Univ. München – Restoration Ecology, Dept of Ecology and Ecosystem Management München Germany
- Dept of Ecology and Ecosystem Management Freising Germany
| | - Harald Albrecht
- Technische Univ. München – Restoration Ecology, Dept of Ecology and Ecosystem Management München Germany
| | - Johannes Kollmann
- Technische Univ. München – Restoration Ecology, Dept of Ecology and Ecosystem Management München Germany
- Norwegian Inst. of Bioeconomy Research – Urban Greening and Vegetation Ecology Ås Norway
| | - Marion Lang
- Technische Univ. München – Restoration Ecology, Dept of Ecology and Ecosystem Management München Germany
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23
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Parreño MA, Schmid B, Petchey OL. Comparative study of the most tested hypotheses on relationships between biodiversity, productivity, light and nutrients. Basic Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2021.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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24
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Crawford MS, Schlägel UE, May F, Wurst S, Grimm V, Jeltsch F. While shoot herbivores reduce, root herbivores increase nutrient enrichment's impact on diversity in a grassland model. Ecology 2021; 102:e03333. [PMID: 33710633 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Nutrient enrichment is widespread throughout grassland systems and expected to increase during the Anthropocene. Trophic interactions, like aboveground herbivory, have been shown to mitigate its effect on plant diversity. Belowground herbivory may also impact these habitats' response to nutrient enrichment, but its influence is much less understood, and likely to depend on factors such as the herbivores' preference for dominant species and the symmetry of belowground competition. If preferential toward the dominant, fastest growing species, root herbivores may reduce these species' relative fitness and support diversity during nutrient enrichment. However, as plant competition belowground is commonly considered to be symmetric, root herbivores may be less impactful than shoot herbivores because they do not reduce any competitive asymmetry between the dominant and subordinate plants. To better understand this system, we used an established, two-layer, grassland community model to run a full-factorially designed simulation experiment, crossing the complete removal of aboveground herbivores and belowground herbivores with nutrient enrichment. After 100 yr of simulation, we analyzed communities' diversity, competition on the individual level, as well as their resistance and recovery. The model reproduced both observed general effects of nutrient enrichment in grasslands and the short-term trends of specific experiments. We found that belowground herbivores exacerbate the negative influence of nutrient enrichment on Shannon diversity within our model grasslands, while aboveground herbivores mitigate its effect. Indeed, data on individuals' above- and belowground resource uptake reveals that root herbivory reduces resource limitation belowground. As with nutrient enrichment, this shifts competition aboveground. Since shoot competition is asymmetric, with larger, taller individuals gathering disproportionate resources compared to their smaller, shorter counterparts, this shift promotes the exclusion of the smallest species. While increasing the root herbivores' preferences toward dominant species lessens their negative impact, at best they are only mildly advantageous, and they do very little reduce the negative consequences of nutrient enrichment. Because our model's belowground competition is symmetric, we hypothesize that root herbivores may be beneficial when root competition is asymmetric. Future research into belowground herbivory should account for the nature of competition belowground to better understand the herbivores' true influence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Crawford
- Transformation Pathways, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Building A65 Room 120, P.O. Box 60 12 03, Telegraphenberg, Potsdam, 14412, Germany.,Department of Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Ulrike E Schlägel
- Department of Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Felix May
- Theoretical Ecology, Institute for Biology, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany
| | - Susanne Wurst
- Functional Biodiversity, Dahlem Centre of Plant Sciences, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany
| | - Volker Grimm
- Department of Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany.,Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany.,Biodiversity Economics, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Florian Jeltsch
- Department of Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany.,Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
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The temporal development of plant-soil feedback is contingent on competition and nutrient availability contexts. Oecologia 2021; 196:185-194. [PMID: 33847804 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04919-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Strength and direction of plant-soil feedback (PSF), the reciprocal interactions between plants and soil, can change over time and have distinct effects on different life stages. PSF and its temporal development can also be modified by external biotic and abiotic factors such as competition and resource availability, yet most PSF research is conducted in simple experimental settings without considering temporal changes. Here I have studied the effect of different competitive settings (intraspecific, interspecific, and no competition) and nutrient addition on the magnitude and direction of biomass-based PSF (performance in conspecific relative to heterospecific inoculum) across 46 grassland species, estimated at the 4th, 10th, and 13th month of the response phase. I also examined whether conspecific inoculum had a long-term effect on plant survival at the 36th month, and whether biomass-based PSF may predict survival-based PSF effects. PSF pooled across all treatments and time points was negative, but a significant overall temporal trend or differences among competitive settings were missing. PSF developed unimodally for interspecific competition across the three time points, whereas it declined gradually in case of intraspecific and no competition. Nutrient addition attenuated negative biomass-based PSF and eliminated negative effects of conspecific inoculum on survival. Interspecific differences in biomass-based PSF were related to survival-based PSF, but only after nutrient addition. This study demonstrates that PSF is dynamic and modulated by external abiotic and biotic factors. PSF research should consider the temporal dynamics of focal communities to properly estimate how PSF contributes to community changes, preferably directly in the field.
