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Wang J, Li Y, Rahman MM, Li B, Yan Z, Song G, Zhao Y, Wu J, Chu C. Unraveling the drivers and impacts of leaf phenological diversity in a subtropical forest: A fine-scale analysis using PlanetScope CubeSats. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 243:607-619. [PMID: 38764134 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19850] [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: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
Leaf phenology variations within plant communities shape community assemblages and influence ecosystem properties and services. However, questions remain regarding quantification, drivers, and productivity impacts of intra-site leaf phenological diversity. With a 50-ha subtropical forest plot in China's Heishiding Provincial Nature Reserve (part of the global ForestGEO network) as a testbed, we gathered a unique dataset combining ground-derived abiotic (topography, soil) and biotic (taxonomic diversity, functional diversity, functional traits) factors. We investigated drivers underlying leaf phenological diversity extracted from high-resolution PlanetScope data, and its influence on aboveground biomass (AGB) using structural equation modeling (SEM). Our results reveal considerable fine-scale leaf phenological diversity across the subtropical forest landscape. This diversity is directly and indirectly influenced by abiotic and biotic factors (e.g. slope, soil, traits, taxonomic diversity; r2 = 0.43). While a notable bivariate relationship between AGB and leaf phenological diversity was identified (r = -0.24, P < 0.05), this relationship did not hold in SEM analysis after considering interactions with other biotic and abiotic factors (P > 0.05). These findings unveil the underlying mechanism regulating intra-site leaf phenological diversity. While leaf phenology is known to be associated with ecosystem properties, our findings confirm that AGB is primarily influenced by functional trait composition and taxonomic diversity rather than leaf phenological diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Wang
- School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518107, China
| | - Yuanzhi Li
- School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518107, China
| | - Md Mizanur Rahman
- Jiangmen Laboratory of Carbon Science and Technology, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 529100, China
- Research Area of Ecology and Biodiversity, School for Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, China
- JC STEM Lab of Earth Observations, Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Geomatics, Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, China
| | - Buhang Li
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510275, China
| | - Zhengbing Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Guangqin Song
- Research Area of Ecology and Biodiversity, School for Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, China
| | - Yingyi Zhao
- Research Area of Ecology and Biodiversity, School for Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, China
| | - Jin Wu
- Research Area of Ecology and Biodiversity, School for Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, China
| | - Chengjin Chu
- School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518107, China
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Hu H, Bao W, Huang L, Li F. Shifting patterns in fine root distribution of four xerophytic species across soil structural gradients and years of growth. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10889. [PMID: 38333099 PMCID: PMC10850925 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Fine root (diameter < 2 mm) distribution influences the potential for resource acquisition in soil profiles, which defines how plants interact with local soil environments; however, a deep understanding of how fine root vertical distribution varies with soil structural variations and across growth years is lacking. We subjected four xerophytic species native to an arid valley of China, Artemisia vestita, Bauhinia brachycarpa, Sophora davidii, and Cotinus szechuanensis, to increasing rock fragment content (RFC) treatments (0%, 25%, 50%, and 75%, v v-1) in an arid environment and measured fine root vertical profiles over 4 years of growth. Fine root depth and biomass of woody species increased with increasing RFC, but the extent of increase declined with growth years. Increasing RFC also increased the degree of interannual decreases in fine root diameter. The limited supply of soil resources in coarse soils explained the increases in rooting depth and variations in the pattern of fine root profiles across RFC. Fine root depth and biomass of the non-woody species (A. vestita) in soil profiles decreased with the increase in RFC and growth years, showing an opposite pattern from the other three woody species. Within woody species, the annual increase in fine root biomass varied with RFC, which led to large interannual differences in the patterns of fine root profiles. Younger or non-woody plants were more susceptible to soil environmental changes than the older or woody plants. These results reveal the limitations of dry and rocky environments on the growth of different plants, with woody and non-woody plants adjusting their root vertical distribution through opposite pathways to cope with resource constraints, which has management implications for degraded agroforest ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Hu
- Chengdu Institute of BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesChengduSichuanChina
- Henan Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and RehabilitationHenan University of Urban ConstructionPingdingshanChina
| | - Weikai Bao
- Chengdu Institute of BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesChengduSichuanChina
| | - Long Huang
- Chengdu Institute of BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesChengduSichuanChina
| | - Fanglan Li
- Chengdu Institute of BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesChengduSichuanChina
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Ni M, Vellend M. Soil properties constrain predicted poleward migration of plants under climate change. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 241:131-141. [PMID: 37525059 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Many plant species are predicted to migrate poleward in response to climate change. Species distribution models (SDMs) have been widely used to quantify future suitable habitats, but they often neglect soil properties, despite the importance of soil for plant fitness. As soil properties often change along latitudinal gradients, higher-latitude soils might be more or less suitable than average conditions within the current ranges of species, thereby accelerating or slowing potential poleward migration. In this study, we built three SDMs - one with only climate predictors, one with only soil predictors, and one with both - for each of 1870 plant species in Eastern North America, in order to investigate the relative importance of soil properties in determining plant distributions and poleward shifts under climate change. While climate variables were the most important predictors, soil properties also had a substantial influence on continental-scale plant distributions. Under future climate scenarios, models including soil predicted much smaller northward shifts in distributions than climate-only models (c. 40% reduction). Our findings strongly suggest that high-latitude soils are likely to impede ongoing plant migration, and they highlight the necessity of incorporating soil properties into models and predictions for plant distributions and migration under environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Ni
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Mark Vellend
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
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Luo W, Wang Y, Cahill JF, Luan F, Zhong Y, Li Y, Li B, Chu C. Root-centric β diversity reveals functional homogeneity while phylogenetic heterogeneity in a subtropical forest. Ecology 2024; 105:e4189. [PMID: 37877169 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
Root-centric studies have revealed fast taxonomic turnover across root neighborhoods, but how such turnover is accompanied by changes in species functions and phylogeny (i.e., β diversity) remains largely unknown. As β diversity can reflect the degree of community-wide biotic homogenization, such information is crucial for better inference of below-ground assembly rules, community structuring, and ecosystem processes. We collected 2480 root segments from 625 0-30 cm soil profiles in a subtropical forest in China. Root segments were identified into 138 species with DNA-barcoding with six root morphological and architectural traits measured per species. By using the mean pairwise (Dpw ) and mean nearest neighbor distance (Dnn ) to quantify species ecological differences, we first tested the non-random functional and phylogenetic turnover of root neighborhoods that would lend more support to deterministic over stochastic community assembly processes. Additionally, we examined the distance-decay pattern of β diversity, and finally partitioned β diversity into geographical and environmental components to infer their potential drivers of environmental filtering, dispersal limitation, and biotic interactions. We found that functional turnover was often lower than expected given the taxonomic turnover, whereas phylogenetic turnover was often higher than expected. Phylogenetic Dpw (e.g., interfamily species) turnover exhibited a distance-decay pattern, likely reflecting limited dispersal or abiotic filtering that leads to the spatial aggregation of specific plant lineages. Conversely, both functional and phylogenetic Dnn (e.g., intrageneric species) exhibited an inverted distance-decay pattern, likely reflecting strong biotic interactions among spatially and phylogenetically close species leading to phylogenetic and functional divergence. While the spatial distance was generally a better predictor of β diversity than environmental distance, the joint effect of environmental and spatial distance usually overrode their respective pure effects. These findings suggest that root neighborhood functional homogeneity may somewhat increase forest resilience after disturbance by exhibiting an insurance effect. Likewise, root neighborhood phylogenetic heterogeneity may enhance plant fitness by hindering the transmission of host-specific pathogens through root networks or by promoting interspecific niche complementarity not captured by species functions. Our study highlights the potential role of root-centric β diversity in mediating community structures and functions largely ignored in previous studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenqi Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Youshi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - James F Cahill
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Fucheng Luan
- Guangdong Chebaling National Nature Reserve, Shaoguan, China
| | - Yonglin Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuanzhi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Buhang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chengjin Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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Li Y, Xie Y, Liu Z, Shi L, Liu X, Liang M, Yu S. Plant species identity and mycorrhizal type explain the root-associated fungal pathogen community assembly of seedlings based on functional traits in a subtropical forest. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1251934. [PMID: 37965023 PMCID: PMC10641815 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1251934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
Introduction As a crucial factor in determining ecosystem functioning, interaction between plants and soil-borne fungal pathogens deserves considerable attention. However, little attention has been paid into the determinants of root-associated fungal pathogens in subtropical seedlings, especially the influence of different mycorrhizal plants. Methods Using high-throughput sequencing techniques, we analyzed the root-associated fungal pathogen community for 19 subtropical forest species, including 10 ectomycorrhizal plants and 9 arbuscular mycorrhizal plants. We identified the roles of different factors in determining the root-associated fungal pathogen community. Further, we identified the community assembly process at species and mycorrhizal level and managed to reveal the drivers underlying the community assembly. Results We found that plant species identity, plant habitat, and plant mycorrhizal type accounted for the variations in fungal pathogen community composition, with species identity and mycorrhizal type showing dominant effects. The relative importance of different community assembly processes, mainly, homogeneous selection and drift, varied with plant species identity. Interestingly, functional traits associated with acquisitive resource-use strategy tended to promote the relative importance of homogeneous selection, while traits associated with conservative resource-use strategy showed converse effect. Drift showed the opposite relationships with functional traits compared with homogeneous selection. Notably, the relative importance of different community assembly processes was not structured by plant