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Ortiz-Colin P, Hulshof CM. Ecotones as Windows into Organismal-to-Biome Scale Responses across Neotropical Forests. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:2396. [PMID: 39273880 PMCID: PMC11397621 DOI: 10.3390/plants13172396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2024] [Revised: 08/17/2024] [Accepted: 08/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024]
Abstract
Tropical forests are incredibly diverse in structure and function. Despite, or perhaps because of, this diversity, tropical biologists often conduct research exclusively in one or perhaps a few forest types. Rarely do we study the ecotone-the interstitial region between forest types. Ecotones are hyper-diverse, dynamic systems that control the flow of energy and organisms between adjacent ecosystems, with their locations determined by species' physiological limits. In this review, we describe how studying ecotones can provide key indicators for monitoring the state of Neotropical forests from organisms to ecosystems. We first describe how ecotones have been studied in the past and summarize our current understanding of tropical ecotones. Next, we provide three example lines of research focusing on the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of the ecotone between tropical dry forests and desert; between tropical dry and rainforests; and between Cerrado and Atlantic rainforests, with the latter being a particularly well-studied ecotone. Lastly, we outline methods and tools for studying ecotones that combine remote sensing, new statistical techniques, and field-based forest dynamics plot data, among others, for understanding these important systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Perla Ortiz-Colin
- Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
| | - Catherine M Hulshof
- Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
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Yang J, Li X, Yang J, Yu S, Zhang H, Yang B. Variation in plant functional traits explains the substitution distribution and allocation strategy of Stipa species across natural grasslands of Ningxia, Northern China. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e70164. [PMID: 39130094 PMCID: PMC11315868 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 06/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Functional traits reflect plants' adaptability to their environment, and environmental gradients influence their distribution. But few studies have investigated the link between these traits and species substitution patterns or the relevant ecological factors. We measured the aboveground (leaf) and belowground (root) functional traits of Stipa species in 17 plots across natural grasslands in Ningxia in Northern China. Redundancy analysis was used to explore the relationships between Stipa's functional traits and its species substitution distribution. Then, on the species substitution gradient, principal component analysis (PCA) was used to verify and quantify the leaf economic spectrum (LES), root economic spectrum (RES), and whole-plant economic spectrum (WPES), with the relation between these spectra investigated by fitting standardized major axis regressions. The effects of aboveground, belowground, and whole-plant ecological factors were quantified and ranked by variance decomposition and hierarchical partitioning. Our results showed that functional traits drive the substitution distribution of Stipa species, in being variously coupled with its desert, typical, and meadow steppe habitat types. The leaf, root, and whole-plant economic spectra of Stipa species in desert steppe exhibit a "quick investment-acquisition" strategy. In typical steppe, the leaf and whole-plant economic spectra of Stipa species correspond to a "fast investment-acquisition" strategy, whereas the root economic spectrum adopts a "slow investment-acquisition" strategy. On meadow steppe, the leaf, root, and whole-plant economic spectra of Stipa species similarly adopt a "slow investment-acquisition" strategy. Finally, when considering the environmental factors involved, we find that the substitution distribution of Stipa spp. is chiefly a response to shifting soil patterns, these mainly driven by soil total nitrogen and nitrogen/phosphorus ratio. Collectively, these findings provide an important reference for the ecological restoration and reconstruction of grassland ecosystems, to better understand the relationship between plant functional traits and ecological niche attributes, and thus guide the reasonable restoration of grassland vegetation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Yang
- College of Forestry and PratacutureNingxia UniversityYinchuanChina
| | - Xiaowei Li
- College of Forestry and PratacutureNingxia UniversityYinchuanChina
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Land Degradation and Ecological Restoration of Northwest ChinaNingxia UniversityYinchuanChina
| | - Junlong Yang
- College of Forestry and PratacutureNingxia UniversityYinchuanChina
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Land Degradation and Ecological Restoration of Northwest ChinaNingxia UniversityYinchuanChina
| | - Shuang Yu
- College of Forestry and PratacutureNingxia UniversityYinchuanChina
| | - Hongmei Zhang
- College of Forestry and PratacutureNingxia UniversityYinchuanChina
| | - Bo Yang
- College of Forestry and PratacutureNingxia UniversityYinchuanChina
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3