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Feng G, Huang J, Xu Y, Li J, Zang R. Disentangling Environmental Effects on the Tree Species Abundance Distribution and Richness in a Subtropical Forest. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:622043. [PMID: 33828571 PMCID: PMC8020568 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.622043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
As a transitional vegetation type between evergreen broadleaved forest and deciduous broadleaved forest, evergreen-deciduous broadleaved mixed forest is composed of diverse plant species. This distinctive forest is generally distributed in mountainous areas with complex landforms and heterogeneous microenvironments. However, little is known about the roles of environmental conditions in driving the species diversity patterns of this forest. Here, based on a 15-ha plot in central China, we aimed to understand how and to what extent topographical characteristics and soil nutrients regulate the number and relative abundance of tree species in this forest. We measured environmental factors (terrain convexity, slope, soil total nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations) and species diversity (species abundance distribution and species richness) in 20 m × 20 m subplots. Species abundance distribution was characterized by skewness, Berger-Parker index, and the proportion of singletons. The generalized additive model was used to examine the variations in diversity patterns caused by environmental factors. The structural equation model was used to assess whether and how topographical characteristics regulate species diversity via soil nutrients. We found that soil nutrients had significant negative effects on species richness and positive effects on all metrics of species abundance distribution. Convexity had significant positive effects on species richness and negative effects on all metrics of species abundance distribution, but these effects were mostly mediated by soil nutrients. Slope had significant negative effects on skewness and the Berger-Parker index, and these effects were almost independent of soil nutrients. Soil nutrients and topographical characteristics together accounted for 9.5-17.1% of variations in diversity patterns and, respectively, accounted for 8.9-13.9% and 3.3-10.7% of the variations. We concluded that soil nutrients were more important than topographical factors in regulating species diversity. Increased soil nutrient concentration led to decreased taxonomic diversity and increased species dominance and rarity. Convexity could be a better proxy for soil nutrients than slope. Moreover, these abiotic factors played limited roles in regulating diversity patterns, and it is possible that the observed patterns are also driven by some biotic and abiotic factors not considered here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang Feng
- Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Conservation of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
- College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Jihong Huang
- Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Conservation of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yue Xu
- Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Conservation of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
| | - Junqing Li
- College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Runguo Zang
- Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Conservation of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
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27
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Ploughe LW, Smith NG, Schuster MJ, Dukes JS. Increased rainfall variability and nitrogen deposition accelerate succession along a common sere. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Laura W. Ploughe
- Department of Natural Resource Science Thompson Rivers University Kamloops British ColumbiaV2C 0C8Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences Purdue University West Lafayette Indiana47906USA
| | - Nicholas G. Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences Purdue University West Lafayette Indiana47906USA
- Department of Biological Sciences Texas Tech University Lubbock Texas79409USA
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Purdue University West Lafayette Indiana47906USA
| | - Michael J. Schuster
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Purdue University West Lafayette Indiana47906USA
- Department of Forest Resources University of Minnesota St. Paul Minnesota55108USA
| | - Jeffrey S. Dukes
- Department of Biological Sciences Purdue University West Lafayette Indiana47906USA
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Purdue University West Lafayette Indiana47906USA
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28
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Goodwillie C, McCoy MW, Peralta AL. Long‐term nutrient enrichment, mowing, and ditch drainage interact in the dynamics of a wetland plant community. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Carol Goodwillie
- Department of Biology East Carolina University Greenville North Carolina27858USA
| | - Michael W. McCoy
- Department of Biology East Carolina University Greenville North Carolina27858USA
| | - Ariane L. Peralta
- Department of Biology East Carolina University Greenville North Carolina27858USA
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29
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Blondeel H, Perring MP, De Lombaerde E, Depauw L, Landuyt D, Govaert S, Maes SL, Vangansbeke P, De Frenne P, Verheyen K. Individualistic responses of forest herb traits to environmental change. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2020; 22:601-614. [PMID: 32109335 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Intraspecific trait variation (ITV; i.e. variability in mean and/or distribution of plant attribute values within species) can occur in response to multiple drivers. Environmental change and land-use legacies could directly alter trait values within species but could also affect them indirectly through changes in vegetation cover. Increasing variability in environmental conditions could lead to more ITV, but responses might differ among species. Disentangling these drivers on ITV is necessary to accurately predict plant community responses to global change. We planted herb communities into forest soils with and without a recent history of agriculture. Soils were collected across temperate European regions, while the 15 selected herb species had different colonizing abilities and affinities to forest habitat. These mesocosms (384) were exposed to two-level full-factorial treatments of warming, nitrogen addition and illumination. We measured plant height and specific leaf area (SLA). For the majority of species, mean plant height increased as vegetation cover increased in response to light addition, warming and agricultural legacy. The coefficient of variation (CV) for height was larger in fast-colonizing species. Mean SLA for vernal species increased with warming, while light addition generally decreased mean SLA for shade-tolerant species. Interactions between treatments were not important predictors. Environmental change treatments influenced ITV, either via increasing vegetation cover or by affecting trait values directly. Species' ITV was individualistic, i.e. species responded to different single resource and condition manipulations that benefited their growth in the short term. These individual responses could be important for altered community organization after a prolonged period.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Blondeel
