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Zou Y, Zohner CM, Averill C, Ma H, Merder J, Berdugo M, Bialic-Murphy L, Mo L, Brun P, Zimmermann NE, Liang J, de-Miguel S, Nabuurs GJ, Reich PB, Niinements U, Dahlgren J, Kändler G, Ratcliffe S, Ruiz-Benito P, de Zavala MA, Crowther TW. Positive feedbacks and alternative stable states in forest leaf types. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4658. [PMID: 38821957 PMCID: PMC11143268 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48676-5] [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: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The emergence of alternative stable states in forest systems has significant implications for the functioning and structure of the terrestrial biosphere, yet empirical evidence remains scarce. Here, we combine global forest biodiversity observations and simulations to test for alternative stable states in the presence of evergreen and deciduous forest types. We reveal a bimodal distribution of forest leaf types across temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere that cannot be explained by the environment alone, suggesting signatures of alternative forest states. Moreover, we empirically demonstrate the existence of positive feedbacks in tree growth, recruitment and mortality, with trees having 4-43% higher growth rates, 14-17% higher survival rates and 4-7 times higher recruitment rates when they are surrounded by trees of their own leaf type. Simulations show that the observed positive feedbacks are necessary and sufficient to generate alternative forest states, which also lead to dependency on history (hysteresis) during ecosystem transition from evergreen to deciduous forests and vice versa. We identify hotspots of bistable forest types in evergreen-deciduous ecotones, which are likely driven by soil-related positive feedbacks. These findings are integral to predicting the distribution of forest biomes, and aid to our understanding of biodiversity, carbon turnover, and terrestrial climate feedbacks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yibiao Zou
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Universitätsstrasse 16, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Constantin M Zohner
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Universitätsstrasse 16, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Colin Averill
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Universitätsstrasse 16, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Haozhi Ma
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Universitätsstrasse 16, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Julian Merder
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Miguel Berdugo
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Universitätsstrasse 16, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lalasia Bialic-Murphy
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Universitätsstrasse 16, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lidong Mo
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Universitätsstrasse 16, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Brun
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Niklaus E Zimmermann
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Jingjing Liang
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Sergio de-Miguel
- Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences and Engineering, University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain
- Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC), Solsona, Spain
| | | | - Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
- Institute for Global Change Biology, and School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Ulo Niinements
- Plant Physiology work group, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Jonas Dahlgren
- Department of Forest Resource Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Gerald Kändler
- Forstliche Versuchs- und Forschungsanstalt Baden-Württemberg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Thomas W Crowther
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Universitätsstrasse 16, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
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Song S, Xiong K, Chi Y. Response of grassland ecosystem function to plant functional traits under different vegetation restoration models in areas of karst desertification. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1239190. [PMID: 38148857 PMCID: PMC10749941 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1239190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
Plant functional traits serve as a bridge between plants, the environment, and ecosystem function, playing an important role in predicting the changes in ecosystem function that occur during ecological restoration. However, the response of grassland ecosystem function to plant functional traits in the context of ecological restoration in areas of karst desertification remains unclear. Therefore, in this study, we selected five plant functional traits [namely, plant height (H), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), root length (RL), and root dry matter content (RDMC)], measured these along with community-weighted mean (CWM) and functional trait diversity, and combined these measures with 10 indexes related to ecosystem function in order to investigate the differences in plant functional traits and ecosystem function, as well as the relationship between plant functional traits and ecosystem functions, under four ecological restoration models [Dactylis glomerata (DG), Lolium perenne (LP), Lolium perenne + Trifolium repens (LT), and natural grassland (NG)]. We found that: 1) the Margalef index and Shannon-Wiener index were significantly lower for plant species in DG and LP than for those in NG (P<0.05), while the Simpson index was significantly higher in the former than in NG (P<0.05); 2) CWMH, CWMLDMC, and CWMRDMC were significantly higher in DG, LP, and LT than in NG, while CWMSLA was significantly lower in the former than in NG (P<0.05). The functional richness index (FRic) was significantly higher in DG and LP than in NG and LT, but the functional dispersion index (FDis) and Rao's quadratic entropy index (RaoQ) were significantly lower in DG and LP than in NG and LT (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference between DG and LP, or between NG and LT (P>0.05); 3) ecosystem function, including ecosystem productivity, carbon storage, water conservation and soil conservation, was highest in LT and lowest in NG; and 4) CWMLDMC (F=56.7, P=0.024), CWMRL (F=28.7, P=0.024), and CWMH (F=4.5, P=0.048) were the main factors affecting ecosystem function. The results showed that the mixed pasture of perennial ryegrass and white clover was most conductive to restoration of ecosystem function. This discovery has important implications for the establishment of vegetation, optimal utilization of resources, and the sustainable development of degraded karst ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuzhen Song
