1
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Lam WN, Huang J, Tay AHT, Sim HJ, Chan PJ, Lim KE, Lei M, Aritsara ANA, Chong R, Ting YY, Rahman NEB, Sloey TM, Van Breugel M, Cao KF, Wee AKS, Chong KY. Leaf and twig traits predict habitat adaptation and demographic strategies in tropical freshwater swamp forest trees. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 243:881-893. [PMID: 38840520 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19876] [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: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Differences in demographic and environmental niches facilitate plant species coexistence in tropical forests. However, the adaptations that enable species to achieve higher demographic rates (e.g. growth or survival) or occupy unique environmental niches (e.g. waterlogged conditions) remain poorly understood. Anatomical traits may better predict plant environmental and demographic strategies because they are direct measurements of structures involved in these adaptations. We collected 18 leaf and twig traits from 29 tree species in a tropical freshwater swamp forest in Singapore. We estimated demographic parameters of the 29 species from growth and survival models, and degree of association toward swamp habitats. We examined pairwise trait-trait, trait-demography and trait-environment links while controlling for phylogeny. Leaf and twig anatomical traits were better predictors of all demographic parameters than other commonly measured leaf and wood traits. Plants with wider vessels had faster growth rates but lower survival rates. Leaf and spongy mesophyll thickness predicted swamp association. These findings demonstrate the utility of anatomical traits as indicators of plant hydraulic strategies and their links to growth-mortality trade-offs and waterlogging stress tolerance that underlie species coexistence mechanisms in tropical forest trees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weng Ngai Lam
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Dr. 4, Singapore City, 117543, Singapore
- Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Ave, Singapore City, 639798, Singapore
| | - Jie Huang
- College of Forestry, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, Guangxi University, Daxuedonglu 100, Nanning, 530004, Guangxi, China
- Botany, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Dublin, D2, Ireland
| | - Amanda Hui Ting Tay
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Dr. 4, Singapore City, 117543, Singapore
| | - Hong Jhun Sim
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Dr. 4, Singapore City, 117543, Singapore
| | - Pin Jia Chan
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Dr. 4, Singapore City, 117543, Singapore
- School of Environment, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
| | - Kiah Eng Lim
- Yale-NUS College, 16 College Ave West, Singapore City, 138527, Singapore
| | - Mingfeng Lei
- College of Forestry, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, Guangxi University, Daxuedonglu 100, Nanning, 530004, Guangxi, China
| | - Amy Ny Aina Aritsara
- College of Forestry, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, Guangxi University, Daxuedonglu 100, Nanning, 530004, Guangxi, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Yunnan, 666303, China
| | - Rie Chong
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Dr. 4, Singapore City, 117543, Singapore
| | - Ying Ying Ting
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Dr. 4, Singapore City, 117543, Singapore
| | - Nur Estya Binte Rahman
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Dr. 4, Singapore City, 117543, Singapore
- Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Ave, Singapore City, 639798, Singapore
| | - Taylor M Sloey
- Yale-NUS College, 16 College Ave West, Singapore City, 138527, Singapore
- Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, 5115 Hampton Blvd, Norfolk, VA, 23529, USA
| | - Michiel Van Breugel
- Yale-NUS College, 16 College Ave West, Singapore City, 138527, Singapore
- Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, 1 Arts Link, #03-01 Block AS2, Singapore City, 117570, Singapore
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Roosevelt Ave. Tupper Building - 401, Panama City, 0843-03092, Panama
| | - Kun-Fang Cao
- College of Forestry, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, Guangxi University, Daxuedonglu 100, Nanning, 530004, Guangxi, China
| | - Alison Kim Shan Wee
- College of Forestry, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, Guangxi University, Daxuedonglu 100, Nanning, 530004, Guangxi, China
- School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Jalan Broga, Semenyih, 43500, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Kwek Yan Chong
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Dr. 4, Singapore City, 117543, Singapore
- Singapore Botanic Gardens, National Parks Board, 1 Cluny Road, Singapore City, 259569, Singapore
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2
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Schorn ME, Kambach S, Chazdon RL, Craven D, Farrior CE, Meave JA, Muñoz R, van Breugel M, Amissah L, Bongers F, Hérault B, Jakovac CC, Norden N, Poorter L, van der Sande MT, Wirth C, Delgado D, Dent DH, DeWalt SJ, Dupuy JM, Finegan B, Hall JS, Hernández-Stefanoni JL, Lopez OR, Rüger N. Tree demographic strategies largely overlap across succession in Neotropical wet and dry forest communities. Ecology 2024; 105:e4321. [PMID: 38763891 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4321] [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: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
Secondary tropical forests play an increasingly important role in carbon budgets and biodiversity conservation. Understanding successional trajectories is therefore imperative for guiding forest restoration and climate change mitigation efforts. Forest succession is driven by the demographic strategies-combinations of growth, mortality and recruitment rates-of the tree species in the community. However, our understanding of demographic diversity in tropical tree species stems almost exclusively from old-growth forests. Here, we assembled demographic information from repeated forest inventories along chronosequences in two wet (Costa Rica, Panama) and two dry (Mexico) Neotropical forests to assess whether the ranges of demographic strategies present in a community shift across succession. We calculated demographic rates for >500 tree species while controlling for canopy status to compare demographic diversity (i.e., the ranges of demographic strategies) in early successional (0-30 years), late successional (30-120 years) and old-growth forests using two-dimensional hypervolumes of pairs of demographic rates. Ranges of demographic strategies largely overlapped across successional stages, and early successional stages already covered the full spectrum of demographic strategies found in old-growth forests. An exception was a group of species characterized by exceptionally high mortality rates that was confined to early successional stages in the two wet forests. The range of demographic strategies did not expand with succession. Our results suggest that studies of long-term forest monitoring plots in old-growth forests, from which most of our current understanding of demographic strategies of tropical tree species is derived, are surprisingly representative of demographic diversity in general, but do not replace the need for further studies in secondary forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus E Schorn
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Economics, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stephan Kambach
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Robin L Chazdon
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
- Tropical Forests and People Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, Australia
| | - Dylan Craven
- GEMA Center for Genomics, Ecology and Environment, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile
- Data Observatory Foundation, ANID Technology Center, Santiago, Chile
| | - Caroline E Farrior
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Jorge A Meave
- Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Rodrigo Muñoz
- Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Michiel van Breugel
- Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancón, Panama
| | - Lucy Amissah
- CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Frans Bongers
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Bruno Hérault
- CIRAD, UPR Forêts et Sociétés, Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire
- Forêts et Sociétés, Université Montpellier, CIRAD, Montpellier, France
- Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny, INP-HB, Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Catarina C Jakovac
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Departamento de Fitotecnia, Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - Natalia Norden
- Programa de Ciencias Básicas de la Biodiversidad, Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Lourens Poorter
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Masha T van der Sande
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Christian Wirth
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute for Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - Diego Delgado
- CATIE - Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza, Turrialba, Costa Rica
| | - Daisy H Dent
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancón, Panama
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Saara J DeWalt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA
| | - Juan M Dupuy
- Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán (CICY), Unidad de Recursos Naturales, Mérida, Mexico
| | - Bryan Finegan
- CATIE - Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza, Turrialba, Costa Rica
| | | | | | - Omar R Lopez
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancón, Panama
- Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT), Clayton, Panama
- Departamento de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Exactas y Tecnología, Universidad de Panamá, Panama City, Panama
| | - Nadja Rüger
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Economics, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancón, Panama
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3
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Xu S, Su H, Ren S, Hou J, Zhu Y. Functional traits and habitat heterogeneity explain tree growth in a warm temperate forest. Oecologia 2023; 203:371-381. [PMID: 37910255 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05471-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
To explore how traits determine demographic performance is an important goal of plant community ecology in explaining the assembly and dynamics of ecological communities. However, whether the prediction of individual-level trait data is more precise compared to species average trait data is questioned. Here, we analyzed the growth and trait data for 11 species collected from October 2018 to October 2020 in a temperate forest, Donglingshan, Beijing. To quantify the relationships between traits and growth rate, we conducted linear regression models at both the species and individual levels, as well as developed structural equation models at both levels. We found there was a clear difference in growth between the warm and cold seasons, with tree growth mainly concentrated in the warm season. Growth rate was positively correlated with the specific leaf area, while negatively correlated with leaf thickness and wood density without considering environmental information. Adding important contextual information in the analysis of species-level structural equation modeling, growth rates were positively correlated with specific leaf area and leaf thickness. However, in the individual-level, there was a negative correlation between growth rate and wood density. Our study showed that individual-level trait data have better predictions for individual growth than species-level data. When we use multiple traits and establish links between traits and tree size, we generated strong predictive relationships between traits and growth rates. Furthermore, our study highlighted that the importance of incorporating topographical factors and considering different seasons to assess the relationship between tree growth and functional traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuaiwei Xu
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Hongxin Su
- Key Laboratory of Environment Change and Resources Use in Beibu Gulf, Ministry of Education, Nanning Normal University, Nanning, 530001, China
| | - Siyuan Ren
- China Aero Geophysical Survey & Remote Sensing Center for Natural Resources, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Jihua Hou
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Yan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China.