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Yin XH, Hao GY, Sterck F. Ring- and diffuse-porous tree species from a cold temperate forest diverge in stem hydraulic traits, leaf photosynthetic traits, growth rate and altitudinal distribution. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 43:722-736. [PMID: 36715627 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpad008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
In cold and humid temperate forests, low temperature, late frost and frequent freeze-thaw cycles are the main factors limiting tree growth and survival. Ring- and diffuse-porous tree species differing in xylem anatomy coexist in these forests, but their divergent adaptations to these factors have been poorly explored. To fill this knowledge gap, we compared four ring-porous and four diffuse-porous tree species from the same temperate forest in Northeast China by quantifying their leaf and stem functional traits, their stem growth rates using tree ring analysis and their resistance to cold represented by upper altitude species distribution borders from survey data. We found that the ring-porous trees were characterized by traits related to more rapid water transport, carbon gain and stem growth rates than those of the diffuse-porous species. Compared with the diffuse-porous species, the ring-porous species had a significantly higher shoot hydraulic conductance (Ks-shoot, 0.52 vs 1.03 kg m-1 s-1 MPa-1), leaf photosynthetic rate (An, 11.28 vs 15.83 μmol m-2 s-1), relative basal area increment (BAIr, 2.28 vs 0.72 cm year-1) and stem biomass increment (M, 0.34 vs 0.09 kg year-1 m-1). However, the observed upper elevational distribution limit of the diffuse-porous species was higher than that of the ring-porous species and was associated with higher values of conservative traits, such as longer leaf life span (R2 = 0.52). Correspondingly, BAIr and M showed significant positive correlations with acquisitive traits such as Ks-shoot (R2 = 0.77) and leaf photosynthetic rate (R2 = 0.73) across the eight species, with the ring-porous species occurring at the fast-acquisitive side of the spectrum and the diffuse-porous species located on the opposite side. The observed contrasts in functional traits between the two species groups improved our understanding of their differences in terms of growth strategies and adaptive capabilities in the cold, humid temperate forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Han Yin
- Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Neutrality, Shengyang, Liaoning 110016, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shengyang, Liaoning 110016, China
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Guang-You Hao
- Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Neutrality, Shengyang, Liaoning 110016, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shengyang, Liaoning 110016, China
| | - Frank Sterck
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Yin X, Hao G, Sterck F. A trade‐off between growth and hydraulic resilience against freezing leads to divergent adaptations among temperate tree species. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiao‐Han Yin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management & Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Neutrality, Liaoning Province Institute of Applied Ecology Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenyang China
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group Wageningen University Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Guang‐You Hao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management & Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Neutrality, Liaoning Province Institute of Applied Ecology Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenyang China
| | - Frank Sterck
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group Wageningen University Wageningen The Netherlands
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Yang S, Sterck FJ, Sass-Klaassen U, Cornelissen JHC, van Logtestijn RSP, Hefting M, Goudzwaard L, Zuo J, Poorter L. Stem Trait Spectra Underpin Multiple Functions of Temperate Tree Species. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:769551. [PMID: 35310622 PMCID: PMC8930200 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.769551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
A central paradigm in comparative ecology is that species sort out along a slow-fast resource economy spectrum of plant strategies, but this has been rarely tested for a comprehensive set of stem traits and compartments. We tested how stem traits vary across wood and bark of temperate tree species, whether a slow-fast strategy spectrum exists, and what traits make up this plant strategy spectrum. For 14 temperate tree species, 20 anatomical, chemical, and morphological traits belonging to six key stem functions were measured for three stem compartments (inner wood, outer wood, and bark). The trait variation was explained by major taxa (38%), stem compartments (24%), and species within major taxa (19%). A continuous plant strategy gradient was found across and within taxa, running from hydraulic safe gymnosperms to conductive angiosperms. Both groups showed a second strategy gradient related to chemical defense. Gymnosperms strongly converged in their trait strategies because of their uniform tracheids. Angiosperms strongly diverged because of their different vessel arrangement and tissue types. The bark had higher concentrations of nutrients and phenolics whereas the wood had stronger physical defense. The gymnosperms have a conservative strategy associated with strong hydraulic safety and physical defense, and a narrow, specialized range of trait values, which allow them to grow well in drier and unproductive habitats. The angiosperm species show a wider trait variation in all stem compartments, which makes them successful in marginal- and in mesic, productive habitats. The associations between multiple wood and bark traits collectively define a slow-fast stem strategy spectrum as is seen also for each stem compartment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanshan Yang