- Forest & Nature Lab, Campus Gontrode, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
| | - M P Perring
- Forest & Nature Lab, Campus Gontrode, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
- Ecosystem Restoration and Intervention Ecology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, the University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - E De Lombaerde
- Forest & Nature Lab, Campus Gontrode, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
| | - L Depauw
- Forest & Nature Lab, Campus Gontrode, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
| | - D Landuyt
- Forest & Nature Lab, Campus Gontrode, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
| | - S Govaert
- Forest & Nature Lab, Campus Gontrode, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
| | - S L Maes
- Forest & Nature Lab, Campus Gontrode, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
| | - P Vangansbeke
- Forest & Nature Lab, Campus Gontrode, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
| | - P De Frenne
- Forest & Nature Lab, Campus Gontrode, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
| | - K Verheyen
- Forest & Nature Lab, Campus Gontrode, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
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30
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Rastetter EB, Kwiatkowski BL. An approach to modeling resource optimization for substitutable and interdependent resources. Ecol Modell 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2020.109033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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31
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Brisson J, Rodriguez M, Martin CA, Proulx R. Plant diversity effect on water quality in wetlands: a meta-analysis based on experimental systems. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 30:e02074. [PMID: 31965659 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The ecological literature reports little empirical evidence from biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) experiments in wetland systems, even though wetlands are widely known for their water filtering capacity. Experiments comparing the effect of plant monocultures and mixtures on water quality to improve pollutant removal efficiency in treatment wetlands share the characteristics of classical BEF experiments, and so could provide insights for wetland management. To add to our understanding of BEF relationships in wetlands, we evaluated plant diversity effects on water purification through a meta-analysis of freshwater experimental wetlands comparing monocultures to mixtures. We found 28 studies that matched our criteria for BEF analysis, for a total of 561 diversity effects on pollutant removal. Overall, the meta-analysis shows no significant effect of plant richness on removal of total suspended solids, but a positive effect on chemical oxygen demand and total nitrogen removal, and a marginal effect on phosphorus removal. Thus, the results of this meta-analysis are consistent with reports of an overall positive biodiversity effect on ecosystem properties. An analysis of moderator variables shows that the experimental context (size of the experimental units, nutrient load, duration of the experiment) does not explain much of the residual variance. For pollutants that benefit from a positive plant richness effects on removal, mixtures do not perform better than the best monoculture. We found no evidence that plant richness effects are due to functional complementarity among species rather than to the presence of particularly efficient species. Complementarity effects may be less prevalent in highly productive, nutrient-rich wetlands, compared to nutrient-limited environments such as natural grasslands. Although findings must be confirmed by long-term field experiments under natural conditions, result from experimental wetland systems may contribute to a better understanding of biodiversity effect on ecosystem functions in wetlands, in addition to guide practices in natural wetland restoration and the use of constructed wetlands for water treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacques Brisson
- Département de Sciences Biologiques, Institut de Recherche en Biologie Végétale, Université de Montréal, 4101 Sherbrooke Street East, Montreal, Quebec, H1X 2B2, Canada
| | - Mariana Rodriguez
- Chaire de Recherche du Canada en Intégrité Écologique, Groupe de Recherche Interuniversitaire en Limnologie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, C.P. 500, Trois-Rivières, Quebec, G9A 5H7, Canada
| | - Charles A Martin
- Chaire de Recherche du Canada en Intégrité Écologique, Groupe de Recherche Interuniversitaire en Limnologie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, C.P. 500, Trois-Rivières, Quebec, G9A 5H7, Canada
| | - Raphaël Proulx
- Chaire de Recherche du Canada en Intégrité Écologique, Groupe de Recherche Interuniversitaire en Limnologie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, C.P. 500, Trois-Rivières, Quebec, G9A 5H7, Canada
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32
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Ben-Hur E, Kadmon R. An experimental test of the area-heterogeneity tradeoff. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:4815-4822. [PMID: 32071250 PMCID: PMC7060741 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1911540117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A fundamental property of ecosystems is a tradeoff between the number and size of habitats: as the number of habitats within a fixed area increases, the average area per habitat must decrease. This tradeoff is termed the "area-heterogeneity tradeoff." Theoretical models suggest that the reduction in habitat sizes under high levels of heterogeneity may cause a decline in species richness because it reduces the amount of effective area available for individual species under high levels of heterogeneity, thereby increasing the likelihood of stochastic extinctions. Here, we test this prediction using an experiment that allows us to separate the effect of the area-heterogeneity tradeoff from the total effect of habitat heterogeneity. Surprisingly, despite considerable extinctions, reduction in the amount of effective area available per species facilitated rather than reduced richness in the study communities. Our data suggest that the mechanism behind this positive effect was a decrease in the probability of deterministic competitive exclusion. We conclude that the area-heterogeneity tradeoff may have both negative and positive implications for biodiversity and that its net effect depends on the relative importance of stochastic vs. deterministic drivers of extinction in the relevant system. Our finding that the area-heterogeneity tradeoff may contribute to biodiversity adds a dimension to existing ecological theory and is highly relevant for understanding and predicting biodiversity responses to natural and anthropogenic variations in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eyal Ben-Hur