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4
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Aoyagi R, Condit R, Turner BL. Breakdown of the growth-mortality trade-off along a soil phosphorus gradient in a diverse tropical forest. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231348. [PMID: 37817599 PMCID: PMC10565392 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1348] [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: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
An ecological paradigm predicts that plant species adapted to low resource availability grow slower and live longer than those adapted to high resource availability when growing together. We tested this by using hierarchical Bayesian analysis to quantify variations in growth and mortality of ca 40 000 individual trees from greater than 400 species in response to limiting resources in the tropical forests of Panama. In contrast to theoretical expectations of the growth-mortality paradigm, we find that tropical tree species restricted to low-phosphorus soils simultaneously achieve faster growth rates and lower mortality rates than species restricted to high-phosphorus soils. This result demonstrates that adaptation to phosphorus limitation in diverse plant communities modifies the growth-mortality trade-off, with important implications for understanding long-term ecosystem dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryota Aoyagi
- The Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Konoe, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Richard Condit
- Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL 60605, USA
- Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL 60532-1293, USA
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5
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Zekeng JC, van der Sande MT, Fobane JL, Mphinyane WN, Sebego R, Ebanga PA, Mbolo MM. Environmental, structural, and taxonomic diversity factors drive aboveground carbon stocks in semi‐deciduous tropical rainforest strata in Cameroon. Afr J Ecol 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.13099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jules Christian Zekeng
- Department of Plant Biology Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde I Yaounde Cameroon
- Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science University of Botswana Gaborone Botswana
- Conservation and Sustainable Natural Resources Management Network (CSNRM‐Net) Yaounde Cameroon
- Oliver R. Tambo Research Chair Initiative (ORTARChI) of Environment and Development Copperbelt University Kitwe Zambia
| | - Masha T. van der Sande
- Department of Biological Sciences Florida Institute of Technology Melbourne Florida USA
- Institute for Biodiversity & Ecosystem Dynamics University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group Wageningen University and Research Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Jean Louis Fobane
- Department of Biological Sciences, Higher Teachers' Training College University of Yaounde I Yaounde Cameroon
| | - Wanda N. Mphinyane
- Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science University of Botswana Gaborone Botswana
| | - Reuben Sebego
- Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science University of Botswana Gaborone Botswana
| | - Paul André Ebanga
- Department of Plant Biology Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde I Yaounde Cameroon
| | - Marguerite Marie Mbolo
- Department of Plant Biology Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde I Yaounde Cameroon
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6
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Fajardo A. Wood density relates negatively to maximum plant height across major angiosperm and gymnosperm orders. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2022; 109:250-258. [PMID: 34766624 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Wood density is a crucial plant functional trait related to plant life history strategies. Its ecological importance in small-stature growth forms (e.g., shrubs) has not been extensively examined. Given that hydraulic conduit dimensions vary positively with plant height and that there is a negative relationship between conduits' diameter and wood density, I hypothesized an also negative relationship between wood density and plant height. Knowing that bark and pith proportions are significant in small-diameter stems, I additionally disentangled the contribution of wood, bark, and pith to stem density. METHODS I determined density in small-diameter stems across 153 species spanning all major angiosperm and gymnosperm orders by considering a diversity of growth forms (trees, treelets, shrubs, vines, and hemiparasites). Stem cross sections were dissected to consider the densities of wood with bark and pith; wood with pith and without bark; wood with bark and no pith; and wood without bark and pith. Secondary growth was also measured. RESULTS Trees showed similar wood densities as non-self-supporting vines, and both showed significantly less dense wood than treelets, shrubs, and hemiparasites. General comparisons showed that wood was significantly denser than all other tissues, and these differences did not depend on growth form. Wood density was significantly and negatively related to growth rate and pith area proportions but not to bark thickness proportion. CONCLUSIONS An implicit negative relationship between maximum plant height and stem density emerges as a property of plants likely linked to hydraulic conductive size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Fajardo
- Instituto de Investigación Interdisciplinario (I3), Universidad de Talca, Campus Lircay, Talca, 3460000, Chile
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7
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Wang J, Wang X, Ji Y, Gao J. Climate factors determine the utilization strategy of forest plant resources at large scales. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:990441. [PMID: 36035720 PMCID: PMC9399733 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.990441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Plant functional traits are a representation of plant resource utilization strategies. Plants with higher specific leaf area (SLA) and lower leaf dry matter content (LDMC) exhibit faster investment-return resource utilization strategies. However, the distribution patterns and driving factors of plant resource utilization strategies at the macroscale are rarely studied. We investigated the relative importance of climatic and soil factors in shaping plant resource utilization strategies at different life forms in forests using data collected from 926 plots across 163 forests in China. SLA and LDMC of plants at different life forms (i.e., trees, shrubs, and herbs) differ significantly. Resource utilization strategies show significant geographical differences, with vegetation in the western arid regions adopting a slower investment-return survival strategy and vegetation in warmer and wetter areas adopting a faster investment-return survival strategy. SLA decreases significantly with increased temperature and reduced rainfall, and vegetation growing in these conditions exhibits conservative resource utilization. Mean annual precipitation (MAP) is a key climatic factor that controls the resource utilization strategies of plants at the macroscale. Plants use resources more conservatively as soil pH increases. The influence of climate and soil factors is coupled to determine the resource utilization strategies of plants occupying different life forms at the macroscale, but the relative contribution of each varies across life forms. Our findings provide a theoretical framework for understanding the potential impact of increasing global temperatures on plant resource utilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangfeng Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Normal University, Ürümqi, China
| | - Xianxian Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Normal University, Ürümqi, China
| | - Yuhui Ji
- College of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Normal University, Ürümqi, China
| | - Jie Gao
- College of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Normal University, Ürümqi, China
- Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes of Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Ecology, Peking University, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Jie Gao,
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8
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Petter G, Kreft H, Ong Y, Zotz G, Cabral JS. Modelling the long-term dynamics of tropical forests: From leaf traits to whole-tree growth patterns. Ecol Modell 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2021.109735] [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]
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9
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Li R, Zhu S, Lian J, Zhang H, Liu H, Ye W, Ye Q. Functional Traits Are Good Predictors of Tree Species Abundance Across 101 Subtropical Forest Species in China. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:541577. [PMID: 34276711 PMCID: PMC8278196 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.541577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
What causes variation in species abundance for a given site remains a central question in community ecology. Foundational to trait-based ecology is the expectation that functional traits determine species abundance. However, the relative success of using functional traits to predict relative abundance is questionable. One reason is that the diversity in plant function is greater than that characterized by the few most commonly and easily measurable traits. Here, we measured 10 functional traits and the stem density of 101 woody plant species in a 200,000 m2 permanent, mature, subtropical forest plot (high precipitation and high nitrogen, but generally light- and phosphorus-limited) in southern China to determine how well relative species abundance could be predicted by functional traits. We found that: (1) leaf phosphorus content, specific leaf area, maximum CO2 assimilation rate, maximum stomata conductance, and stem hydraulic conductivity were significantly and negatively associated with species abundance, (2) the ratio of leaf nitrogen content to leaf phosphorus content (N:P) and wood density were significantly positively correlated with species abundance; (3) neither leaf nitrogen content nor leaf turgor loss point were related to species abundance; (4) a combination of N:P and maximum stomata conductance accounted for 44% of the variation in species' abundances. Taken together, our findings suggested that the combination of these functional traits are powerful predictors of species abundance. Species with a resource-conservative strategy that invest more in their tissues are dominant in the mature, subtropical, evergreen forest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronghua Li
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shidan Zhu
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Juyu Lian
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hui Zhang
- Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Hui Liu
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wanhui Ye
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qing Ye
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
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10
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Lai HR, Craven D, Hall JS, Hui FKC, van Breugel M. Successional syndromes of saplings in tropical secondary forests emerge from environment-dependent trait-demography relationships. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:1776-1787. [PMID: 34170613 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Identifying generalisable processes that underpin population dynamics is crucial for understanding successional patterns. While longitudinal or chronosequence data are powerful tools for doing so, the traditional focus on community-level shifts in taxonomic and functional composition rather than species-level trait-demography relationships has made generalisation difficult. Using joint species distribution models, we demonstrate how three traits-photosynthetic rate, adult stature, and seed mass-moderate recruitment and sapling mortality rates of 46 woody species during secondary succession. We show that the pioneer syndrome emerges from higher photosynthetic rates, shorter adult statures and lighter seeds that facilitate exploitation of light in younger secondary forests, while 'long-lived pioneer' and 'late successional' syndromes are associated with trait values that enable species to persist in the understory or reach the upper canopy in older secondary forests. Our study highlights the context dependency of trait-demography relationships, which drive successional shifts in sapling's species composition in secondary forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Ran Lai
- Yale-NUS College, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.,Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.,Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Dylan Craven
- Centro de Modelación y Monitoreo de Ecosistemas, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile
| | - Jefferson S Hall
- ForestGEO, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, Republic of Panama
| | - Francis K C Hui
- Research School of Finance, Actuarial Studies & Statistics, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
| | - Michiel van Breugel
- Yale-NUS College, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.,Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore.,ForestGEO, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, Republic of Panama
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11
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Vleminckx J, Fortunel C, Valverde‐Barrantes O, Timothy Paine CE, Engel J, Petronelli P, Dourdain AK, Guevara J, Béroujon S, Baraloto C. Resolving whole‐plant economics from leaf, stem and root traits of 1467 Amazonian tree species. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jason Vleminckx
- Dept of Biological Sciences, Florida International Univ. FL USA
- Yale Inst. for Biospheric Studies New Haven CT USA
| | - Claire Fortunel
- AMAP (botAnique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des Végétations), Univ. de Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD Montpellier Cedex 5 France
| | | | - C. E. Timothy Paine
- Environmental and Rural Science, Univ. of New England Armidale New South Wales Australia
| | - Julien Engel
- AMAP (botAnique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des Végétations), Univ. de Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD Montpellier Cedex 5 France
- International Center for Tropical Botany, Dept of Biological Sciences, Florida International Univ. Miami FL USA
| | - Pascal Petronelli
- CIRAD, UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane, AgroParisTech, Univ. de Guyane, Univ. des Antilles Kourou Cedex France
| | - Aurélie K. Dourdain
- CIRAD, UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane, AgroParisTech, Univ. de Guyane, Univ. des Antilles Kourou Cedex France
| | | | - Solène Béroujon
- UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane, AgroParisTech, Univ. de Guyane, Univ. des Antilles Kourou Cedex France
| | - Christopher Baraloto
- Dept of Biological Sciences, Florida International Univ. FL USA
- INRAe, UMR Ecologie de Forêts de Guyane, AgroParisTech, CIRAD, INRA, Univ. de Guyane, Univ. des Antilles Kourou Cedex France
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12
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Understory Vegetation Composition and Stand Are Mainly Limited by Soil Moisture in Black Locust Plantations of Loess Plateau. FORESTS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/f12020195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Forestry eco-engineering programs in China occupy 721.77 × 104 km2, among which plantations have a pivotal role in protecting the fragile ecological environment. Reforestation understory is often ignored because of the simple vertical structure. The importance of light in understory has been discovered. However, how other ecology factors (e.g., soil properties and geographical factors) influence understory composition and stratification remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of understory composition and stratification on environmental factors in black locust plantations. We used systematic clustering analysis based on plant average height to describe understory stratification. The finding of this study was that black locust plantation understory consisted of three levels: (I) a low herbaceous layer (<80 cm), (II) a high herbaceous layer (80–130 cm), and (III) a shrub layer (>130 cm). Redundancy analysis indicated that soil moisture content and soil total phosphorus content were the largest contributors to the variation in understory vegetation composition. Soil moisture content, altitude, and soil organic carbon content were the largest contributors to the variation in understory stratification. Overall, by analyzing understory stratification and the relationship between soil and geographical factors, we gained a more comprehensive understanding of the interaction between understory and the microenvironment. This is especially important for reforestation management that maintains understory ecology function in the face of global climate change.