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
- *Correspondence: Shanshan Yang, ;
| | - Frank J. Sterck
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Ute Sass-Klaassen
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - J. Hans C. Cornelissen
- Department of Ecological Science, Systems Ecology, VU University (Vrije Universiteit) Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Richard S. P. van Logtestijn
- Department of Ecological Science, Systems Ecology, VU University (Vrije Universiteit) Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Mariet Hefting
- Landscape Ecology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Leo Goudzwaard
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Juan Zuo
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Lourens Poorter
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
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Temperature and soils predict the distribution of plant species along the Himalayan elevational gradient. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1017/s026646742100050x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
AbstractTropical montane systems are characterized by a high plant species diversity and complex environmental gradients. Climate warming may force species to track suitable climatic conditions and shift their distribution upward, which may be particularly problematic for species with narrow elevational ranges. To better understand the fate of montane plant species in the face of climate change, we evaluated a) which environmental factors best predict the distribution of 277 plant species along the Himalayan elevational gradient in Nepal, and b) whether species elevational ranges increase with increasing elevation. To this end, we developed ecological niche models using MaxEnt by combining species survey and presence data with 19 environmental predictors. Key environmental factors that best predicted the distribution of Himalayan plant species were mean annual temperature (for 54.5% of the species) followed by soil clay content (10.2%) and slope (9.4%). Although temperature is the best predictor, it is associated with many other covariates that may explain species distribution, such as irradiance and potential evapotranspiration. Species at both ends of the Himalayan elevational gradient had narrower elevational ranges than species in the middle. Our results suggest that with further global warming, most Himalayan plant species have to migrate upward, which is especially critical for upland species with narrow distribution ranges.
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Liu Q, Sterck FJ, Zhang JL, Scheire A, Konings E, Cao M, Sha LQ, Poorter L. Traits, strategies, and niches of liana species in a tropical seasonal rainforest. Oecologia 2021; 196:499-514. [PMID: 34023971 PMCID: PMC8241640 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04937-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Plant functional traits and strategies hold the promise to explain species distribution, but few studies have linked multiple traits to multiple niche dimensions (i.e., light, water, and nutrients). Here, we analyzed for 29 liana species in a Chinese tropical seasonal rainforest how: (1) trait associations and trade-offs lead to different plant strategies; and (2) how these traits shape species' niche dimensions. Eighteen functional traits related to light, water, and nutrient use were measured and species niche dimensions were quantified using species distribution in a 20-ha plot combined with data on canopy gaps, topographic water availability, and soil nutrients. We found a tissue toughness spectrum ranging from soft to hard tissues along which species also varied from acquisitive to conservative water use, and a resource acquisition spectrum ranging from low to high light capture and nutrient use. Intriguingly, each spectrum partly reflected the conservative-acquisitive paradigm, but at the same time, the tissue toughness and the resource acquisition spectrum were uncoupled. Resource niche dimensions were better predicted by individual traits than by multivariate plant strategies. This suggests that trait components that underlie multivariate strategy axes, rather than the plant strategies themselves determine species distributions. Different traits were important for different niche dimensions. In conclusion, plant functional traits and strategies can indeed explain species distributions, but not in a simple and straight forward way. Although the identification of global plant strategies has significantly advanced the field, this research shows that global, multivariate generalizations are difficult to translate to local conditions, as different components of these strategies are important under different local conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Liu
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan, 666303, China
| | - Frank J Sterck
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jiao-Lin Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan, 666303, China.