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
| | - Kangning Xiong
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
| | - Yongkuan Chi
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China
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3
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Wilcox KR, Chen A, Avolio ML, Butler EE, Collins S, Fisher R, Keenan T, Kiang NY, Knapp AK, Koerner SE, Kueppers L, Liang G, Lieungh E, Loik M, Luo Y, Poulter B, Reich P, Renwick K, Smith MD, Walker A, Weng E, Komatsu KJ. Accounting for herbaceous communities in process-based models will advance our understanding of "grassy" ecosystems. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:6453-6477. [PMID: 37814910 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16950] [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: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Grassland and other herbaceous communities cover significant portions of Earth's terrestrial surface and provide many critical services, such as carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat, and food production. Forecasts of global change impacts on these services will require predictive tools, such as process-based dynamic vegetation models. Yet, model representation of herbaceous communities and ecosystems lags substantially behind that of tree communities and forests. The limited representation of herbaceous communities within models arises from two important knowledge gaps: first, our empirical understanding of the principles governing herbaceous vegetation dynamics is either incomplete or does not provide mechanistic information necessary to drive herbaceous community processes with models; second, current model structure and parameterization of grass and other herbaceous plant functional types limits the ability of models to predict outcomes of competition and growth for herbaceous vegetation. In this review, we provide direction for addressing these gaps by: (1) presenting a brief history of how vegetation dynamics have been developed and incorporated into earth system models, (2) reporting on a model simulation activity to evaluate current model capability to represent herbaceous vegetation dynamics and ecosystem function, and (3) detailing several ecological properties and phenomena that should be a focus for both empiricists and modelers to improve representation of herbaceous vegetation in models. Together, empiricists and modelers can improve representation of herbaceous ecosystem processes within models. In so doing, we will greatly enhance our ability to forecast future states of the earth system, which is of high importance given the rapid rate of environmental change on our planet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin R Wilcox
- University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
- University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
| | - Anping Chen
- Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Meghan L Avolio
- Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Ethan E Butler
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Scott Collins
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Rosie Fisher
- CICERO Centre for International Cimate Research, Forskningsparken, Oslo, Norway
| | - Trevor Keenan
- Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Nancy Y Kiang
- NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
| | - Alan K Knapp
- Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Sally E Koerner
- University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Lara Kueppers
- Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Guopeng Liang
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Eva Lieungh
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Michael Loik
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Yiqi Luo
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Ben Poulter
- Biospheric Sciences Lab, NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Peter Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Melinda D Smith
- Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Anthony Walker
- Environmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
| | - Ensheng Weng
- NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York, USA
- Center for Climate Systems Research, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Kimberly J Komatsu
- University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
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4
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Feng H, Guo J, Peng C, Kneeshaw D, Roberge G, Pan C, Ma X, Zhou D, Wang W. Nitrogen addition promotes terrestrial plants to allocate more biomass to aboveground organs: A global meta-analysis. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:3970-3989. [PMID: 37078965 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