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior, Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Givat Ram, 9190401 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ronen Kadmon
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior, Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Givat Ram, 9190401 Jerusalem, Israel
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33
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Wilsey B. Restoration in the face of changing climate: importance of persistence, priority effects, and species diversity. Restor Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Brian Wilsey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology Iowa State University 251 Bessey Hall, Ames IA 50011 U.S.A
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34
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Short-range interactions govern the dynamics and functions of microbial communities. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 4:366-375. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-019-1080-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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35
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Edge RS, Sullivan MJP, Pedley SM, Mossman HL. Species interactions modulate the response of saltmarsh plants to flooding. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2020; 125:315-324. [PMID: 31304956 PMCID: PMC7442338 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcz120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The vegetation that grows on coastal wetlands is important for ecosystem functioning, a role mediated by plant traits. These traits can be affected by environmental stressors and by the competitive environment the plant experiences. The relative importance of these influences on different traits is poorly understood and, despite theoretical expectations for how factors may interact, empirical data are conflicting. Our aims are to determine the effect of flooding, species composition and their interaction on plant functional traits, and assess the role of biodiversity and species composition in driving community-level responses to flooding. METHODS We conducted a factorial glasshouse experiment assessing the effects of species composition (all combinations of three saltmarsh species, Aster tripolium, Plantago maritima and Triglochin maritima) and flooding (immersion of roots) on a suite of functional traits. We also related biomass in mixed species pots to that expected from monocultures to assess how species interactions affect community-level biomass. KEY RESULTS Species composition frequently interacted with flooding to influence functional traits and community-level properties. However, there was also considerable intraspecific variability in traits within each treatment. Generally, effects of flooding were more pronounced for below-ground than above-ground biomass, while composition affected above-ground biomass more than below-ground biomass. We found both negative and positive interactions between species (indicated by differences in above- and below-ground biomass from expectations under monoculture), meaning that composition was an important determinate of community function. CONCLUSIONS While the effect of flooding alone on traits was relatively weak, it interacted with species composition to modify the response of both individual plants and communities. Our results suggest that responses to increased flooding will be complex and depend on neighbourhood species interactions. Furthermore, intraspecific trait variability is a potential resource that may dampen the effects of changes in flooding regime.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan S Edge
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | | | - Scott M Pedley
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Hannah L Mossman
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
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36
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Klinerová T, Dostál P. Nutrient-demanding species face less negative competition and plant-soil feedback effects in a nutrient-rich environment. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 225:1343-1354. [PMID: 31569272 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) and plant-plant competition influence performance and abundance of plants. To what extent the two biotic interactions are interrelated and thus affect plant performance in combination rather than in isolation remains poorly explored. It is also unclear how the abiotic context, such as resource availability, modifies individual and joint effects of PSFs and of plant-plant competition. Using a garden experiment, we assessed the strengths of PSFs, competition, and their combined effects explored under low and high nutrient levels, and related them to abundance of 46 plant species and their ecological optima with respect to soil nutrients. We found that PSFs reduced but did not eliminate differences in competitive ability of plant species. Isolated and combined effects of the biotic interactions poorly predicted local or regional abundance of species. They were rather related to species' ecological optima, as nutrient-demanding plants experienced less negative biotic effects but only in a nutrient-rich environment. Our study demonstrates that soil biota can mitigate differences in competitive ability among species. It remains to be tested whether such an equalizing effect can maintain coexistence under high nutrient availability, in which nutrient-demanding species may disproportionately benefit from less negative competition and PSF effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tereza Klinerová
- Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice,, CZ 252 43, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Dostál
- Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice,, CZ 252 43, Czech Republic