| | - Arne Scheire
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Evelien Konings
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Min Cao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan, 666303, China
| | - Li-Qing Sha
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan, 666303, China
| | - Lourens Poorter
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University and Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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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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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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10
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Janssen TAJ, Hölttä T, Fleischer K, Naudts K, Dolman H. Wood allocation trade-offs between fiber wall, fiber lumen, and axial parenchyma drive drought resistance in neotropical trees. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2020; 43:965-980. [PMID: 31760666 PMCID: PMC7155043 DOI: 10.1111/pce.13687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Functional relationships between wood density and measures of xylem hydraulic safety and efficiency are ambiguous, especially in wet tropical forests. In this meta-analysis, we move beyond wood density per se and identify relationships between xylem allocated to fibers, parenchyma, and vessels and measures of hydraulic safety and efficiency. We analyzed published data of xylem traits, hydraulic properties and measures of drought resistance from neotropical tree species retrieved from 346 sources. We found that xylem volume allocation to fiber walls increases embolism resistance, but at the expense of specific conductivity and sapwood capacitance. Xylem volume investment in fiber lumen increases capacitance, while investment in axial parenchyma is associated with higher specific conductivity. Dominant tree taxa from wet forests prioritize xylem allocation to axial parenchyma at the expense of fiber walls, resulting in a low embolism resistance for a given wood density and a high vulnerability to drought-induced mortality. We conclude that strong trade-offs between xylem allocation to fiber walls, fiber lumen, and axial parenchyma drive drought resistance in neotropical trees. Moreover, the benefits of xylem allocation to axial parenchyma in wet tropical trees might not outweigh the consequential low embolism resistance under more frequent and severe droughts in a changing climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A. J. Janssen
- Department of Earth Sciences, Cluster Earth and ClimateVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Teemu Hölttä
- Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research/Forest Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and ForestryUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | - Katrin Fleischer
- Land Surface‐Atmosphere InteractionsTechnical University of MunichFreisingGermany
| | - Kim Naudts
- Department of Earth Sciences, Cluster Earth and ClimateVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Han Dolman
- Department of Earth Sciences, Cluster Earth and ClimateVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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11
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Swinfield T, Both S, Riutta T, Bongalov B, Elias D, Majalap‐Lee N, Ostle N, Svátek M, Kvasnica J, Milodowski D, Jucker T, Ewers RM, Zhang Y, Johnson D, Teh YA, Burslem DFRP, Malhi Y, Coomes D. Imaging spectroscopy reveals the effects of topography and logging on the leaf chemistry of tropical forest canopy trees. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:989-1002. [PMID: 31845482 PMCID: PMC7027875 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Logging, pervasive across the lowland tropics, affects millions of hectares of forest, yet its influence on nutrient cycling remains poorly understood. One hypothesis is that logging influences phosphorus (P) cycling, because this scarce nutrient is removed in extracted timber and eroded soil, leading to shifts in ecosystem functioning and community composition. However, testing this is challenging because P varies within landscapes as a function of geology, topography and climate. Superimposed upon these trends are compositional changes in logged forests, with species with more acquisitive traits, characterized by higher foliar P concentrations, more dominant. It is difficult to resolve these patterns using traditional field approaches alone. Here, we use airborne light detection and ranging-guided hyperspectral imagery to map foliar nutrient (i.e. P, nitrogen [N]) concentrations, calibrated using field measured traits, over 400 km2 of northeastern Borneo, including a landscape-level disturbance gradient spanning old-growth to repeatedly logged forests. The maps reveal that canopy foliar P and N concentrations decrease with elevation. These relationships were not identified using traditional field measurements of leaf and soil nutrients. After controlling for topography, canopy foliar nutrient concentrations were lower in logged forest than in old-growth areas, reflecting decreased nutrient availability. However, foliar nutrient concentrations and specific leaf area were greatest in relatively short patches in logged areas, reflecting a shift in composition to pioneer species with acquisitive traits. N:P ratio increased in logged forest, suggesting reduced soil P availability through disturbance. Through the first landscape scale assessment of how functional leaf traits change in response to logging, we find that differences from old-growth forest become more pronounced as logged forests increase in stature over time, suggesting exacerbated phosphorus limitation as forests recover.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Swinfield
- Forest Ecology and Conservation GroupDepartment of Plant SciencesUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Centre for Conservation ScienceRoyal Society for the Protection of BirdsCambridgeUK