A significant increase in reactive nitrogen (N) added to terrestrial ecosystems through agricultural fertilization or atmospheric deposition is considered to be one of the most widespread drivers of global change. Modifying biomass allocation is one primary strategy for maximizing plant growth rate, survival, and adaptability to various biotic and abiotic stresses. However, there is much uncertainty as to whether and how plant biomass allocation strategies change in response to increased N inputs in terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we synthesized 3516 paired observations of plant biomass and their components related to N additions across terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. Our meta-analysis reveals that N addition (ranging from 1.08 to 113.81 g m-2 year-1 ) increased terrestrial plant biomass by 55.6% on average. N addition has increased plant stem mass fraction, shoot mass fraction, and leaf mass fraction by 13.8%, 12.9%, and 13.4%, respectively, but with an associated decrease in plant reproductive mass (including flower and fruit biomass) fraction by 3.4%. We further documented a reduction in plant root-shoot ratio and root mass fraction by 27% (21.8%-32.1%) and 14.7% (11.6%-17.8%), respectively, in response to N addition. Meta-regression results showed that N addition effects on plant biomass were positively correlated with mean annual temperature, soil available phosphorus, soil total potassium, specific leaf area, and leaf area per plant. Nevertheless, they were negatively correlated with soil total N, leaf carbon/N ratio, leaf carbon and N content per leaf area, as well as the amount and duration of N addition. In summary, our meta-analysis suggests that N addition may alter terrestrial plant biomass allocation strategies, leading to more biomass being allocated to aboveground organs than belowground organs and growth versus reproductive trade-offs. At the global scale, leaf functional traits may dictate how plant species change their biomass allocation pattern in response to N addition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huili Feng
- Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Genetics and Germplasm Innovation of Tropical Special Trees and Ornamental Plants/Hainan Biological Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Tropical Special Ornamental Plants, College of Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou, China
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jiahuan Guo
- Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Genetics and Germplasm Innovation of Tropical Special Trees and Ornamental Plants/Hainan Biological Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Tropical Special Ornamental Plants, College of Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou, China
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
| | - Changhui Peng
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- College of Geographic Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Daniel Kneeshaw
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Gabrielle Roberge
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Chang Pan
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xuehong Ma
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
| | - Dan Zhou
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
| | - Weifeng Wang
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
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5
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Chen X, Luo M, Larjavaara M. Effects of climate and plant functional types on forest above-ground biomass accumulation. CARBON BALANCE AND MANAGEMENT 2023; 18:5. [PMID: 36947268 PMCID: PMC10035156 DOI: 10.1186/s13021-023-00225-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Forest above-ground biomass (AGB) accumulation is widely considered an important tool for mitigating climate change. However, the general pattern of forest AGB accumulation associated with age and climate gradients across various forest functional types at a global scale have remained unclear. In this study, we compiled a global AGB data set and applied a Bayesian statistical model to reveal the age-related dynamics of forest AGB accumulation, and to quantify the effects of mean annual temperature and annual precipitation on the initial AGB accumulation rate and on the saturated AGB characterizing the limit to AGB accumulation. RESULTS The results of the study suggest that mean annual temperature has a significant positive effect on the initial AGB accumulation rate in needleleaf evergreen forest, and a negative effect in broadleaf deciduous forest; whereas annual precipitation has a positive effect in broadleaf deciduous forest, and negative effect in broadleaf evergreen forest. The positive effect of mean annual temperature on the saturated AGB in broadleaf evergreen forest is greater than in broadleaf deciduous forest; annual precipitation has a greater negative effect on the saturated AGB in deciduous forests than in evergreen forests. Additionally, the difference of AGB accumulation rate across four forest functional types is closely correlated with the forest development stage at a given climate. CONCLUSIONS The contrasting responses of AGB accumulation rate to mean annual temperature and precipitation across four forest functional types emphasizes the importance of incorporating the complexity of forest types into the models which are used in planning climate change mitigation. This study also highlights the high potential for further AGB growth in existing evergreen forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Chen
- Institute of Ecology and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Mingyu Luo
- Institute of Ecology and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Markku Larjavaara
- Institute of Ecology and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
- Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
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6
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Wang H, Prentice IC, Wright IJ, Warton DI, Qiao S, Xu X, Zhou J, Kikuzawa K, Stenseth NC. Leaf economics fundamentals explained by optimality principles. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadd5667. [PMID: 36652527 PMCID: PMC9848425 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add5667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The life span of leaves increases with their mass per unit area (LMA). It is unclear why. Here, we show that this empirical generalization (the foundation of the worldwide leaf economics spectrum) is a consequence of natural selection, maximizing average net carbon gain over the leaf life cycle. Analyzing two large leaf trait datasets, we show that evergreen and deciduous species with diverse construction costs (assumed proportional to LMA) are selected by light, temperature, and growing-season length in different, but predictable, ways. We quantitatively explain the observed divergent latitudinal trends in evergreen and deciduous LMA and show how local distributions of LMA arise by selection under different environmental conditions acting on the species pool. These results illustrate how optimality principles can underpin a new theory for plant geography and terrestrial carbon dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - I. Colin Prentice