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37
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Barry KE, van Ruijven J, Mommer L, Bai Y, Beierkuhnlein C, Buchmann N, de Kroon H, Ebeling A, Eisenhauer N, Guimarães-Steinicke C, Hildebrandt A, Isbell F, Milcu A, Neßhöver C, Reich PB, Roscher C, Sauheitl L, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Schmid B, Tilman D, von Felten S, Weigelt A. Limited evidence for spatial resource partitioning across temperate grassland biodiversity experiments. Ecology 2019; 101:e02905. [PMID: 31560129 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Revised: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Locally, plant species richness supports many ecosystem functions. Yet, the mechanisms driving these often-positive biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships are not well understood. Spatial resource partitioning across vertical resource gradients is one of the main hypothesized causes for enhanced ecosystem functioning in more biodiverse grasslands. Spatial resource partitioning occurs if species differ in where they acquire resources and can happen both above- and belowground. However, studies investigating spatial resource partitioning in grasslands provide inconsistent evidence. We present the results of a meta-analysis of 21 data sets from experimental species-richness gradients in grasslands. We test the hypothesis that increasing spatial resource partitioning along vertical resource gradients enhances ecosystem functioning in diverse grassland plant communities above- and belowground. To test this hypothesis, we asked three questions. (1) Does species richness enhance biomass production or community resource uptake across sites? (2) Is there evidence of spatial resource partitioning as indicated by resource tracer uptake and biomass allocation above- and belowground? (3) Is evidence of spatial resource partitioning correlated with increased biomass production or community resource uptake? Although plant species richness enhanced community nitrogen and potassium uptake and biomass production above- and belowground, we found that plant communities did not meet our criteria for spatial resource partitioning, though they did invest in significantly more aboveground biomass in higher canopy layers in mixture relative to monoculture. Furthermore, the extent of spatial resource partitioning across studies was not positively correlated with either biomass production or community resource uptake. Our results suggest that spatial resource partitioning across vertical resource gradients alone does not offer a general explanation for enhanced ecosystem functioning in more diverse temperate grasslands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn E Barry
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Jasper van Ruijven
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, Wageningen, NL-6700 AA, The Netherlands
| | - Liesje Mommer
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, Wageningen, NL-6700 AA, The Netherlands
| | - Yongfei Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Carl Beierkuhnlein
- Department of Biogeography, University of Bayreuth, Universitätstraße 30, Bayreuth, 95447, Germany.,Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research, Universitätstraße 30, Bayreuth, 95447, Germany
| | - Nina Buchmann
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Universitätstrasse 2, Zürich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Hans de Kroon
- Department of Experimental Plant Ecology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, Nijmegen, NL-6525 AJ, The Netherlands
| | - Anne Ebeling
- Institute of Geosciences, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Burgweg 11, Jena, 07745, Germany
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Claudia Guimarães-Steinicke
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Anke Hildebrandt
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Institute of Geosciences, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Burgweg 11, Jena, 07745, Germany
| | - Forest Isbell
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
| | - Alexandru Milcu
- The European Ecotron of Montpellier (UPS-3248), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Campus Bailarguet, Montferrier-sur-Lez, France.,Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (UMR 5175), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), EPHE, IRD, Université de Montpellier, Université Paul Valéry, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Carsten Neßhöver
- Department of Conservation Biology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoserstrasse 15, Leipzig, 04318, Germany
| | - Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA.,Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales, 2753, Australia
| | - Christiane Roscher
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Department of Physiological Diversity, UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoserstrasse 15, Leipzig, 04318, Germany
| | - Leopold Sauheitl
- Institute of Soil Science, University of Hannover, Herrenhäuser Strasse 2, Hannover, 30419, Germany.,Department of Soil Physics, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Michael Scherer-Lorenzen
- Geobotany, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestrasse 1, Freiburg, 79104, Germany
| | - Bernhard Schmid
- Department of Geography, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zürich, 8057, Switzerland
| | - David Tilman
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA.,Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, 93106-5131, USA
| | - Stefanie von Felten
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Universitätstrasse 2, Zürich, 8092, Switzerland.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.,Oikostat GmbH, Ettiswil, Switzerland
| | - Alexandra Weigelt
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