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13
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Qi JH, Fan ZX, Fu PL, Zhang YJ, Sterck F. Differential determinants of growth rates in subtropical evergreen and deciduous juvenile trees: carbon gain, hydraulics and nutrient-use efficiencies. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 41:12-23. [PMID: 33080622 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpaa131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Growth rate varies across plant species and represents an important ecological strategy for competition, resource-use and fitness. However, empirical studies often show a low predictability of functional traits to tree growth. We measured stem diameter and height growth rates (DGRs and HGRs) of 96 juvenile trees (2-5 m tall) of eight evergreen and eight deciduous broadleaf tree species over three consecutive years in a subtropical forest in south-western China. We examined the relationships between tree growth rates and 20 leaf/stem traits that are associated with carbon gain, stem hydraulics and nutrient-use efficiency, as well as the difference between evergreen and deciduous trees. We found that cross-species variations of stem DGR/HGR can be predicted by leaf photosynthetic capacity, leaf mass per area, xylem-theoretical-specific hydraulic conductivity, wood density (WD) and photosynthetic-nutrient-use efficiencies. Higher leaf carbon assimilation and lower leaf/stem constructing costs facilitate deciduous species to be more resource acquisitive and consequently faster growth within a relatively shorter growing season, whereas evergreen species exhibit more conservative strategies and thus slower growth. Furthermore, stem growth rates of evergreen species showed were more dependence on leaf carbon gains, whereas stem hydraulic efficiency was more important for deciduous tree growth. Our results suggest that physiological traits (photosynthesis, hydraulics and nutrient-use efficiency) can predict tree diameter and height growth of subtropical tree species. The differential resource acquisition and use strategies and their associations with tree growth between evergreen and deciduous trees provide insights into explaining the coexistence of evergreen and deciduous tree species in subtropical forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Hua Qi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
- Center for Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan 666303, China
- Ailaoshan Station for Subtropical Forest Ecosystem Studies, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jingdong, Yunnan 676209, China
| | - Ze-Xin Fan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
- Center for Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan 666303, China
- Ailaoshan Station for Subtropical Forest Ecosystem Studies, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jingdong, Yunnan 676209, China
| | - Pei-Li Fu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
- Ailaoshan Station for Subtropical Forest Ecosystem Studies, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jingdong, Yunnan 676209, China
| | - Yong-Jiang Zhang
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, ME 04469, USA
| | - Frank Sterck
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University and Research Centre, PO Box 47, Wageningen 6700AA, The Netherlands
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14
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Yan YM, Fan ZX, Fu PL, Chen H, Lin LX. Size dependent associations between tree diameter growth rates and functional traits in an Asian tropical seasonal rainforest. FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY : FPB 2021; 48:231-240. [PMID: 33119999 DOI: 10.1071/fp20226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Many studies focus on the relationships between plant functional traits and tree growth performances. However, little is known about the ontogenetic shifts of the relationships between functional traits and tree growth. This study examined associations between stem and leaf functional traits and growth rates and their ontogenetic shifts across 20 tropical tree species in a tropical seasonal rainforest in Xishuangbanna, south-west China. For each species, physiological active branches of individual trees belonged to three size classes (i.e. small, diameter at breast height (DBH) 5-10 cm; middle, DBH 10-20 cm; big, DBH >20 cm) were sampled respectively. We measured 18 morphological and structural traits, which characterised plant hydraulic properties or leaf economic spectrum. Associations between diameter growth rates and functional traits were analysed across three size classes. Our results revealed that diameter growth rates of big-sized trees were mainly related to traits related to plant hydraulic efficiency (i.e. theoretical hydraulic conductivity (Ktheo) and leaf vein density (Dvein)), which suggests that the growth of large trees is limited mainly by their xylem water transport capacity. For middle-sized trees, growth rates were significantly related to traits representing leaf economic spectrum (i.e. specific leaf area (SLA), individual leaf mass (ILM), palisade thickness (PT) and spongy thickness (SP)). Diameter growth rates of small-sized trees were not correlated with hydraulic or leaf economic traits. Thus, the associations between tree growth rates and functional traits are size dependent. Our results suggest ontogenetic shift of functional traits which could potential contribute to different growth response to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Mei Yan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan, 666303, China; and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Ze-Xin Fan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan, 666303, China; and Centre of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xishuangbanna, 666303, China; and Corresponding author.
| | - Pei-Li Fu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan, 666303, China; and Centre of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xishuangbanna, 666303, China
| | - Hui Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan, 666303, China; and Xishuangbanna Station for Tropical Rain Forest Ecosystem Studies, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan, 666303, China
| | - Lu-Xiang Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan, 666303, China; and Xishuangbanna Station for Tropical Rain Forest Ecosystem Studies, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan, 666303, China
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15
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Iida Y, Swenson NG. Towards linking species traits to demography and assembly in diverse tree communities: Revisiting the importance of size and allocation. Ecol Res 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiko Iida
- Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute Tsukuba Japan
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16
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Bartholomew DC, Bittencourt PRL, da Costa ACL, Banin LF, de Britto Costa P, Coughlin SI, Domingues TF, Ferreira LV, Giles A, Mencuccini M, Mercado L, Miatto RC, Oliveira A, Oliveira R, Meir P, Rowland L. Small tropical forest trees have a greater capacity to adjust carbon metabolism to long-term drought than large canopy trees. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2020; 43:2380-2393. [PMID: 32643169 DOI: 10.1111/pce.13838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The response of small understory trees to long-term drought is vital in determining the future composition, carbon stocks and dynamics of tropical forests. Long-term drought is, however, also likely to expose understory trees to increased light availability driven by drought-induced mortality. Relatively little is known about the potential for understory trees to adjust their physiology to both decreasing water and increasing light availability. We analysed data on maximum photosynthetic capacity (Jmax , Vcmax ), leaf respiration (Rleaf ), leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf thickness and leaf nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations from 66 small trees across 12 common genera at the world's longest running tropical rainfall exclusion experiment and compared responses to those from 61 surviving canopy trees. Small trees increased Jmax , Vcmax , Rleaf and LMA (71, 29, 32, 15% respectively) in response to the drought treatment, but leaf thickness and leaf nutrient concentrations did not change. Small trees were significantly more responsive than large canopy trees to the drought treatment, suggesting greater phenotypic plasticity and resilience to prolonged drought, although differences among taxa were observed. Our results highlight that small tropical trees have greater capacity to respond to ecosystem level changes and have the potential to regenerate resilient forests following future droughts.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C Bartholomew
- School of Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Paulo R L Bittencourt
- School of Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
- Instituto de Biologia, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Sarah I Coughlin
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Tomas F Domingues
- Departamento de Biologia, FFCLRP, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | | | - André Giles
- Instituto de Biologia, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Maurizio Mencuccini
- ICREA, Barcelona, Spain
- CREAF, Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lina Mercado
- School of Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, UK
| | - Raquel C Miatto
- Departamento de Biologia, FFCLRP, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | | | - Rafael Oliveira
- Instituto de Biologia, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Patrick Meir
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Lucy Rowland
- School of Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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17
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Kleinschmidt S, Wanek W, Kreinecker F, Hackl D, Jenking D, Weissenhofer A, Hietz P. Successional habitat filtering of rainforest trees is explained by potential growth more than by functional traits. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Svenja Kleinschmidt
- Institute of Botany University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Austria
| | - Wolfgang Wanek
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Felix Kreinecker
- Institute of Botany University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Austria
| | - Daniel Hackl
- Institute of Botany University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Austria
| | | | - Anton Weissenhofer
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Peter Hietz
- Institute of Botany University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Austria
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18
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Velázquez E, Wiegand T. Competition for light and persistence of rare light-demanding species within tree-fall gaps in a moist tropical forest. Ecology 2020; 101:e03034. [PMID: 32112405 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Current evidence suggests that tree-fall gaps can influence forest structure and dynamics by enabling certain species guilds to persist over the long term. Here we assessed the development of local size hierarchies and asymmetric competition for light in tree-fall gaps, and the role played by these two processes for the persistence of rare light-demanding species in the Barro Colorado Island Forest Dynamics Plot (Panama). We performed spatial point pattern analysis, considering both the spatial locations (x,y) and the diameter at breast height (DBH) of all the woody plant recruits from the 1985 and 2000 censuses located in tree-fall gaps, and followed their fate up to the 1990-2010 and 2005-2010 censuses, respectively. For these two recruit cohorts, we found that, from the initial census until 5-10 yr later, close neighbors presented a larger DBH than the mean DBH of all individuals within gaps, which points to a positive growth response of recruits to the increased light levels in the gap centers. However, close neighbors of the 1985 cohort also showed larger than expected DBH differences that disappeared in subsequent censuses, indicating an enhancement of size differences between neighbors and the mortality of the smaller individuals. Finally, for both recruit cohorts, we found that 10-15 yr after gap formation, surviving individuals of rare light-demanding species had a negative impact on survival of neighboring individuals of other species. Our results indicate that gaps favor the persistence of rare light-demanding species through the development of local size hierarchies and asymmetric competition for light. The strength of this process, however, apparently depends upon gap size and the role played by the woody plants already existing at the time of gap formation in early colonization. Moreover, our findings suggest that in this forest, gaps may enhance colonization of plant species typical of nearby dry tropical areas, and that, over the coming decades, similar processes could strongly modify the structure and dynamics of moist tropical forests in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Velázquez
- Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research- UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, DE-04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thorsten Wiegand
- Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research- UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, DE-04318, Leipzig, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, DeutscherPlatz 5e, DE-04103, Leipzig, Germany
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19
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Rozendaal DMA, Phillips OL, Lewis SL, Affum-Baffoe K, Alvarez-Davila E, Andrade A, Aragão LEOC, Araujo-Murakami A, Baker TR, Bánki O, Brienen RJW, Camargo JLC, Comiskey JA, Djuikouo Kamdem MN, Fauset S, Feldpausch TR, Killeen TJ, Laurance WF, Laurance SGW, Lovejoy T, Malhi Y, Marimon BS, Marimon Junior BH, Marshall AR, Neill DA, Núñez Vargas P, Pitman NCA, Poorter L, Reitsma J, Silveira M, Sonké B, Sunderland T, Taedoumg H, Ter Steege H, Terborgh JW, Umetsu RK, van der Heijden GMF, Vilanova E, Vos V, White LJT, Willcock S, Zemagho L, Vanderwel MC. Competition influences tree growth, but not mortality, across environmental gradients in Amazonia and tropical Africa. Ecology 2020; 101:e03052. [PMID: 32239762 PMCID: PMC7379300 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2019] [Revised: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Competition among trees is an important driver of community structure and dynamics in tropical forests. Neighboring trees may impact an individual tree's growth rate and probability of mortality, but large-scale geographic and environmental variation in these competitive effects has yet to be evaluated across the tropical forest biome. We quantified effects of competition on tree-level basal area growth and mortality for trees ≥10-cm diameter across 151 ~1-ha plots in mature tropical forests in Amazonia and tropical Africa by developing nonlinear models that accounted for wood density, tree size, and neighborhood crowding. Using these models, we assessed how water availability (i.e., climatic water deficit) and soil fertility influenced the predicted plot-level strength of competition (i.e., the extent to which growth is reduced, or mortality is increased, by competition across all individual trees). On both continents, tree basal area growth decreased with wood density and increased with tree size. Growth decreased with neighborhood crowding, which suggests that competition is important. Tree mortality decreased with wood density and generally increased with tree size, but was apparently unaffected by neighborhood crowding. Across plots, variation in the plot-level strength of competition was most strongly related to plot basal area (i.e., the sum of the basal area of all trees in a plot), with greater reductions in growth occurring in forests with high basal area, but in Amazonia, the strength of competition also varied with plot-level wood density. In Amazonia, the strength of competition increased with water availability because of the greater basal area of wetter forests, but was only weakly related to soil fertility. In Africa, competition was weakly related to soil fertility and invariant across the shorter water availability gradient. Overall, our results suggest that competition influences the structure and dynamics of tropical forests primarily through effects on individual tree growth rather than mortality and that the strength of competition largely depends on environment-mediated variation in basal area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danaë M A Rozendaal
- Department of Biology, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, S4S 0A2, Saskatchewan, Canada.,Laboratory of Geo-Information Science and Remote Sensing, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.,Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.,Plant Production Systems Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK, Wageningen, The Netherlands.,Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Oliver L Phillips
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Simon L Lewis
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.,Department of Geography, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | | | - Esteban Alvarez-Davila
- Escuela ECAPMA, UNAD, Calle 14 Sur No. 14-23, Bogotá, Colombia.,Fundación Con Vida, Avenida del Río # 20-114, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Ana Andrade
- Projeto Dinâmica Biológica de Fragmentos Florestais, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA, Av. André Araújo 2936, Manaus, Amazonas, 69067-375, Brazil
| | - Luiz E O C Aragão
- Remote Sensing Division, National Institute for Space Research - INPE, Av. dos Astronautas 1758, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, 12227-010, Brazil.,Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, North Park Road, Exeter, EX4 4QE, UK
| | - Alejandro Araujo-Murakami
- Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado, Universidad Autónoma Gabriel Rene Moreno, Avenida Irala 565, Casilla Postal 2489, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
| | - Timothy R Baker
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Olaf Bánki
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Darwinweg 2, 2332 CR, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Roel J W Brienen
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - José Luis C Camargo
- Projeto Dinâmica Biológica de Fragmentos Florestais, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA, Av. André Araújo 2936, Manaus, Amazonas, 69067-375, Brazil
| | - James A Comiskey
- Inventory & Monitoring Program, National Park Service, 120 Chatham Lane, Fredericksburg, 22405, Virginia, USA.,Center for Conservation and Sustainability, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, 1100 Jefferson Dr. SW, Suite 3123, Washington, 20560-0705, D.C., USA
| | - Marie Noël Djuikouo Kamdem
- Department of Botany & Plant Physiology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P.O. Box 063, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Sophie Fauset
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK
| | - Ted R Feldpausch
- Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, North Park Road, Exeter, EX4 4QE, UK
| | - Timothy J Killeen
- Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado, Universidad Autónoma Gabriel Rene Moreno, Avenida Irala 565, Casilla Postal 2489, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
| | - William F Laurance
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, 14-88 McGregor Road, Cairns, 4878, Australia
| | - Susan G W Laurance
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, 14-88 McGregor Road, Cairns, 4878, Australia
| | - Thomas Lovejoy
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX13QY, UK
| | - Beatriz S Marimon
- Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Av. Prof. Dr. Renato Figueiro Varella, s/n, Bairro Olaria, Nova Xavantina, State of Mato Grosso, CEP 78690-000, Brazil
| | - Ben-Hur Marimon Junior
- Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Av. Prof. Dr. Renato Figueiro Varella, s/n, Bairro Olaria, Nova Xavantina, State of Mato Grosso, CEP 78690-000, Brazil
| | - Andrew R Marshall
- Tropical Forests and People Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, 4556, Australia.,Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York, YO10 5NG, UK.,Flamingo Land Ltd., Malton, North Yorkshire, YO17 6UX, UK
| | - David A Neill
- Facultad de Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Estatal Amazónica, Puyo, Pastaza, Ecuador
| | - Percy Núñez Vargas
- Herbario Vargas, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Avenida de la Cultura, Nro 733, Cusco, Peru
| | - Nigel C A Pitman
- Science and Education, The Field Museum, 1400S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, 60605-2496, Illinois, USA.,Center for Tropical Conservation, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, P.O. Box 90381, Durham, 27708, North Carolina, USA
| | - Lourens Poorter
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Reitsma
- Bureau Waardenburg, P.O. Box 365, 4100 AJ, Culemborg, The Netherlands
| | - Marcos Silveira
- Museu Universitário, Universidade Federal do Acre, Acre, Brazil
| | - Bonaventure Sonké
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Terry Sunderland
- Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Jalan CIFOR, Situ Gede, Sindang Barang, Bogor, 16115, Indonesia.,Forest Sciences Centre, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Hermann Taedoumg
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Hans Ter Steege
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Darwinweg 2, 2332 CR, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Systems Ecology, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - John W Terborgh
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, 14-88 McGregor Road, Cairns, 4878, Australia.,Department of Biology and Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611, Florida, USA
| | - Ricardo K Umetsu
- Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Av. Prof. Dr. Renato Figueiro Varella, s/n, Bairro Olaria, Nova Xavantina, State of Mato Grosso, CEP 78690-000, Brazil
| | | | - Emilio Vilanova
- Instituto de Investigaciones para el Desarrollo Forestal, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela
| | - Vincent Vos
- Universidad Autónoma de Beni, Riberalta, Beni, Bolivia
| | - Lee J T White
- Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux, Libreville, BP 20379, Gabon.,Institut de Recherche en Ecologie Tropicale, Libreville, BP 13354, Gabon.,School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK
| | - Simon Willcock
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2DG, UK
| | - Lise Zemagho
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Mark C Vanderwel
- Department of Biology, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, S4S 0A2, Saskatchewan, Canada
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20
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Fernandes TV, Paolucci LN, Solar RRC, Neves FS, Campos RI. Ant removal distance, but not seed manipulation and deposition site increases the establishment of a myrmecochorous plant. Oecologia 2019; 192:133-142. [PMID: 31748829 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04551-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Myrmecochory (seed dispersal by ants) is a unique seed dispersal syndrome among invertebrates. It comprises three main phases: seed removal, seed manipulation, and seed deposition. However, the contribution of each phase to seed and seedling fate remains unclear. Here, we experimentally quantified the effects of each phase of myrmecochory on seed germination and seedling establishment, the two most critical life history stages involved in plant recruitment. We established 30 sample points, and each included an adult Mabea fistulifera tree, an Atta sexdens nest entrance, and six seed depots. We monitored the germination of M. fistulifera seeds for 3 months and subsequently followed the growth and mortality of the resulting seedlings for 12 months. Only the dispersal distance influenced plant establishment, reducing seed germination and increasing seedling growth, but with no effect of seed manipulation and deposition site. Despite the contrasting effects of distance on seed germination and seedling growth, the positive effect of dispersal distance on seedling growth was ten times greater than the negative effect on seed germination. Moreover, A. sexdens behaved neither as granivore nor as herbivore of M. fistulifera seeds or seedlings, which suggests that seed dispersal by A. sexdens is advantageous to M. fistulifera. Thus, the joint occurrence of these two species in disturbed areas could have a positive effect on this pioneer plant population, which might promote forest regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago V Fernandes
- Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.,Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil
| | - Lucas N Paolucci
- Setor de Ecologia e Conservação, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, MG, Brazil.,Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia, Brasília, DF, Brazil.,Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil
| | - Ricardo R C Solar
- Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Frederico S Neves
- Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Ricardo I Campos
- Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil.