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot SL5 7PY, UK
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Ian J. Wright
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith 2751, Australia
| | - David I. Warton
- School of Mathematics and Statistics and Evolution and Ecology Research Center, UNSW Sydney, Sidney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Shengchao Qiao
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xiangtao Xu
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, E139 Corson Hall, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Jian Zhou
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Kihachiro Kikuzawa
- Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Ishikawa Prefectural University, Nonoichi, Ishikawa 921-8836, Japan
| | - Nils Chr. Stenseth
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, Oslo NO-0316, Norway
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7
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Xing H, Shi Z, Liu S, Chen M, Xu G, Cao X, Zhang M, Chen J, Li F. Leaf traits divergence and correlations of woody plants among the three plant functional types on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1128227. [PMID: 37077644 PMCID: PMC10106608 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1128227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Leaf traits are important indicators of plant life history and may vary according to plant functional type (PFT) and environmental conditions. In this study, we sampled woody plants from three PFTs (e.g., needle-leaved evergreens, NE; broad-leaved evergreens, BE; broad-leaved deciduous, BD) on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, and 110 species were collected across 50 sites. Here, the divergence and correlations of leaf traits in three PFTs and relationships between leaf traits and environment were studied. The results showed significant differences in leaf traits among three PFTs, with NE plants showed higher values than BE plants and BD plants for leaf thickness (LT), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf dry mass per area (LMA), carbon: nitrogen ratio (C/N), and nitrogen content per unit area (Narea), except for nitrogen content per unit mass (Nmass). Although the correlations between leaf traits were similar across three PFTs, NE plants differed from BE plants and BD plants in the relationship between C/N and Narea. Compared with the mean annual precipitation (MAP), the mean annual temperature (MAT) was the main environmental factor that caused the difference in leaf traits among three PFTs. NE plants had a more conservative approach to survival compared to BE plants and BD plants. This study shed light on the regional-scale variation in leaf traits and the relationships among leaf traits, PFT, and environment. These findings have important implications for the development of regional-scale dynamic vegetation models and for understanding how plants respond and adapt to environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongshuang Xing
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
| | - Zuomin Shi
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
- Miyaluo Research Station of Alpine Forest Ecosystem, Lixian, China
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
- *Correspondence: Zuomin Shi,
| | - Shun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
| | - Miao Chen
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
| | - Gexi Xu
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangwen Cao
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
| | - Miaomiao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
| | - Jian Chen
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
| | - Feifan Li
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
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8
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Robust leaf trait relationships across species under global environmental changes. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2999. [PMID: 32532992 PMCID: PMC7293315 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16839-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies show coordinated relationships between plant leaf traits and their capacity to predict ecosystem functions. However, how leaf traits will change within species and whether interspecific trait relationships will shift under future environmental changes both remain unclear. Here, we examine the bivariate correlations between leaf economic traits of 515 species in 210 experiments which mimic climate warming, drought, elevated CO2, and nitrogen deposition. We find divergent directions of changes in trait-pairs between species, and the directions mostly do not follow the interspecific trait relationships. However, the slopes in the logarithmic transformed interspecific trait relationships hold stable under environmental changes, while only their elevations vary. The elevation changes of trait relationship are mainly driven by asymmetrically interspecific responses contrary to the direction of the leaf economic spectrum. These findings suggest robust interspecific trait relationships under global changes, and call for linking within-species responses to interspecific coordination of plant traits. It is unclear whether rapid global change will lead to unexpected trait combinations. In this global meta-analysis on vascular plants, Cui et al. show that, although within-species responses do not always follow the leaf economic spectrum, the slopes of interspecific trait relationships are robust to rapid environmental change.