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Buma B, Bisbing SM, Wiles G, Bidlack AL. 100 yr of primary succession highlights stochasticity and competition driving community establishment and stability. Ecology 2019; 100:e02885. [PMID: 31498888 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2019] [Revised: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The study of community succession is one of the oldest pursuits in ecology. Challenges remain in terms of evaluating the predictability of succession and the reliability of the chronosequence methods typically used to study community development. The research of William S. Cooper in Glacier Bay National Park is an early and well-known example of successional ecology that provides a long-term observational data set to test hypotheses derived from space-for-time substitutions. It also provides a unique opportunity to explore the importance of historical contingencies and as an example of a revitalized historical study system. We test the textbook successional trajectory in Glacier Bay and evaluate long-term plant community development via primary succession through extensive fieldwork, remote sensing, dendrochronological methods, and newly discovered data that fills in data gaps (1940s to late 1980s) in continuous measurement over 100+ years. To date, Cooper's quadrats do not support the classic facilitation model of succession in which a sequence of species interacts to form predictable successional trajectories. Rather, stochastic early community assembly and subsequent inhibition have dominated; most species arrived shortly after deglaciation and have remained stable for 50+ years. Chronosequence studies assuming prior composition are thus questionable, as no predictable species sequence or timeline was observed. This underscores the significance of assumptions about early conditions in chronosequences and the need to defend such assumptions. Furthermore, this work brings a classic study system in ecology up to date via a plot size expansion, new baseline biogeochemical data, and spatial mapping for future researchers for its second century of observation.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Buma
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado, 80217, USA
| | - S M Bisbing
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, 89557, USA
| | - G Wiles
- Department of Earth Sciences, The College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio, 44691, USA
| | - A L Bidlack
- Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center, University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, Alaska, 99801, USA
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39
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Brown C, Oppon KJ, Cahill JF. Species‐specific size vulnerabilities in a competitive arena: Nutrient heterogeneity and soil fertility alter plant competitive size asymmetries. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - Kenneth J. Oppon
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - James F. Cahill
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
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40
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Brewer JS. Inter- and intraspecific competition and shade avoidance in the carnivorous pale pitcher plant in a nutrient-poor savanna. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2019; 106:81-89. [PMID: 30644089 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/31/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Ecologists generally agree that weak interspecific competition for light contributes to high plant species diversity in ecosystems with nutrient-poor soils. However, the role of competition for light in such ecosystems that are also maintained by fire is poorly understood. I quantified intra- and interspecific competition for light in a fire-maintained nutrient-poor pine savanna by contrasting the effects of conspecific and heterospecific neighbors of the pale pitcher plant, Sarracenia alata. METHODS Accounting for initial neighbor abundance/aboveground production and initial transplant size, I measured growth and survival of small and large pitcher plant ramets of Sarracenia alata transplanted to the vicinity of natural, undisturbed mixtures of large pitcher plants and their heterospecific neighbors in the field. I tested competition for light and nutrients by clipping conspecific neighbors and by excluding prey from unclipped neighbors of transplants. I tested interspecific competition by uprooting heterospecific neighbors. KEY RESULTS Plant survivorship increased when conspecific neighbors were clipped and/or starved but not when heterospecific neighbors were uprooted. Small pitcher plants benefited from clipping large conspecific neighbors, suggesting that competition for light was important. Large pitcher plants benefited from excluding prey from their neighbors, with no additional benefit of clipping, suggesting that competition for prey limited their survival. Transplants produced new pitchers that were taller with narrower openings (i.e., shade avoidance) when heterospecific neighbors were left intact but not when conspecifics were unclipped. CONCLUSIONS Results demonstrate size-dependent intraspecific competition for light and nutrients and interspecific shade avoidance in Sarracenia alata, which could be important to understanding species coexistence in fire-maintained nutrient-poor ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Stephen Brewer
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi, 38677-1848, USA
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41
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Above- and belowground overyielding are related at the community and species level in a grassland biodiversity experiment. ADV ECOL RES 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2019.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
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42
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Size-growth asymmetry is not consistently related to productivity across an eastern US temperate forest network. Oecologia 2018; 189:515-528. [PMID: 30515662 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4318-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Modeling and forecasting forests as carbon sinks require that we understand the primary factors affecting productivity. One factor thought to be positively related to stand productivity is the degree of asymmetry, or the slope of the relationship between tree size and biomass growth. Steeper slopes indicate disproportionate productivity of big trees relative to small trees. Theoretically, big trees outcompete smaller trees during favorable growth conditions because they maintain better access to light. For this reason, high productivity forests are expected to have asymmetric growth. However, empirical studies do not consistently support this expectation, and those that do are limited in spatial or temporal scope. Here, we analyze size-growth relationships from 1970 to 2011 across a diverse network of forest sites in the eastern United States (n = 16) to test whether asymmetry is consistently related to productivity. To investigate this relationship, we analyze asymmetry-productivity relationships between our 16 forests at non-overlapping annual, 2-, 5-, 10-, and 20-year sampling intervals and find that asymmetry is negatively related to productivity, but the strength depends on the specific interval considered. Within-site temporal variability in asymmetry and productivity are generally positively correlated over time, except at the 5-year remeasurement interval. Rather than confirming or failing to support a positive relationship between asymmetry and productivity, our findings suggest caution interpreting these metrics since the relationship varies across forest types and temporal scales.