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21
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Gray EF, Wright IJ, Falster DS, Eller ASD, Lehmann CER, Bradford MG, Cernusak LA. Leaf:wood allometry and functional traits together explain substantial growth rate variation in rainforest trees. AOB PLANTS 2019; 11:plz024. [PMID: 31093323 PMCID: PMC6510017 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plz024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Plant growth rates drive ecosystem productivity and are a central element of plant ecological strategies. For seedlings grown under controlled conditions, a large literature has firmly identified the functional traits that drive interspecific variation in growth rate. For adult plants, the corresponding knowledge is surprisingly poorly understood. Until recently it was widely assumed that the key trait drivers would be the same (e.g. specific leaf area, or SLA), but an increasing number of papers has demonstrated this not to be the case, or not generally so. New theory has provided a prospective basis for understanding these discrepancies. Here we quantified relationships between stem diameter growth rates and functional traits of adult woody plants for 41 species in an Australian tropical rainforest. From various cost-benefit considerations, core predictions included that: (i) photosynthetic rate would be positively related to growth rate; (ii) SLA would be unrelated to growth rate (unlike in seedlings where it is positively related to growth); (iii) wood density would be negatively related to growth rate; and (iv) leaf mass:sapwood mass ratio (LM:SM) in branches (analogous to a benefit:cost ratio) would be positively related to growth rate. All our predictions found support, particularly those for LM:SM and wood density; photosynthetic rate was more weakly related to stem diameter growth rates. Specific leaf area was convincingly correlated to growth rate, in fact negatively. Together, SLA, wood density and LM:SM accounted for 52 % of variation in growth rate among these 41 species, with each trait contributing roughly similar explanatory power. That low SLA species can achieve faster growth rates than high SLA species was an unexpected result but, as it turns out, not without precedent, and easily understood via cost-benefit theory that considers whole-plant allocation to different tissue types. Branch-scale leaf:sapwood ratio holds promise as an easily measurable variable that may help to understand growth rate variation. Using cost-benefit approaches teamed with combinations of leaf, wood and allometric variables may provide a path towards a more complete understanding of growth rates under field conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- E F Gray
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales, Australia
| | - I J Wright
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales, Australia
| | - D S Falster
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
| | - A S D Eller
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales, Australia
| | - C E R Lehmann
- School of Geosciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - M G Bradford
- CSIRO Land and Water, Atherton, Queensland, Australia
| | - L A Cernusak
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
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22
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Ammer C. Diversity and forest productivity in a changing climate. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2019; 221:50-66. [PMID: 29905960 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/13/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Contents Summary 50 I. Introduction 50 II. Drivers of the diversity-productivity relationship 51 III. Patterns of the diversity-productivity relationship 55 IV. Responses of mixed stands to climate change 57 V. Conclusions 60 Acknowledgements 61 References 61 SUMMARY: Although the relationship between species diversity and biomass productivity has been extensively studied in grasslands, the impact of tree species diversity on forest productivity, as well as the main drivers of this relationship, are still under discussion. It is widely accepted that the magnitude of the relationship between tree diversity and forest stand productivity is context specific and depends on environmental conditions, but the underlying mechanisms of this relationship are still not fully understood. Competition reduction and facilitation have been identified as key mechanisms driving the diversity-productivity relationship. However, contrasting results have been reported with respect to the extent to which competition reduction and facilitation determine the diversity-productivity relationship. They appear to depend on regional climate, soil fertility, functional diversity of the tree species involved, and developmental stage of the forest. The purpose of this review is to summarize current knowledge and to suggest a conceptual framework to explain the various processes leading to higher productivity of species-rich forests compared with average yields of their respective monocultures. This framework provides three pathways for possible development of the diversity-productivity relationship under a changing climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Ammer
- Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, Faculty of Forest Sciences, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land-use, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany
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23
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Hogan JA, Hérault B, Bachelot B, Gorel A, Jounieaux M, Baraloto C. Understanding the recruitment response of juvenile Neotropical trees to logging intensity using functional traits. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2018; 28:1998-2010. [PMID: 29999560 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Selective logging remains a widespread practice in tropical forests, yet the long-term effects of timber harvest on juvenile tree (i.e., sapling) recruitment across the hundreds of species occurring in most tropical forests remain difficult to predict. This uncertainty could potentially exacerbate threats to some of the thousands of timber-valuable tree species in the Amazon. Our objective was to determine to what extent long-term responses of tree species regeneration in logged forests can be explained by their functional traits. We integrate functional trait data for 13 leaf, stem, and seed traits from 25 canopy tree species with a range of life histories, such as the pioneer Goupia glabra and the shade-tolerant Iryanthera hostmannii, together with over 30 yr of sapling monitoring in permanent plots spanning a gradient of harvest intensity at the Paracou Forest Disturbance Experiment (PFDE), French Guiana. We anticipated that more intensive logging would increase recruitment of pioneer species with higher specific leaf area, lower wood densities, and smaller seeds, due to the removal of canopy trees. We define a recruitment response metric to compare sapling regeneration to timber harvest intensity across species. Although not statistically significant, sapling recruitment decreased with logging intensity for eight of 23 species and these species tended to have large seeds and dense wood. A generalized linear mixed model fit using specific leaf area, seed mass, and twig density data explained about 45% of the variability in sapling dynamics. Effects of specific leaf area outweighed those of seed mass and wood density in explaining recruitment dynamics of the sapling community in response to increasing logging intensity. The most intense treatment at the PFDE, which includes stand thinning of non-timber-valuable adult trees and poison-girdling for competitive release, showed evidence of shifting community composition in sapling regeneration at the 30-yr mark, toward species with less dense wood, lighter seeds, and higher specific leaf area. Our results indicate that high-intensity logging can have lasting effects on stand regeneration dynamics and that functional traits can help simplify general trends of sapling recruitment for highly diverse logged tropical forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Aaron Hogan
- International Center for Tropical Botany, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, 33174, USA
| | - Bruno Hérault
- CIRAD, Univ Montpellier, UR Forests & Societies, Montpellier, France
- INPHB, Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast
| | - Bénédicte Bachelot
- UMR EcoFoG (AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de la Guyane), Kourou, French Guiana
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, Texas, 77251, USA
| | - Anaїs Gorel
- UMR EcoFoG (AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de la Guyane), Kourou, French Guiana
- BOISE Unit, Management of Forest Resources, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Marianne Jounieaux
- UMR EcoFoG (AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de la Guyane), Kourou, French Guiana
| | - Christopher Baraloto
- International Center for Tropical Botany, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, 33174, USA
- UMR EcoFoG (AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de la Guyane), Kourou, French Guiana
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24
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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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25
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Wright IJ, Cooke J, Cernusak LA, Hutley LB, Scalon MC, Tozer WC, Lehmann CER. Stem diameter growth rates in a fire‐prone savanna correlate with photosynthetic rate and branch‐scale biomass allocation, but not specific leaf area. AUSTRAL ECOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ian J. Wright
- Department of Biological Sciences Macquarie University North Ryde New South Wales 2109 Australia
| | - Julia Cooke
- Department of Biological Sciences Macquarie University North Ryde New South Wales 2109 Australia
- School of Environment, Earth & Ecosystem Sciences The Open University Milton Keynes UK
| | - Lucas A. Cernusak
- College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Cairns Queensland Australia
| | - Lindsay B. Hutley
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences Charles Darwin University Darwin Northern Territory Australia
| | - Marina C. Scalon
- Department of Biological Sciences Macquarie University North Ryde New South Wales 2109 Australia
- School of Geography and the Environment Environmental Change Institute University of Oxford Oxford
| | - Wade C. Tozer
- Department of Biological Sciences Macquarie University North Ryde New South Wales 2109 Australia
| | - Caroline E. R. Lehmann
- Department of Biological Sciences Macquarie University North Ryde New South Wales 2109 Australia
- School of Geosciences The University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK
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26
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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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27
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Yuan Z, Ali A, Wang S, Gazol A, Freckleton R, Wang X, Lin F, Ye J, Zhou L, Hao Z, Loreau M. Abiotic and biotic determinants of coarse woody productivity in temperate mixed forests. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 630:422-431. [PMID: 29482149 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.02.125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2017] [Revised: 02/08/2018] [Accepted: 02/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Forests play an important role in regulating the global carbon cycle. Yet, how abiotic (i.e. soil nutrients) and biotic (i.e. tree diversity, stand structure and initial biomass) factors simultaneously contribute to aboveground biomass (coarse woody) productivity, and how the relative importance of these factors changes over succession remain poorly studied. Coarse woody productivity (CWP) was estimated as the annual aboveground biomass gain of stems using 10-year census data in old growth and secondary forests (25-ha and 4.8-ha, respectively) in northeast China. Boosted regression tree (BRT) model was used to evaluate the relative contribution of multiple metrics of tree diversity (taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity and trait composition as well as stand structure attributes), stand initial biomass and soil nutrients on productivity in the studied forests. Our results showed that community-weighted mean of leaf phosphorus content, initial stand biomass and soil nutrients were the three most important individual predictors for CWP in secondary forest. Instead, initial stand biomass, rather than diversity and functional trait composition (vegetation quality) was the most parsimonious predictor of CWP in old growth forest. By comparing the results from secondary and old growth forest, the summed relative contribution of trait composition and soil nutrients on productivity decreased as those of diversity indices and initial biomass increased, suggesting the stronger effect of diversity and vegetation quantity over time. Vegetation quantity, rather than diversity and soil nutrients, is the main driver of forest productivity in temperate mixed forest. Our results imply that diversity effect for productivity in natural forests may not be so important as often suggested, at least not during the later stage of forest succession. This finding suggests that as a change of the importance of different divers of productivity, the environmentally driven filtering decreases and competitively driven niche differentiation increases with forest succession.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuoqiang Yuan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110164, PR China
| | - Arshad Ali
- Spatial Ecology Lab, School of Life Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, Guangdong, China
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Department of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, China
| | - Antonio Gazol
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecologia, IPE-CSIC, Avenida Montanana 1005, 50010 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Robert Freckleton
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Alfred Denny Building, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Xugao Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110164, PR China
| | - Fei Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110164, PR China
| | - Ji Ye
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110164, PR China
| | - Li Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110164, PR China
| | - Zhanqing Hao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110164, PR China.
| | - Michel Loreau
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, 09200 Moulis, France
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28
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Poorter L, Castilho CV, Schietti J, Oliveira RS, Costa FRC. Can traits predict individual growth performance? A test in a hyperdiverse tropical forest. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2018; 219:109-121. [PMID: 29774944 PMCID: PMC6001574 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2017] [Accepted: 03/08/2018] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
The functional trait approach has, as a central tenet, that plant traits are functional and shape individual performance, but this has rarely been tested in the field. Here, we tested the individual-based trait approach in a hyperdiverse Amazonian tropical rainforest and evaluated intraspecific variation in trait values, plant strategies at the individual level, and whether traits are functional and predict individual performance. We evaluated > 1300 tree saplings belonging to > 383 species, measured 25 traits related to growth and defense, and evaluated the effects of environmental conditions, plant size, and traits on stem growth. A total of 44% of the trait variation was observed within species, indicating a strong potential for acclimation. Individuals showed two strategy spectra, related to tissue toughness and organ size vs leaf display. In this nutrient- and light-limited forest, traits measured at the individual level were surprisingly poor predictors of individual growth performance because of convergence of traits and growth rates. Functional trait approaches based on individuals or species are conceptually fundamentally different: the species-based approach focuses on the potential and the individual-based approach on the realized traits and growth rates. Counterintuitively, the individual approach leads to a poor prediction of individual performance, although it provides a more realistic view on community dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lourens Poorter
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 47, AA Wageningen, 6700, Netherlands
- Coordenação de Pesquisa em Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Caixa Postal 2223, CEP 69008-971, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Carolina V Castilho
- Embrapa Roraima, Rodovia BR 174, Km 8, Distrito Industrial, Caixa Postal 133, CEP 69301-970, Boa Vista, RR, Brazil
| | - Juliana Schietti
- Coordenação de Pesquisa em Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Caixa Postal 2223, CEP 69008-971, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Rafael S Oliveira
- Depto. de Biologia Vegetal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Caixa Postal 6109, CEP 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Flávia R C Costa
- Coordenação de Pesquisa em Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Caixa Postal 2223, CEP 69008-971, Manaus, Brazil
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29
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How functional traits influence plant growth and shade tolerance across the life cycle. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E6789-E6798. [PMID: 29959205 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1714044115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant species differ in many functional traits that drive differences in rates of photosynthesis, biomass allocation, and tissue turnover. However, it remains unclear how-and even if-such traits influence whole-plant growth, with the simple linear relationships predicted by existing theory often lacking empirical support. Here, we present a theoretical framework for understanding the effect of diverse functional traits on plant growth and shade tolerance by extending a widely used model, linking growth rate in seedlings with a single leaf trait, to explicitly include influences of size, light environment, and five prominent traits: seed mass, height at maturation, leaf mass per unit leaf area, leaf nitrogen per unit leaf area, and wood density. Based on biomass growth and allocation, this framework explains why the influence of traits on growth rate and shade tolerance often varies with plant size and why the impact of size on growth varies among traits. Specifically, we demonstrate why for height growth the influence of: (i) leaf mass per unit leaf area is strong in small plants but weakens with size; (ii) leaf nitrogen per unit leaf area does not change with size; (iii) wood density is present across sizes; (iv) height at maturation strengthens with size; and (v) seed mass decreases with size. Moreover, we show how traits moderate plant responses to light environment and also determine shade tolerance, supporting diverse empirical results.