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9
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Fortunel C, Stahl C, Heuret P, Nicolini E, Baraloto C. Disentangling the effects of environment and ontogeny on tree functional dimensions for congeneric species in tropical forests. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 226:385-395. [PMID: 31872884 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Soil water and nutrient availability are key drivers of tree species distribution and forest ecosystem functioning, with strong species differences in water and nutrient use. Despite growing evidence for intraspecific trait differences, it remains unclear under which circumstances the effects of environmental gradients trump those of ontogeny and taxonomy on important functional dimensions related to resource use, particularly in tropical forests. Here, we explore how physiological, chemical, and morphological traits related to resource use vary between life stages in four species within the genus Micropholis that is widespread in lowland Amazonia. Specifically, we evaluate how environment, developmental stage, and taxonomy contribute to single-trait variation and multidimensional functional strategies. We find that environment, developmental stage, and taxonomy differentially contribute to functional dimensions. Habitats and seasons shape physiological and chemical traits related to water and nutrient use, whereas developmental stage and taxonomic identity impact morphological traits -especially those related to the leaf economics spectrum. Our findings suggest that combining environment, ontogeny, and taxonomy allows for a better understanding of important functional dimensions in tropical trees and highlights the need for integrating tree physiological and chemical traits with classically used morphological traits to improve predictions of tropical forests' responses to environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Fortunel
- AMAP (Botanique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des Végétations), Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Clément Stahl
- UMR EcoFoG (Ecology of Guiana Forests), INRA, AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, Université de Guyane, Université des Antilles, 97379, Kourou, France
| | - Patrick Heuret
- AMAP (Botanique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des Végétations), Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Eric Nicolini
- AMAP (Botanique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des Végétations), Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Christopher Baraloto
- UMR EcoFoG (Ecology of Guiana Forests), INRA, AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, Université de Guyane, Université des Antilles, 97379, Kourou, France
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33133, USA
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10
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König S, Vogel HJ, Harms H, Worrich A. Physical, Chemical and Biological Effects on Soil Bacterial Dynamics in Microscale Models. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
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11
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Berzaghi F, Wright IJ, Kramer K, Oddou-Muratorio S, Bohn FJ, Reyer CPO, Sabaté S, Sanders TGM, Hartig F. Towards a New Generation of Trait-Flexible Vegetation Models. Trends Ecol Evol 2019; 35:191-205. [PMID: 31882280 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Plant trait variability, emerging from eco-evolutionary dynamics that range from alleles to macroecological scales, is one of the most elusive, but possibly most consequential, aspects of biodiversity. Plasticity, epigenetics, and genetic diversity are major determinants of how plants will respond to climate change, yet these processes are rarely represented in current vegetation models. Here, we provide an overview of the challenges associated with understanding the causes and consequences of plant trait variability, and review current developments to include plasticity and evolutionary mechanisms in vegetation models. We also present a roadmap of research priorities to develop a next generation of vegetation models with flexible traits. Including trait variability in vegetation models is necessary to better represent biosphere responses to global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Berzaghi
- Laboratory for Sciences of Climate and Environment (LSCE) - UMR CEA/CNRS/UVSQ, Gif-sur-Yvette 91191, France; Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2022, Australia; Dipartimento per la Innovazione nei sistemi Biologici, Agroalimentari e Forestali, University of Tuscia, Viterbo 01100, Italy.