phylogeny. Drift was stronger in the pathogen community for ectomycorrhizal plants with more conservative traits, suggesting the predominant role of stochastic gain and loss in the community assembly. Discussion Our work demonstrates the determinants of root-associated fungal pathogens, addressing the important roles of plant species identity and plant mycorrhizal type. Furthermore, we explored the community assembly mechanisms of root-associated pathogens and stressed the determinant roles of functional traits, especially leaf phosphorus content (LP), root nitrogen content (RN) and root tissue density (RTD), at species and mycorrhizal type levels, offering new perspectives on the microbial dynamics underlying ecosystem functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Shixiao Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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Zhang Y, Lin W, Chu C, Ni M. Sex-specific outbreeding advantages and sexual dimorphism in the seedlings of dioecious trees. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2023; 110:e16153. [PMID: 36905311 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16153] [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: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Dioecious trees are important components of many forest ecosystems. Outbreeding advantage and sexual dimorphism are two major mechanisms that explain the persistence of dioecious plants; however, they have rarely been studied in dioecious trees. METHODS We investigated the influence of sex and genetic distance between parental trees (GDPT) on the growth and functional traits of multiple seedlings of a dioecious tree, Diospyros morrisiana. RESULTS We found significant positive relationships between GDPT and seedling sizes and tissue density. However, the positive outbreeding effects on seedling growth mainly manifested in female seedlings, but were not prominent in males. Among seedlings, the male ones generally had higher biomass and leaf area than female seedlings, but such differences diminished as GDPT increased. CONCLUSIONS Our research highlights that outbreeding advantage in plants can be sex-specific and that sexual dimorphism begins from the seedling stage of dioecious trees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonghua Zhang
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325000, China
| | - Wei Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chengjin Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ming Ni
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
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Herben T, Šašek J, Balšánková T, Hadincová V, Krahulec F, Krak K, Pecháčková S, Skálová H. The shape of root systems in a mountain meadow: plastic responses or species-specific architectural blueprints? THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 235:2223-2236. [PMID: 35363897 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18132] [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: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The efficient uptake of nutrients depends on the ability of roots to respond to gradients of these resources. Although pot experiments have shown that species differ in their ability to proliferate their roots in nutrient-rich patches, the role of such differences in determining root shapes in the field is unclear. We used fine-scale quantitative (q)PCR-based species-specific mapping of roots in a grassland community to reconstruct species-specific root system shapes. We linked them with data from pot experiments on the ability of these species to proliferate in nutrient-rich patches and their rooting depth. We found remarkable diversity in root system shapes, from cylindrical to conical. Interspecific differences in rooting depths in pots were the main determinant of rooting depths in the field, whereas differences in foraging ability played only a minor role. Although some species with strong foraging ability did place their roots into nutrient-rich soil layers, it was not a universal pattern. The results imply that although the vertical differentiation of grassland species is pronounced, it is primarily not driven by the differential plastic response of species to soil nutrient gradients. This may constrain the coexistence of species with similar rooting depths and may instead favour coexistence of species differing in their architectural blueprints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomáš Herben
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Benátská 2, CZ-128 01, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Šašek
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Benátská 2, CZ-128 01, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Tereza Balšánková
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Věroslava Hadincová
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - František Krahulec
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Karol Krak
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, CZ-165 21, Praha 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic
| | - Sylvie Pecháčková
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic
- The West Bohemian Museum in Pilsen, Kopeckého sady 2, 301 00, Plzeň, Czech Republic
| | - Hana Skálová
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic
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Zhu C, Wang Z, Luo W, Feng J, Chen Y, He D, Ellwood MDF, Chu C, Li Y. Fungal phylogeny and plant functional traits structure plant–rhizosphere fungi networks in a subtropical forest. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chuchao Zhu
- Dept of Bioengineering, Zhuhai Campus of Zunyi Medical Univ. Zhuhai China
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat‐sen Univ. Guangzhou China
| | - Zihui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat‐sen Univ. Guangzhou China
| | - Wenqi Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat‐sen Univ. Guangzhou China
| | - Jiayi Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat‐sen Univ. Guangzhou China
| | - Yongfa Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat‐sen Univ. Guangzhou China
| | - Dong He
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat‐sen Univ. Guangzhou China
| | | | - Chengjin Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat‐sen Univ. Guangzhou China
| | - Yuanzhi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat‐sen Univ. Guangzhou China
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Alonso‐Crespo IM, Weidlich EWA, Temperton VM, Delory BM. Assembly history modulates vertical root distribution in a grassland experiment. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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