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30
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Wills J, Herbohn J, Hu J, Sohel S, Baynes J, Firn J. Tree leaf trade-offs are stronger for sub-canopy trees: leaf traits reveal little about growth rates in canopy trees. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2018; 28:1116-1125. [PMID: 29698583 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Revised: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/16/2018] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Can morphological plant functional traits predict demographic rates (e.g., growth) within plant communities as diverse as tropical forests? This is one of the most important next-step questions in trait-based ecology and particularly for global reforestation efforts. Due to the diversity of tropical tree species and their longevity, it is difficult to predict their performance prior to reforestation efforts. In this study, we investigate if simple leaf traits are predictors of the more complex ecological process of plant growth in regenerating selectively logged natural forest within the Wet Tropics (WTs) bioregion of Australia. This study used a rich historical data set to quantify tree growth within plots located at Danbulla National Park and State Forest on the Atherton Tableland. Leaf traits were collected from trees that have exhibited fast or slow growth over the last ~50 yr of measurement. Leaf traits were found to be poor predictors of tree growth for trees that have entered the canopy; however, for sub-canopy trees, leaf traits had a stronger association with growth rates. Leaf phosphorus concentrations were the strongest predictor of Periodic Annual Increment (PAI) for trees growing within the sub-canopy, with trees with higher leaf phosphorus levels showing a higher PAI. Sub-canopy tree leaves also exhibited stronger trade-offs between leaf traits and adhere to theoretical predictions more so than for canopy trees. We suggest that, in order for leaf traits to be more applicable to reforestation, size dependence of traits and growth relationships need to be more carefully considered, particularly when reforestation practitioners assign mean trait values to tropical tree species from multiple canopy strata.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarrah Wills
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
- Department of Environment and Science, Queensland Herbarium, Mt. Coot-tha Road, Toowong, Brisbane, Queensland, 4066, Australia
| | - John Herbohn
- School of Agriculture and Food Science, University of Queensland (UQ), Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
- Tropical Forests and People Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), Maroochydore, Queensland, 4558, Australia
| | - Jing Hu
- School of Agriculture and Food Science, University of Queensland (UQ), Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Shawkat Sohel
- School of Agriculture and Food Science, University of Queensland (UQ), Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Jack Baynes
- Tropical Forests and People Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), Maroochydore, Queensland, 4558, Australia
| | - Jennifer Firn
- Tropical Forests and People Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), Maroochydore, Queensland, 4558, Australia
- School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Gardens Point, Brisbane, Queensland, 4000, Australia
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31
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Rüger N, Comita LS, Condit R, Purves D, Rosenbaum B, Visser MD, Wright S, Wirth C. Beyond the fast–slow continuum: demographic dimensions structuring a tropical tree community. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:1075-1084. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2017] [Revised: 11/14/2017] [Accepted: 03/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nadja Rüger
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Deutscher Platz 5e 04103 Leipzig Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Apartado0843‐03092 Ancón Panama
| | - Liza S. Comita
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Apartado0843‐03092 Ancón Panama
- School of Forestry & Environmental Studies Yale University New Haven CT06511 USA
| | - Richard Condit
- Field Museum of Natural History 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr. Chicago IL60605 USA
- Morton Arboretum 4100 Illinois Rte. 53 Lisle IL60532 USA
| | | | - Benjamin Rosenbaum
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Deutscher Platz 5e 04103 Leipzig Germany
- Institute of Biodiversity Friedrich Schiller University Jena Dornburger Str. 159 07743 Jena Germany
| | - Marco D. Visser
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Princeton University Princeton NJ08544 USA
| | - S.J Wright
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Apartado0843‐03092 Ancón Panama
| | - Christian Wirth
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Deutscher Platz 5e 04103 Leipzig Germany
- AG Spezielle Botanik und Funktionelle Biodiversität Universität Leipzig Johannisallee 21 04103 Leipzig Germany
- Max‐Planck‐Institute for Biogeochemistry Hans‐Knöll‐Str. 10 07743 Jena Germany
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32
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Fell M, Ogle K. Refinement of a theoretical trait space for North American trees via environmental filtering. ECOL MONOGR 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Fell
- School of Life Sciences Arizona State University P.O. Box 874501 Tempe Arizona 85287 USA
- School of Informatics Computing& Cyber Systems Northern Arizona University P.O. Box 5693 Flagstaff Arizona 86011 USA
| | - Kiona Ogle
- School of Informatics Computing& Cyber Systems Northern Arizona University P.O. Box 5693 Flagstaff Arizona 86011 USA
- Center for Ecosystem Science & Society Northern Arizona University P.O. Box 5620 Flagstaff Arizona 86011 USA
- Department of Biological Sciences Northern Arizona University P.O. Box 5640 Flagstaff Arizona 86011 USA
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Thomas Clark A, Lehman C, Tilman D. Identifying mechanisms that structure ecological communities by snapping model parameters to empirically observed tradeoffs. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:494-505. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2017] [Revised: 08/16/2017] [Accepted: 12/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Adam Thomas Clark
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior University of Minnesota Twin Cities, St. Paul MN55108 USA
- Leipzig University Ritterstrasse 26 04109 Leipzig Germany
- Department of Physiological Diversity Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) Permoserstrasse 15 Leipzig 04318 Germany
| | - Clarence Lehman
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior University of Minnesota Twin Cities, St. Paul MN55108 USA
| | - David Tilman
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior University of Minnesota Twin Cities, St. Paul MN55108 USA
- Bren School of Environmental Science and Management University of California Santa Barbara 2400 Bren Hall Santa Barbara CA93106 USA
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Zhu Y, Queenborough SA, Condit R, Hubbell SP, Ma KP, Comita LS. Density‐dependent survival varies with species life‐history strategy in a tropical forest. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:506-515. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2017] [Revised: 10/03/2017] [Accepted: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Y. Zhu
- School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Yale University New Haven CT06511 USA
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences 20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan Beijing100093 China
| | - S. A. Queenborough
- School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Yale University New Haven CT06511 USA
| | - R. Condit
- Morton Arboretum 4100 Illinois Rte. 53 Lisle IL60532 USA
- Field Museum of Natural History 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr. Chicago IL60605USA
| | - S. P. Hubbell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Los Angeles CA90095 USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Box 0843‐03092 Balboa Ancón Panama
| | - K. P. Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences 20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan Beijing100093 China
| | - L. S. Comita
- School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Yale University New Haven CT06511 USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Box 0843‐03092 Balboa Ancón Panama
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35
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Oguchi R, Hiura T, Hikosaka K. The effect of interspecific variation in photosynthetic plasticity on 4-year growth rate and 8-year survival of understorey tree seedlings in response to gap formations in a cool-temperate deciduous forest. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2017; 37:1113-1127. [PMID: 28431185 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpx042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Gap formation increases the light intensity in the forest understorey. The growth responses of seedlings to the increase in light availability show interspecific variation, which is considered to promote biodiversity in forests. At the leaf level, some species increase their photosynthetic capacity in response to gap formation, whereas others do not. Here we address the question of whether the interspecific difference in the photosynthetic response results in the interspecific variation in the growth response. If so, the interspecific difference in photosynthetic response would also contribute to species coexistence in forests. We also address the further relevant question of why some species do not increase their photosynthetic capacity. We assumed that some cost of photosynthetic plasticity may constrain acquisition of the plasticity in some species, and hypothesized that species with larger photosynthetic plasticity exhibit better growth after gap formation and lower survivorship in the shade understorey of a cool-temperate deciduous forest. We created gaps by felling canopy trees and studied the relationship between the photosynthetic response and the subsequent growth rate of seedlings. Naturally growing seedlings of six deciduous woody species were used and their mortality was examined for 8 years. The light-saturated rate of photosynthesis (Pmax) and the relative growth rate (RGR) of the seedlings of all study species increased at gap plots. The extent of these increases varied among the species. The stimulation of RGR over 4 years after gap formation was strongly correlated with change in photosynthetic capacity of newly expanded leaves. The increase in RGR and Pmax correlated with the 8-year mortality at control plots. These results suggest a trade-off between photosynthetic plasticity and the understorey shade tolerance. Gap-demanding species may acquire photosynthetic plasticity, sacrificing shade tolerances, whereas gap-independent species may acquire shade tolerances, sacrificing photosynthetic plasticity. This strategic difference among species would contribute to species coexistence in cool-temperate deciduous forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riichi Oguchi
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-3, Aramaki Aza-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8578, Japan
| | - Tsutom Hiura
- Tomakomai Experimental Forest, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Aza-Takaoka, Tomakomai 053-0035, Japan
| | - Kouki Hikosaka
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-3, Aramaki Aza-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8578, Japan
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36
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Thomas FM, Vesk PA. Growth races in The Mallee: Height growth in woody plants examined with a trait-based model. AUSTRAL ECOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Freya M. Thomas
- School of BioSciences; ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions; The University of Melbourne; Melbourne Victoria 3010 Australia
| | - Peter A. Vesk
- School of BioSciences; ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions; The University of Melbourne; Melbourne Victoria 3010 Australia
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37
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Dani KGS, Kodandaramaiah U. Plant and Animal Reproductive Strategies: Lessons from Offspring Size and Number Tradeoffs. Front Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
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38
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Hietz P, Rosner S, Hietz-Seifert U, Wright SJ. Wood traits related to size and life history of trees in a Panamanian rainforest. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2017; 213:170-180. [PMID: 27533709 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2016] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Wood structure differs widely among tree species and species with faster growth, higher mortality and larger maximum size have been reported to have fewer but larger vessels and higher hydraulic conductivity (Kh). However, previous studies compiled data from various sources, often failed to control tree size and rarely controlled variation in other traits. We measured wood density, tree size and vessel traits for 325 species from a wet forest in Panama, and compared wood and leaf traits to demographic traits using species-level data and phylogenetically independent contrasts. Wood traits showed strong phylogenetic signal whereas pairwise relationships between traits were mostly phylogenetically independent. Trees with larger vessels had a lower fraction of the cross-sectional area occupied by vessel lumina, suggesting that the hydraulic efficiency of large vessels permits trees to dedicate a larger proportion of the wood to functions other than water transport. Vessel traits were more strongly correlated with the size of individual trees than with maximal size of a species. When individual tree size was included in models, Kh scaled positively with maximal size and was the best predictor for both diameter and biomass growth rates, but was unrelated to mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Hietz