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43
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Muscarella R, Messier J, Condit R, Hubbell SP, Svenning JC. Effects of biotic interactions on tropical tree performance depend on abiotic conditions. Ecology 2018; 99:2740-2750. [PMID: 30485410 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Revised: 09/24/2018] [Accepted: 10/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Predicting biotic responses to environmental change requires understanding the joint effects of abiotic conditions and biotic interactions on community dynamics. One major challenge is to separate the potentially confounding effects of abiotic environmental variation and local biotic interactions on individual performance. The stress gradient hypothesis (SGH) addresses this issue directly by predicting that the effects of biotic interactions on performance become more positive as the abiotic environment becomes more stressful. It is unclear, however, how the predictions of the SGH apply to plants of differing functional strategies in diverse communities. We asked (1) how the effect of crowding on performance (growth and survival) of trees varies across a precipitation gradient, and (2) how functional strategies (as measured by two key traits: wood density and leaf mass per area, LMA) mediate average demographic rates and responses to crowding across the gradient. We built trait-based neighborhood models of growth and survival across a regional precipitation gradient where increasing precipitation is associated with reduced abiotic stress. In total, our dataset comprised ~170,000 individual trees belonging to 252 species. The effect of crowding on tree performance varied across the gradient; crowding negatively affected growth across plots and positively affected survival in the wettest plot. Functional traits mediated average demographic rates across the gradient, but we did not find clear evidence that the strength of these responses depends on species' traits. Our study lends support to the SGH and demonstrates how a trait-based perspective can advance these concepts by linking the diversity of species interactions with functional variation across abiotic gradients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Muscarella
- Section for Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark
| | - Julie Messier
- Biology Department, University of Sherbrooke, 2500 Blvd de l' Université, Sherbrooke, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Richard Condit
- Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, Illinois, 60605, USA.,Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Rte. 53, Lisle, Illinois, 60532, USA
| | - Stephen P Hubbell
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, 90095, USA
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Section for Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark
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44
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Hautier Y, Vojtech E, Hector A. The importance of competition for light depends on productivity and disturbance. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:10655-10661. [PMID: 30519395 PMCID: PMC6262729 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Revised: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Eutrophication is a major cause of biodiversity loss. In grasslands, this appears to occur due to asymmetric competition for light following the increases in aboveground biomass production. Here, we report the results of an experiment with five grass species that tests how well-competitive outcomes can be predicted under a factorial combination of fertilized and disturbed (frequent cutting) conditions. Under fertile conditions, our results confirm earlier success in predicting short-term competitive outcomes based on light interception in monocultures. This effect was maintained but weakened under less fertile conditions with competition becoming more symmetric. However, under disturbed conditions, competitive outcomes could not be predicted from differences in light interception in monocultures regardless of fertility. Our results support the idea that competition in grasslands shifts from symmetric to asymmetric as fertility increases but that disturbance destroys this relationship, presumably by preventing the development of differences in canopy structure and reducing competition for light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann Hautier
- Ecology and Biodiversity GroupDepartment of BiologyUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Eva Vojtech
- Applied and Environmental GeologyDepartment of Environmental SciencesUniversity of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Andy Hector
- Department of Plant SciencesUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
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45
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Bittebiere A, Saiz H, Mony C. New insights from multidimensional trait space responses to competition in two clonal plant species. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Hugo Saiz
- UMR 6553 EcobioCNRS—University of Rennes Rennes Cedex France
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y TecnologíaUniversidad Rey Juan Carlos Móstoles Spain
| | - Cendrine Mony
- UMR 6553 EcobioCNRS—University of Rennes Rennes Cedex France
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46
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DeMalach N, Kadmon R. Seed mass diversity along resource gradients: the role of allometric growth rate and size-asymmetric competition. Ecology 2018; 99:2196-2206. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2018] [Revised: 06/10/2018] [Accepted: 06/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Niv DeMalach
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Givat Ram Jerusalem 91904 Israel
| | - Ronen Kadmon
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Givat Ram Jerusalem 91904 Israel
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47
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48