| | - Sabine Both
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of AberdeenAberdeenUK
- Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSWAustralia
| | - Terhi Riutta
- Environmental Change InstituteSchool of Geography and the EnvironmentUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Boris Bongalov
- Forest Ecology and Conservation GroupDepartment of Plant SciencesUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Dafydd Elias
- Centre for Ecology & HydrologyLancaster Environment CentreLancasterUK
- Lancaster Environment CentreLancaster UniversityLancasterUK
| | | | - Nicholas Ostle
- Lancaster Environment CentreLancaster UniversityLancasterUK
| | - Martin Svátek
- Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology and GeobiocoenologyFaculty of Forestry and Wood TechnologyMendel University in BrnoBrnoCzech Republic
| | - Jakub Kvasnica
- Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology and GeobiocoenologyFaculty of Forestry and Wood TechnologyMendel University in BrnoBrnoCzech Republic
| | - David Milodowski
- School of GeoSciencesUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
- National Centre for Earth ObservationUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Tommaso Jucker
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | | | - Yi Zhang
- Forest Ecology and Conservation GroupDepartment of Plant SciencesUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - David Johnson
- School of Earth and Environmental SciencesThe University of ManchesterManchesterUK
| | - Yit Arn Teh
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of AberdeenAberdeenUK
| | | | - Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change InstituteSchool of Geography and the EnvironmentUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - David Coomes
- Forest Ecology and Conservation GroupDepartment of Plant SciencesUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
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12
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Kupers SJ, Wirth C, Engelbrecht BMJ, Hernández A, Condit R, Wright SJ, Rüger N. Performance of tropical forest seedlings under shade and drought: an interspecific trade-off in demographic responses. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18784. [PMID: 31827158 PMCID: PMC6906455 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55256-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Seedlings in moist tropical forests must cope with deep shade and seasonal drought. However, the interspecific relationship between seedling performance in shade and drought remains unsettled. We quantified spatiotemporal variation in shade and drought in the seasonal moist tropical forest on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama, and estimated responses of naturally regenerating seedlings as the slope of the relationship between performance and shade or drought intensity. Our performance metrics were relative height growth and first-year survival. We investigated the relationship between shade and drought responses for up to 63 species. There was an interspecific trade-off in species responses to shade versus species responses to dry season intensity; species that performed worse in the shade did not suffer during severe dry seasons and vice versa. This trade-off emerged in part from the absence of species that performed particularly well or poorly in both drought and shade. If drought stress in tropical forests increases with climate change and as solar radiation is higher during droughts, the trade-off may reinforce a shift towards species that resist drought but perform poorly in the shade by releasing them from deep shade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan J Kupers
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Christian Wirth
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21-23, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Bettina M J Engelbrecht
- Department of Plant Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Panama
| | - Andrés Hernández
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Panama
| | - Richard Condit
- Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL, 60605, USA
- Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL, 60532-1293, USA
| | - S Joseph Wright
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Panama
| | - Nadja Rüger
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Panama
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13
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Zakharova L, Meyer K, Seifan M. Trait-based modelling in ecology: A review of two decades of research. Ecol Modell 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2019.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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14
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Gardner AS, Maclean IM, Gaston KJ. Climatic predictors of species distributions neglect biophysiologically meaningful variables. DIVERS DISTRIB 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra S. Gardner
- Environment and Sustainability Institute University of Exeter Penryn Cornwall UK
| | - Ilya M.D. Maclean
- Environment and Sustainability Institute University of Exeter Penryn Cornwall UK
| | - Kevin J. Gaston
- Environment and Sustainability Institute University of Exeter Penryn Cornwall UK
- Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin Institute for Advanced Study Berlin Germany
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15
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Gorel A, Steppe K, Beeckman H, De Baerdemaeker NJF, Doucet J, Ligot G, Daïnou K, Fayolle A. Testing the divergent adaptation of two congeneric tree species on a rainfall gradient using eco‐physio‐morphological traits. Biotropica 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anaïs‐Pasiphaé Gorel
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Forest is lifeGembloux Agro‐Bio TechUniversity of Liège Gembloux Belgium