- Institute of Botany, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
| | - Sabine Rosner
- Institute of Botany, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ursula Hietz-Seifert
- Institute of Botany, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
| | - S Joseph Wright
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
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Evans MEK, Merow C, Record S, McMahon SM, Enquist BJ. Towards Process-based Range Modeling of Many Species. Trends Ecol Evol 2016; 31:860-871. [PMID: 27663835 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2016.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2016] [Revised: 08/17/2016] [Accepted: 08/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Understanding and forecasting species' geographic distributions in the face of global change is a central priority in biodiversity science. The existing view is that one must choose between correlative models for many species versus process-based models for few species. We suggest that opportunities exist to produce process-based range models for many species, by using hierarchical and inverse modeling to borrow strength across species, fill data gaps, fuse diverse data sets, and model across biological and spatial scales. We review the statistical ecology and population and range modeling literature, illustrating these modeling strategies in action. A variety of large, coordinated ecological datasets that can feed into these modeling solutions already exist, and we highlight organisms that seem ripe for the challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret E K Evans
- Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
| | - Cory Merow
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Sydne Record
- Department of Biology, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010, USA
| | - Sean M McMahon
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD 21307, USA
| | - Brian J Enquist
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; The Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA; Center for Environmental Studies, Aspen, CO 81611, USA
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40
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Iida Y, Sun I, Price CA, Chen C, Chen Z, Chiang J, Huang C, Swenson NG. Linking leaf veins to growth and mortality rates: an example from a subtropical tree community. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:6085-96. [PMID: 27648227 PMCID: PMC5016633 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2016] [Revised: 06/07/2016] [Accepted: 06/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
A fundamental goal in ecology is to link variation in species function to performance, but functional trait-performance investigations have had mixed success. This indicates that less commonly measured functional traits may more clearly elucidate trait-performance relationships. Despite the potential importance of leaf vein traits, which are expected to be related to resource delivery rates and photosynthetic capacity, there are few studies, which examine associations between these traits and demographic performance in communities. Here, we examined the associations between species traits including leaf venation traits and demographic rates (Relative Growth Rate, RGR and mortality) as well as the spatial distributions of traits along soil environment for 54 co-occurring species in a subtropical forest. Size-related changes in demographic rates were estimated using a hierarchical Bayesian approach. Next, Kendall's rank correlations were quantified between traits and estimated demographic rates at a given size and between traits and species-average soil environment. Species with denser venation, smaller areoles, less succulent, or thinner leaves showed higher RGR for a wide range of size classes. Species with leaves of denser veins, larger area, cheaper construction costs or thinner, or low-density wood were associated with high mortality rates only in small size classes. Lastly, contrary to our expectations, acquisitive traits were not related to resource-rich edaphic conditions. This study shows that leaf vein traits are weakly, but significantly related to tree demographic performance together with other species traits. Because leaf traits associated with an acquisitive strategy such as denser venation, less succulence, and thinner leaves showed higher growth rate, but similar leaf traits were not associated with mortality, different pathways may shape species growth and survival. This study suggests that we are still not measuring some of key traits related to resource-use strategies, which dictate the demography and distributions of species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiko Iida
- Kyushu Research CenterForestry and Forest Products Research InstituteKurokami 4‐11‐16Chuo‐kuKumamoto860‐0862Japan
| | - I‐Fang Sun
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental StudiesNational Dong Hwa UniversityHualien974Taiwan
| | - Charles A. Price
- School of Plant BiologyThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWestern Australia6009Australia
| | - Chien‐Teh Chen
- Department of AgronomyNational Chung Hsing UniversityTaichung402Taiwan
| | - Zueng‐Sang Chen
- Department of Agricultural ChemistryNational Taiwan UniversityTaipei10617Taiwan
| | - Jyh‐Min Chiang
- Department of Life ScienceTunghai UniversityTaichung407Taiwan
| | - Chun‐Lin Huang
- Laboratory of Molecular PhylogeneticsDepartment of BiologyNational Museum of Natural ScienceTaichung407Taiwan
| | - Nathan G. Swenson
- Department of BiologyUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkMaryland21148
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41
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Chen Y, Wright SJ, Muller-Landau HC, Hubbell SP, Wang Y, Yu S. Positive effects of neighborhood complementarity on tree growth in a Neotropical forest. Ecology 2016; 97:776-85. [PMID: 27197403 DOI: 10.1890/15-0625.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Numerous grassland experiments have found evidence for a complementarity effect, an increase in productivity with higher plant species richness due to niche partitioning. However, empirical tests of complementarity in natural forests are rare. We conducted a spatially explicit analysis of 518 433 growth records for 274 species from a 50-ha tropical forest plot to test neighborhood complementarity, the idea that a tree grows faster when it is surrounded by more dissimilar neighbors. We found evidence for complementarity: focal tree growth rates increased by 39.8% and 34.2% with a doubling of neighborhood multi-trait dissimilarity and phylogenetic dissimilarity, respectively. Dissimilarity from neighbors in maximum height had the most important effect on tree growth among the six traits examined, and indeed, its effect trended much larger than that of the multitrait dissimilarity index. Neighborhood complementarity effects were strongest for light-demanding species, and decreased in importance with increasing shade tolerance of the focal individuals. Simulations demonstrated that the observed neighborhood complementarities were sufficient to produce positive stand-level biodiversity-productivity relationships. We conclude that neighborhood complementarity is important for productivity in this tropical forest, and that scaling down to individual-level processes can advance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying stand-level biodiversity-productivity relationships.
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42
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The effect of treefall gaps on the understorey structure and composition of the tropical dry forest of Nizanda, Oaxaca, Mexico: implications for forest regeneration. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467416000092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Abstract:The role of canopy gaps in tropical dry forest (TDF) dynamics remains unclear. Here, 75 canopy gaps, mostly formed by the fall of Bursera spp. and Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum individuals, are described, and their potential consequences for forest regeneration are analysed in a Mexican TDF. In 50 randomly selected gaps, understorey vegetation was sampled with a paired design (inside and outside gaps) and by distinguishing two plant height categories. In total, 1940 plants were recorded (63% in gaps and 37% in non-gap plots). Community attributes (density, community cover, taxonomic richness and Shannon diversity) were significantly higher for both height categories in gap plots. Conversely, neither an NMDS ordination nor a multinomial classification of 187 species by habitat affinities revealed floristic segregation between gaps and non-gaps; almost all species were classified as habitat generalists, with only a few opportunistic forbs (but no single tree species) being classified as gap specialists. The most important effects of gap formation are significant increases in plant abundance and species richness, but not a different species composition. Against earlier views that gap-phase dynamics is inconsequential for TDF dynamics, these results suggest a more active, albeit modest, role of treefall gaps in TDF, through promoting an abundant establishment.
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43
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Visser MD, Bruijning M, Wright SJ, Muller‐Landau HC, Jongejans E, Comita LS, Kroon H. Functional traits as predictors of vital rates across the life cycle of tropical trees. Funct Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marco D. Visser
- Department of Experimental Plant Ecology & Animal Ecology Institute for Water and Wetland Research Radboud University Heyendaalseweg 135 6525 AJ Nijmegen The Netherlands
- Department of Physiology Institute for Water and Wetland Research Radboud University Heyendaalseweg 135 6525 AJ Nijmegen The Netherlands
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Box 0843‐03092 Balboa Ancón Panama
| | - Marjolein Bruijning
- Department of Experimental Plant Ecology & Animal Ecology Institute for Water and Wetland Research Radboud University Heyendaalseweg 135 6525 AJ Nijmegen The Netherlands
- Department of Physiology Institute for Water and Wetland Research Radboud University Heyendaalseweg 135 6525 AJ Nijmegen The Netherlands
| | - S. Joseph Wright
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Box 0843‐03092 Balboa Ancón Panama
| | | | - Eelke Jongejans
- Department of Experimental Plant Ecology & Animal Ecology Institute for Water and Wetland Research Radboud University Heyendaalseweg 135 6525 AJ Nijmegen The Netherlands
- Department of Physiology Institute for Water and Wetland Research Radboud University Heyendaalseweg 135 6525 AJ Nijmegen The Netherlands
| | - Liza S. Comita
- School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Yale University New Haven CT 06511 USA
| | - Hans Kroon
- Department of Experimental Plant Ecology & Animal Ecology Institute for Water and Wetland Research Radboud University Heyendaalseweg 135 6525 AJ Nijmegen The Netherlands
- Department of Physiology Institute for Water and Wetland Research Radboud University Heyendaalseweg 135 6525 AJ Nijmegen The Netherlands
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44
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Aoyagi R, Imai N, Seino T, Kitayama K. Soil nutrients and size-dependent tree dynamics of tropical lowland forests on volcanic and sedimentary substrates in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. TROPICS 2016. [DOI: 10.3759/tropics.ms15-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ryota Aoyagi
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University
| | - Nobuo Imai
- Section of Ecology and Conservation, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University
| | - Tatsuyuki Seino
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba
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45
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Plant functional traits have globally consistent effects on competition. Nature 2015; 529:204-7. [PMID: 26700807 DOI: 10.1038/nature16476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 313] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2015] [Accepted: 11/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Phenotypic traits and their associated trade-offs have been shown to have globally consistent effects on individual plant physiological functions, but how these effects scale up to influence competition, a key driver of community assembly in terrestrial vegetation, has remained unclear. Here we use growth data from more than 3 million trees in over 140,000 plots across the world to show how three key functional traits--wood density, specific leaf area and maximum height--consistently influence competitive interactions. Fast maximum growth of a species was correlated negatively with its wood density in all biomes, and positively with its specific leaf area in most biomes. Low wood density was also correlated with a low ability to tolerate competition and a low competitive effect on neighbours, while high specific leaf area was correlated with a low competitive effect. Thus, traits generate trade-offs between performance with competition versus performance without competition, a fundamental ingredient in the classical hypothesis that the coexistence of plant species is enabled via differentiation in their successional strategies. Competition within species was stronger than between species, but an increase in trait dissimilarity between species had little influence in weakening competition. No benefit of dissimilarity was detected for specific leaf area or wood density, and only a weak benefit for maximum height. Our trait-based approach to modelling competition makes generalization possible across the forest ecosystems of the world and their highly diverse species composition.