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Fortunel C, Lasky JR, Uriarte M, Valencia R, Wright SJ, Garwood NC, Kraft NJB. Topography and neighborhood crowding can interact to shape species growth and distribution in a diverse Amazonian forest. Ecology 2018; 99:2272-2283. [PMID: 29975420 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2017] [Revised: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Abiotic constraints and biotic interactions act simultaneously to shape communities. However, these community assembly mechanisms are often studied independently, which can limit understanding of how they interact to affect species dynamics and distributions. We develop a hierarchical Bayesian neighborhood modeling approach to quantify the simultaneous effects of topography and crowding by neighbors on the growth of 124,704 individual stems ≥1 cm DBH for 1,047 tropical tree species in a 25-ha mapped rainforest plot in Amazonian Ecuador. We build multi-level regression models to evaluate how four key functional traits (specific leaf area, maximum tree size, wood specific gravity and seed mass) mediate tree growth response to topography and neighborhood crowding. Tree growth is faster in valleys than on ridges and is reduced by neighborhood crowding. Topography and crowding interact to influence tree growth in ~10% of the species. Specific leaf area, maximum tree size and seed mass are associated with growth responses to topography, but not with responses to neighborhood crowding or with the interaction between topography and crowding. In sum, our study reveals that topography and neighborhood crowding each influence tree growth in tropical forests, but act largely independently in shaping species distributions. While traits were associated with species response to topography, their role in species response to neighborhood crowding was less clear, which suggests that trait effects on neighborhood dynamics may depend on the direction (negative/positive) and degree of symmetry of biotic interactions. Our study emphasizes the importance of simultaneously assessing the individual and interactive role of multiple mechanisms in shaping species dynamics in high diversity tropical systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Fortunel
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, 90095-1606, USA.,AMAP (botAnique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des végétations), IRD, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, Université de Montpellier, 34398, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Jesse R Lasky
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA
| | - María Uriarte
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | - Renato Valencia
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Plantas, Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Apartado 17-01-2184, Quito, Ecuador
| | - S Joseph Wright
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Panama
| | - Nancy C Garwood
- Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, 62901-6509, USA
| | - Nathan J B Kraft
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, 90095-1606, USA
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49
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Mašková T, Herben T. Root:shoot ratio in developing seedlings: How seedlings change their allocation in response to seed mass and ambient nutrient supply. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:7143-7150. [PMID: 30073073 PMCID: PMC6065327 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Revised: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Root:shoot (R:S) biomass partitioning is one of the keys to the plants' ability to compensate for limiting resources in the environment and thus to survive and succeed in competition. In adult plants, it can vary in response to many factors, such as nutrient availability in the soil or reserves in the roots from the previous season. The question remains whether, at the interspecific level, reserves in seeds can affect seedlings' R:S ratio in a similar way. Proper allocation to resource-acquiring organs is enormously important for seedlings and is likely to determine their survival and further success. Therefore, we investigated the effect of seed mass on seedling R:S biomass partitioning and its interaction with nutrient supply in the substrate. We measured seedling biomass partitioning under two different nutrient treatments after 2, 4, 6, and 12 weeks for seventeen species differing in seed mass and covering. We used phylogenetically informed analysis to determine the independent influence of seed mass on seedling biomass partitioning. We found consistently lower R:S ratios in seedlings with higher seed mass. Expectedly, R:S was also lower with higher substrate nutrient supply, but substrate nutrient supply had a bigger effect on R:S ratio for species with higher seed mass. These findings point to the importance of seed reserves for the usage of soil resources. Generally, R:S ratio decreased over time and, similarly to the effect of substrate nutrients, R:S ratio decreased faster for large-seeded species. We show that the seed mass determines the allocation patterns into new resource-acquiring organs during seedling development. Large-seeded species are more flexible in soil nutrient use. It is likely that faster development of shoots provides large-seeded species with the key advantage in asymmetric above-ground competition, and that this could constitute one of the selective factors for optimum seed mass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tereza Mašková
- Faculty of ScienceDepartment of BotanyCharles University in PraguePragueCzech Republic
| | - Tomáš Herben
- Faculty of ScienceDepartment of BotanyCharles University in PraguePragueCzech Republic
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50
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Competition along productivity gradients: news from heathlands. Oecologia 2018; 187:219-231. [PMID: 29574579 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4120-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
The importance of competition in low productive habitats is still debated. Studies which simultaneously evaluate preemption of resources and consequences for population dynamics are needed for a comprehensive view of competitive outcomes. We cultivated two emblematic species of European heathlands (Calluna vulgaris and Molinia caerulea) in a nursery for 2 years at two fertility levels, reproducing the productivity gradient found in phosphorus (P)-depleted heathlands in southwest France. The second year, we planted Ulex europaeus seedlings, a ubiquitous heathland species, under the cover of the two species to evaluate its ability to regenerate. Half of the seedlings were placed in tubes for exclusion of competitor roots. We measured the development of the competitors aboveground and belowground and their interception of resources (light, water, inorganic P). Ulex seedlings' growth and survival were also measured. Our results on resources interception were consistent with species distribution in heathlands. Molinia, which dominates rich heathlands, was the strongest competitor for light and water in the rich soil. Calluna, which dominates poor heathlands, increased its root allocation in the poor soil, decreasing water and inorganic P availability. However, the impact of total competition and root competition on Ulex seedlings decreased in the poor soil. Other mechanisms, especially decrease of water stress under neighbouring plant cover, appeared to have more influence on the seedlings' response. We found no formal contradiction between Tilman and Grime's theories. Root competition has a primary role in acquisition of soil resources in poor habitats. However, the importance of competition decreases with decreasing fertility.
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