| | - Kathy Steppe
- Laboratory of Plant EcologyDepartment of Plants and CropsFaculty of Bioscience EngineeringGhent University Ghent Belgium
| | - Hans Beeckman
- Laboratory for Wood Biology and XylariumRoyal Museum for Central Africa Tervuren Belgium
| | - Niels J. F. De Baerdemaeker
- Laboratory of Plant EcologyDepartment of Plants and CropsFaculty of Bioscience EngineeringGhent University Ghent Belgium
| | - Jean‐Louis Doucet
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Forest is lifeGembloux Agro‐Bio TechUniversity of Liège Gembloux Belgium
| | - Gauthier Ligot
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Forest is lifeGembloux Agro‐Bio TechUniversity of Liège Gembloux Belgium
| | - Kasso Daïnou
- School of Forestry and Wood EngineeringNational University of Agriculture Ketou Benin
| | - Adeline Fayolle
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Forest is lifeGembloux Agro‐Bio TechUniversity of Liège Gembloux Belgium
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16
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Yang Y, Dou Y, An S, Zhu Z. Abiotic and biotic factors modulate plant biomass and root/shoot (R/S) ratios in grassland on the Loess Plateau, China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 636:621-631. [PMID: 29723835 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Revised: 04/16/2018] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Plant biomass and the root/shoot ratio (R/S) are key parameters for estimating terrestrial ecosystem carbon (C) stocks. However, how environmental driving factors (abiotic and biotic factors) modulate plant biomass and R/S has not been well investigated on the Loess Plateau. Here, we tested the impacts of abiotic and biotic driving factors on plant biomass and R/S and whether they are in accordance with optimal partitioning theory in natural grassland in this region. The results showed that above-ground biomass (AGB) and below-ground biomass (BGB) were 63.96 g·m-2 and 311.18 g·m-2, respectively, and that R/S ranged from 0.13 to 0.46, with high spatial heterogeneity. There was a strong positive linear relationship between AGB and BGB (p < 0.05) in accordance with optimal partitioning theory. A principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that the topographic properties (Slope position, Slope gradient and Altitude) were negatively correlated with the soil physical properties (Ec,Electric conductivity; BD, Bulk density; ST, Soil temperature; and SM, Soil moisture) and positively correlated with the soil chemical properties (SOC, Soil organic carbon; TN, Total nitrogen; SMBC, Soil microbial biomass carbon and SMBN, Soil microbial biomass nitrogen), while soil total phosphorus (TP) was not correlated with the soil physical properties (p > 0.05). Structural equation modeling (SEM) suggested that R/S is indirectly driven by plant properties (Height, Density, Coverage), which are determined by soil and topographic properties. However, only 5% of R/S was explained by the soil physical properties and topographic properties, suggesting that these factors had no significant effect on R/S. The data do, however, provide information for quantifying C stocks in natural grassland on the Loess Plateau. Further, ecologists should focus on mechanistic and fresh approaches to understanding the abiotic and biotic factors influencing plant biomass and R/S.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Yang
- College of Natural Resource and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Yanxing Dou
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Shaoshan An
- College of Natural Resource and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China; State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China.
| | - Zhaolong Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
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17
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Messier J, Violle C, Enquist BJ, Lechowicz MJ, McGill BJ. Similarities and differences in intrapopulation trait correlations of co-occurring tree species: consistent water-use relationships amid widely different correlation patterns. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2018; 105:1477-1490. [PMID: 30216410 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY General relationships among functional traits have been identified across species, but the forces shaping these relationships remain largely unknown. Adopting an approach from evolutionary biology, we studied similarities and differences in intrapopulation trait correlations among locally co-occurring tree species to assess the roles of constraints, phylogeny, and the environmental niche in shaping multivariate phenotypes. We tested the hypotheses (1) that intrapopulation correlations among functional traits are largely shaped by fundamental trade-offs or constraints and (2) that differences among species reflect adaptation to their environmental niches. METHODS We compared pairwise correlations and correlation matrices of 17 key functional traits within and among temperate tree species. These traits describe three well-established trade-off dimensions characterizing interspecific relationships among physiological functions: resource acquisition and conservation; sap transport and mechanical support; and branch architecture. KEY RESULTS Six trait pairs are consistently correlated within populations. Of these, only one involves dimensionally independent traits: LMA-δ13 C. For all other traits, intrapopulation functional trait correlations are weak, are species-specific, and differ from interspecific correlations. Species intrapopulation correlation matrices are related to neither phylogeny nor environmental niche. CONCLUSIONS The results (1) suggest that the functional design of these species is centered on efficient water use, (2) highlight flexibility in plant functional design across species, and (3) suggest that intrapopulation, local interspecific, and global interspecific correlations are shaped by processes acting at each of these scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Messier