| | - Ian J Wright
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2022, Australia
| | - Koen Kramer
- Wageningen University and Research, Droevendaalse steeg 4, 6700AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Friedrich J Bohn
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), Kreuzeckbahnstrasse 19, Garmisch-Partenkirchen 82467, Germany; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, Leipzig 04318, Germany
| | - Christopher P O Reyer
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, PO Box 60 12 03, D-14412 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Santiago Sabaté
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona (UB), Barcelona 08028, Spain; CREAF (Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications), Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain
| | - Tanja G M Sanders
- Thuenen Institut of Forest Ecosystems, Alfred-Moeller-Str. 1, Haus 41/42, 16225 Eberswalde, Germany
| | - Florian Hartig
- Theoretical Ecology, Faculty of Biology and Preclinical Medicine, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 3, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
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12
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Dybzinski R, Kelvakis A, McCabe J, Panock S, Anuchitlertchon K, Vasarhelyi L, McCormack ML, McNickle GG, Poorter H, Trinder C, Farrior CE. How are nitrogen availability, fine-root mass, and nitrogen uptake related empirically? Implications for models and theory. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2019; 25:885-899. [PMID: 30536492 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2018] [Revised: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the effects of global change in terrestrial communities requires an understanding of how limiting resources interact with plant traits to affect productivity. Here, we focus on nitrogen and ask whether plant community nitrogen uptake rate is determined (a) by nitrogen availability alone or (b) by the product of nitrogen availability and fine-root mass. Surprisingly, this is not empirically resolved. We performed controlled microcosm experiments and reanalyzed published pot experiments and field data to determine the relationship between community-level nitrogen uptake rate, nitrogen availability, and fine-root mass for 46 unique combinations of species, nitrogen levels, and growing conditions. We found that plant community nitrogen uptake rate was unaffected by fine-root mass in 63% of cases and saturated with fine-root mass in 29% of cases (92% in total). In contrast, plant community nitrogen uptake rate was clearly affected by nitrogen availability. The results support the idea that although plants may over-proliferate fine roots for individual-level competition, it comes without an increase in community-level nitrogen uptake. The results have implications for the mechanisms included in coupled carbon-nitrogen terrestrial biosphere models (CN-TBMs) and are consistent with CN-TBMs that operate above the individual scale and omit fine-root mass in equations of nitrogen uptake rate but inconsistent with the majority of CN-TBMs, which operate above the individual scale and include fine-root mass in equations of nitrogen uptake rate. For the much smaller number of CN-TBMs that explicitly model individual-based belowground competition for nitrogen, the results suggest that the relative (not absolute) fine-root mass of competing individuals should be included in the equations that determine individual-level nitrogen uptake rates. By providing empirical data to support the assumptions used in CN-TBMs, we put their global climate change predictions on firmer ground.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ray Dybzinski
- Institute of Environmental Sustainability, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Angelo Kelvakis
- Institute of Environmental Sustainability, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - John McCabe
- Institute of Environmental Sustainability, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Samantha Panock
- Institute of Environmental Sustainability, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | | | - Leah Vasarhelyi
- Institute of Environmental Sustainability, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - M Luke McCormack
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota
| | - Gordon G McNickle
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
- Purdue Center for Plant Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
| | - Hendrik Poorter
- Plant Sciences (IBG2), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Clare Trinder
- School of Biological Sciences, Cruickshank Building, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Caroline E Farrior
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
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13