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46
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Chi X, Tang Z, Xie Z, Guo Q, Zhang M, Ge J, Xiong G, Fang J. Effects of size, neighbors, and site condition on tree growth in a subtropical evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved mixed forest, China. Ecol Evol 2015; 5:5149-5161. [PMID: 30151120 PMCID: PMC6102529 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2015] [Revised: 07/18/2015] [Accepted: 07/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Successful growth of a tree is the result of combined effects of biotic and abiotic factors. It is important to understand how biotic and abiotic factors affect changes in forest structure and dynamics under environmental fluctuations. In this study, we explored the effects of initial size [diameter at breast height (DBH)], neighborhood competition, and site condition on tree growth, based on a 3-year monitoring of tree growth rate in a permanent plot (120 × 80 m) of montane Fagus engleriana-Cyclobalanopsis multiervis mixed forest on Mt. Shennongjia, China. We measured DBH increments every 6 months from October 2011 to October 2014 by field-made dendrometers and calculated the mean annual growth rate over the 3 years for each individual tree. We also measured and calculated twelve soil properties and five topographic variables for 384 grids of 5 × 5 m. We defined two distance-dependent neighborhood competition indices with and without considerations of phylogenetic relatedness between trees and tested for significant differences in growth rates among functional groups. On average, trees in this mixed montane forest grew 0.07 cm year-1 in DBH. Deciduous, canopy, and early-successional species grew faster than evergreen, small-statured, and late-successional species, respectively. Growth rates increased with initial DBH, but were not significantly related to neighborhood competition and site condition for overall trees. Phylogenetic relatedness between trees did not influence the neighborhood competition. Different factors were found to influence tree growth rates of different functional groups: Initial DBH was the dominant factor for all tree groups; neighborhood competition within 5 m radius decreased growth rates of evergreen trees; and site condition tended to be more related to growth rates of fast-growing trees (deciduous, canopy, pioneer, and early-successional species) than the slow-growing trees (evergreen, understory, and late-successional species).
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiulian Chi
- Department of EcologyCollege of Urban and Environmental Sciences and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface ProcessesPeking UniversityBeijing100871China
| | - Zhiyao Tang
- Department of EcologyCollege of Urban and Environmental Sciences and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface ProcessesPeking UniversityBeijing100871China
| | - Zongqiang Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental ChangeInstitute of BotanyChinese Academy of SciencesNo. 20 Nanxincun, XiangshanBeijing100093China
| | - Qiang Guo
- Department of EcologyCollege of Urban and Environmental Sciences and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface ProcessesPeking UniversityBeijing100871China
| | - Mi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental ChangeInstitute of BotanyChinese Academy of SciencesNo. 20 Nanxincun, XiangshanBeijing100093China
| | - Jielin Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental ChangeInstitute of BotanyChinese Academy of SciencesNo. 20 Nanxincun, XiangshanBeijing100093China
| | - Gaoming Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental ChangeInstitute of BotanyChinese Academy of SciencesNo. 20 Nanxincun, XiangshanBeijing100093China
| | - Jingyun Fang
- Department of EcologyCollege of Urban and Environmental Sciences and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface ProcessesPeking UniversityBeijing100871China
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Lasky JR, Bachelot B, Muscarella R, Schwartz N, Forero-Montaña J, Nytch CJ, Swenson NG, Thompson J, Zimmerman JK, Uriarte M. Ontogenetic shifts in trait-mediated mechanisms of plant community assembly. Ecology 2015; 96:2157-69. [PMID: 26405741 DOI: 10.1890/14-1809.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Identifying the processes that maintain highly diverse plant communities remains a central goal in ecology. Species variation in growth and survival rates across ontogeny, represented by tree size classes and life history stage-specific niche partitioning, are potentially important mechanisms for promoting forest diversity. However, the role of ontogeny in mediating competitive dynamics and promoting functional diversity is not well understood, particular in high-diversity systems such as tropical forests. The interaction between interspecific functional trait variation and ontogenetic shifts in competitive dynamics may yield insights into the ecophysiological mechanisms promoting community diversity. We investigated how functional trait (seed size, maximum height, SLA, leaf N, and wood density) associations with growth, survival, and response to competing neighbors differ among seedlings and two size classes of trees in a subtropical rain forest in Puerto Rico. We used a hierarchical Bayes model of diameter growth and survival to infer trait relationships with ontogenetic change in competitive dynamics. Traits were more strongly associated with average growth and survival than with neighborhood interactions, and were highly consistent across ontogeny for most traits. The associations between trait values and tree responses to crowding by neighbors showed significant shifts as trees grew. Large trees exhibited greater growth as the difference in species trait values among neighbors increased, suggesting trait-associated niche partitioning was important for the largest size class. Our results identify potential axes of niche partitioning and performance-equalizing functional trade-offs across ontogeny, promoting species coexistence in this diverse forest community.
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48
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Kröber W, Li Y, Härdtle W, Ma K, Schmid B, Schmidt K, Scholten T, Seidler G, von Oheimb G, Welk E, Wirth C, Bruelheide H. Early subtropical forest growth is driven by community mean trait values and functional diversity rather than the abiotic environment. Ecol Evol 2015; 5:3541-56. [PMID: 26380685 PMCID: PMC4567860 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2015] [Revised: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 06/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
While functional diversity (FD) has been shown to be positively related to a number of ecosystem functions including biomass production, it may have a much less pronounced effect than that of environmental factors or species-specific properties. Leaf and wood traits can be considered particularly relevant to tree growth, as they reflect a trade-off between resources invested into growth and persistence. Our study focussed on the degree to which early forest growth was driven by FD, the environment (11 variables characterizing abiotic habitat conditions), and community-weighted mean (CWM) values of species traits in the context of a large-scale tree diversity experiment (BEF-China). Growth rates of trees with respect to crown diameter were aggregated across 231 plots (hosting between one and 23 tree species) and related to environmental variables, FD, and CWM, the latter two of which were based on 41 plant functional traits. The effects of each of the three predictor groups were analyzed separately by mixed model optimization and jointly by variance partitioning. Numerous single traits predicted plot-level tree growth, both in the models based on CWMs and FD, but none of the environmental variables was able to predict tree growth. In the best models, environment and FD explained only 4 and 31% of variation in crown growth rates, respectively, while CWM trait values explained 42%. In total, the best models accounted for 51% of crown growth. The marginal role of the selected environmental variables was unexpected, given the high topographic heterogeneity and large size of the experiment, as was the significant impact of FD, demonstrating that positive diversity effects already occur during the early stages in tree plantations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenzel Kröber
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical GardenAm Kirchtor 1, D-06108, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Ying Li
- Faculty of Sustainability, Institute of Ecology, Leuphana University LüneburgScharnhorststr. 1, D-21335, Lüneburg, Germany
| | - Werner Härdtle
- Faculty of Sustainability, Institute of Ecology, Leuphana University LüneburgScharnhorststr. 1, D-21335, Lüneburg, Germany
| | - Keping Ma
- Institute of Botany, CAS20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Bernhard Schmid
- University of ZurichWinterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Karsten Schmidt
- Physical Geography and Soil Science, University of TübingenRümelinstraße 19-23, D-72070, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Scholten
- Physical Geography and Soil Science, University of TübingenRümelinstraße 19-23, D-72070, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Gunnar Seidler
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical GardenAm Kirchtor 1, D-06108, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Goddert von Oheimb
- Institute of General Ecology and Environmental Protection, Technische Universität DresdenPienner Str. 7, 01737, Tharandt, Germany
| | - Erik Welk
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical GardenAm Kirchtor 1, D-06108, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Christian Wirth
- University of LeipzigJohannisallee 21–23, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-LeipzigDeutscher Platz 5e, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Helge Bruelheide
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical GardenAm Kirchtor 1, D-06108, Halle (Saale), Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-LeipzigDeutscher Platz 5e, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany
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Sakschewski B, von Bloh W, Boit A, Rammig A, Kattge J, Poorter L, Peñuelas J, Thonicke K. Leaf and stem economics spectra drive diversity of functional plant traits in a dynamic global vegetation model. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2015; 21:2711-2725. [PMID: 25611734 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2014] [Accepted: 12/23/2014] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Functional diversity is critical for ecosystem dynamics, stability and productivity. However, dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) which are increasingly used to simulate ecosystem functions under global change, condense functional diversity to plant functional types (PFTs) with constant parameters. Here, we develop an individual- and trait-based version of the DGVM LPJmL (Lund-Potsdam-Jena managed Land) called LPJmL- flexible individual traits (LPJmL-FIT) with flexible individual traits) which we apply to generate plant trait maps for the Amazon basin. LPJmL-FIT incorporates empirical ranges of five traits of tropical trees extracted from the TRY global plant trait database, namely specific leaf area (SLA), leaf longevity (LL), leaf nitrogen content (Narea ), the maximum carboxylation rate of Rubisco per leaf area (vcmaxarea), and wood density (WD). To scale the individual growth performance of trees, the leaf traits are linked by trade-offs based on the leaf economics spectrum, whereas wood density is linked to tree mortality. No preselection of growth strategies is taking place, because individuals with unique trait combinations are uniformly distributed at tree establishment. We validate the modeled trait distributions by empirical trait data and the modeled biomass by a remote sensing product along a climatic gradient. Including trait variability and trade-offs successfully predicts natural trait distributions and achieves a more realistic representation of functional diversity at the local to regional scale. As sites of high climatic variability, the fringes of the Amazon promote trait divergence and the coexistence of multiple tree growth strategies, while lower plant trait diversity is found in the species-rich center of the region with relatively low climatic variability. LPJmL-FIT enables to test hypotheses on the effects of functional biodiversity on ecosystem functioning and to apply the DGVM to current challenges in ecosystem management from local to global scales, that is, deforestation and climate change effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris Sakschewski
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Telegraphenberg A31, Potsdam, 14473, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Werner von Bloh
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Telegraphenberg A31, Potsdam, 14473, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Alice Boit
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Telegraphenberg A31, Potsdam, 14473, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Anja Rammig
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Telegraphenberg A31, Potsdam, 14473, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Jens Kattge
- Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, 07745, Germany
| | - Lourens Poorter
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, Wageningen, 6700AA, The Netherlands
| | - Josep Peñuelas
- Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, CSIC, Cerdanyola del Vallés, 08193, Catalonia, Spain
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Kirsten Thonicke
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Telegraphenberg A31, Potsdam, 14473, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, 14195, Germany
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50
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Laughlin DC, Messier J. Fitness of multidimensional phenotypes in dynamic adaptive landscapes. Trends Ecol Evol 2015; 30:487-96. [PMID: 26122484 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2015.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2015] [Revised: 05/28/2015] [Accepted: 06/04/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Phenotypic traits influence species distributions, but ecology lacks established links between multidimensional phenotypes and fitness for predicting species responses to environmental change. The common focus on single traits rather than multiple trait combinations limits our understanding of their adaptive value, and intraspecific trait covariation has been neglected in ecology despite its importance in evolutionary theory and its likely impact on species distributions. Here, we extend the adaptive landscape framework to ecological sorting of multidimensional phenotypes across environments and discuss how two analytical approaches can be used to quantify fitness as a function of the interaction between the phenotype and the environment. We encourage ecologists to consider how phenotypic integration will constrain species responses to environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel C Laughlin
- Environmental Research Institute and School of Science, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand.
| | - Julie Messier
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, 1041 E. Lowell Street, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
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