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 85721, USA
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Cyrille Violle
- CNRS, CEFE UMR 5175, Université de Montpellier-Université Paul Valéry-EPHE, Montpellier, 34293, France
| | - Brian J Enquist
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 85721, USA
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87501, USA
| | | | - Brian J McGill
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, 04469, USA
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18
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Amissah L, Mohren GMJ, Kyereh B, Agyeman VK, Poorter L. Rainfall seasonality and drought performance shape the distribution of tropical tree species in Ghana. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:8582-8597. [PMID: 30250725 PMCID: PMC6144999 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2016] [Revised: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Tree species distribution in lowland tropical forests is strongly associated with rainfall amount and distribution. Not only plant water availability, but also irradiance, soil fertility, and pest pressure covary along rainfall gradients. To assess the role of water availability in shaping species distribution, we carried out a reciprocal transplanting experiment in gaps in a dry and a wet forest site in Ghana, using 2,670 seedlings of 23 tree species belonging to three contrasting rainfall distributions groups (dry species, ubiquitous species, and wet species). We evaluated seasonal patterns in climatic conditions, seedling physiology and performance (survival and growth) over a 2-year period and related seedling performance to species distribution along Ghana's rainfall gradient. The dry forest site had, compared to the wet forest, higher irradiance, and soil nutrient availability and experienced stronger atmospheric drought (2.0 vs. 0.6 kPa vapor pressure deficit) and reduced soil water potential (-5.0 vs. -0.6 MPa soil water potential) during the dry season. In both forests, dry species showed significantly higher stomatal conductance and lower leaf water potential, than wet species, and in the dry forest, dry species also realized higher drought survival and growth rate than wet species. Dry species are therefore more drought tolerant, and unlike the wet forest species, they achieve a home advantage. Species drought performance in the dry forest relative to the wet forest significantly predicted species position on the rainfall gradient in Ghana, indicating that the ability to grow and survive better in dry forests and during dry seasons may allow species to occur in low rainfall areas. Drought is therefore an important environmental filter that influences forest composition and dynamics. Currently, many tropical forests experience increase in frequency and intensity of droughts, and our results suggest that this may lead to reduction in tree productivity and shifts in species distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy Amissah
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research‐Forestry Research Institute of GhanaKumasiGhana
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management GroupWageningen University & ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Godefridus M. J. Mohren
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management GroupWageningen University & ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Boateng Kyereh
- College of Agriculture and Natural ResourcesKwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyKumasiGhana
| | - Victor K. Agyeman
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research‐Forestry Research Institute of GhanaKumasiGhana
| | - Lourens Poorter
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management GroupWageningen University & ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
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19
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Liberati D, de Dato G, Guidolotti G, De Angelis P. Linking photosynthetic performances with the changes in cover degree of three Mediterranean shrubs under climate manipulation. OIKOS 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.05263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dario Liberati
- Dept for Innovation in Biological, Agro-Food and Forest Systems (DIBAF); Univ. of Tuscia; Viterbo Italy
| | - Giovanbattista de Dato
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA); Research Centre for Forestry and Wood; Arezzo Italy
| | - Gabriele Guidolotti
- Dept for Innovation in Biological, Agro-Food and Forest Systems (DIBAF); Univ. of Tuscia; Viterbo Italy
- Inst. for Agro-Environment and Forest Biology (IBAF); National Research Council of Italy (CNR); Porano (TR) Italy
| | - Paolo De Angelis
- Dept for Innovation in Biological, Agro-Food and Forest Systems (DIBAF); Univ. of Tuscia; Viterbo Italy
- Div. of Impact Studies and Physiological Analyses; Global Change Research Centre; Brno Czech Republic
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20
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Esquivel-Muelbert A, Galbraith D, Dexter KG, Baker TR, Lewis SL, Meir P, Rowland L, Costa ACLD, Nepstad D, Phillips OL. Biogeographic distributions of neotropical trees reflect their directly measured drought tolerances. Sci Rep 2017; 7:8334. [PMID: 28827613 PMCID: PMC5567183 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-08105-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