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Fisher RA, Koven CD, Anderegg WRL, Christoffersen BO, Dietze MC, Farrior CE, Holm JA, Hurtt GC, Knox RG, Lawrence PJ, Lichstein JW, Longo M, Matheny AM, Medvigy D, Muller-Landau HC, Powell TL, Serbin SP, Sato H, Shuman JK, Smith B, Trugman AT, Viskari T, Verbeeck H, Weng E, Xu C, Xu X, Zhang T, Moorcroft PR. Vegetation demographics in Earth System Models: A review of progress and priorities. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:35-54. [PMID: 28921829 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 187] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Revised: 08/12/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Numerous current efforts seek to improve the representation of ecosystem ecology and vegetation demographic processes within Earth System Models (ESMs). These developments are widely viewed as an important step in developing greater realism in predictions of future ecosystem states and fluxes. Increased realism, however, leads to increased model complexity, with new features raising a suite of ecological questions that require empirical constraints. Here, we review the developments that permit the representation of plant demographics in ESMs, and identify issues raised by these developments that highlight important gaps in ecological understanding. These issues inevitably translate into uncertainty in model projections but also allow models to be applied to new processes and questions concerning the dynamics of real-world ecosystems. We argue that stronger and more innovative connections to data, across the range of scales considered, are required to address these gaps in understanding. The development of first-generation land surface models as a unifying framework for ecophysiological understanding stimulated much research into plant physiological traits and gas exchange. Constraining predictions at ecologically relevant spatial and temporal scales will require a similar investment of effort and intensified inter-disciplinary communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosie A Fisher
- National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
| | | | | | | | - Michael C Dietze
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Caroline E Farrior
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | | | - George C Hurtt
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Ryan G Knox
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Marcos Longo
- Embrapa Agricultural Informatics, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Ashley M Matheny
- Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - David Medvigy
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | | | | | - Shawn P Serbin
- Environmental and Climate Sciences Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, USA
| | - Hisashi Sato
- Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokohama, Japan
| | | | - Benjamin Smith
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Anna T Trugman
- Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Toni Viskari
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá, Panamá
| | - Hans Verbeeck
- Department of Applied Ecology and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Ensheng Weng
- Center for Climate Systems Research, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Chonggang Xu
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Xiangtao Xu
- Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Tao Zhang
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Paul R Moorcroft
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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14
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Ge J, Xie Z. Geographical and climatic gradients of evergreen versus deciduous broad-leaved tree species in subtropical China: Implications for the definition of the mixed forest. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:3636-3644. [PMID: 28616161 PMCID: PMC5468137 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2016] [Revised: 02/24/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding climatic influences on the proportion of evergreen versus deciduous broad-leaved tree species in forests is of crucial importance when predicting the impact of climate change on broad-leaved forests. Here, we quantified the geographical distribution of evergreen versus deciduous broad-leaved tree species in subtropical China. The Relative Importance Value index (RIV) was used to examine regional patterns in tree species dominance and was related to three key climatic variables: mean annual temperature (MAT), minimum temperature of the coldest month (MinT), and mean annual precipitation (MAP). We found the RIV of evergreen species to decrease with latitude at a lapse rate of 10% per degree between 23.5 and 25°N, 1% per degree at 25-29.1°N, and 15% per degree at 29.1-34°N. The RIV of evergreen species increased with: MinT at a lapse rate of 10% per °C between -4.5 and 2.5°C and 2% per °C at 2.5-10.5°C; MAP at a lapse rate of 10% per 100 mm between 900 and 1,600 mm and 4% per 100 mm between 1,600 and 2,250 mm. All selected climatic variables cumulatively explained 71% of the geographical variation in dominance of evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved tree species and the climatic variables, ranked in order of decreasing effects were as follows: MinT > MAP > MAT. We further proposed that the latitudinal limit of evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved mixed forests was 29.1-32°N, corresponding with MAT of 11-18.1°C, MinT of -2.5 to 2.51°C, and MAP of 1,000-1,630 mm. This study is the first quantitative assessment of climatic correlates with the evergreenness and deciduousness of broad-leaved forests in subtropical China and underscores that extreme cold temperature is the most important climatic determinant of evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved tree species' distributions, a finding that confirms earlier qualitative studies. Our findings also offer new insight into the definition and distribution of the mixed forest and an accurate assessment of vulnerability of mixed forests to future climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jielin Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Xiangshan Beijing China
| | - Zongqiang Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Xiangshan Beijing China
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