High levels of species diversity hamper current understanding of how tropical forests may respond to environmental change. In the tropics, water availability is a leading driver of the diversity and distribution of tree species, suggesting that many tropical taxa may be physiologically incapable of tolerating dry conditions, and that their distributions along moisture gradients can be used to predict their drought tolerance. While this hypothesis has been explored at local and regional scales, large continental-scale tests are lacking. We investigate whether the relationship between drought-induced mortality and distributions holds continentally by relating experimental and observational data of drought-induced mortality across the Neotropics to the large-scale bioclimatic distributions of 115 tree genera. Across the different experiments, genera affiliated to wetter climatic regimes show higher drought-induced mortality than dry-affiliated ones, even after controlling for phylogenetic relationships. This pattern is stronger for adult trees than for saplings or seedlings, suggesting that the environmental filters exerted by drought impact adult tree survival most strongly. Overall, our analysis of experimental, observational, and bioclimatic data across neotropical forests suggests that increasing moisture-stress is indeed likely to drive significant changes in floristic composition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David Galbraith
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Kyle G Dexter
- Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, EH3 5LR, Edinburgh, UK
- School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Timothy R Baker
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Simon L Lewis
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
- Department of Geography, University College London, London, UK
| | - Patrick Meir
- School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Lucy Rowland
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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21
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Zhang S, Huang Y, Zang R. The assembly and interactions of tree species in tropical forests based on spatial analysis. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Shuzi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment; The State Forestry Administration; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection; Chinese Academy of Forestry; Beijing 100091 China
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China; Nanjing Forestry University; Nanjing Jiangsu 210037 China
| | - Yunfeng Huang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment; The State Forestry Administration; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection; Chinese Academy of Forestry; Beijing 100091 China
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China; Nanjing Forestry University; Nanjing Jiangsu 210037 China
| | - Runguo Zang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment; The State Forestry Administration; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection; Chinese Academy of Forestry; Beijing 100091 China
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China; Nanjing Forestry University; Nanjing Jiangsu 210037 China
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22
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Wei X, Savage JA, Riggs CE, Cavender‐Bares J. An experimental test of fitness variation across a hydrologic gradient predicts willow and poplar species distributions. Ecology 2017; 98:1311-1323. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2016] [Revised: 01/25/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojing Wei
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior University of Minnesota 140 Gortner Laboratory, 1479 Gortner Avenue St. Paul Minnesota 55108 USA
| | - Jessica A. Savage
- Department of Biology University of Minnesota 1035 Kirby Drive Duluth Minnesota 55812 USA
| | - Charlotte E. Riggs
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior University of Minnesota 140 Gortner Laboratory, 1479 Gortner Avenue St. Paul Minnesota 55108 USA
| | - Jeannine Cavender‐Bares
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior University of Minnesota 140 Gortner Laboratory, 1479 Gortner Avenue St. Paul Minnesota 55108 USA
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23
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Belluau M, Shipley B. Predicting habitat affinities of herbaceous dicots to soil wetness based on physiological traits of drought tolerance. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2017; 119:1073-1084. [PMID: 28160464 PMCID: PMC5604612 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcw267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Accepted: 11/23/2016] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Background and Aims Soil water availability is an important mechanism filtering plant species but the functional basis of this filtering in herbaceous dicots is poorly studied. The authors address three questions: Which physiological traits best predict different levels of drought tolerance or avoidance in herbaceous dicots? To what degree can species' habitat preferences along the gradient of soil moisture availability be predicted by their physiological responses to drought? What are the direct and indirect relationships between the physiological traits and how do they interact to determine the species' habitat preferences? Methods Twenty-five species of herbaceous dicots whose field distributions span a gradient of soil moisture from continually moist to dry were chosen. Under controlled conditions, watering was stopped in a treatment group, the plants were monitored until death of the above-ground tissues and compared with a control group watered at field capacity. Fourteen traits related to plant water economy were measured, including stomatal conductance, net photosynthesis and the visual wilting of leaves. Traits were then analysed using a cumulative link model and path analysis. Key Results Five physiological traits (stomatal conductance and net photosynthesis measured at soil field capacity, water use efficiency, stomatal conductance and soil water potential measured when leaves begin to wilt) related to the ability to acquire resources (when water is not limiting) or conserve water (when it is limiting) best predicted different levels of drought tolerance or avoidance in herbaceous dicots. Conclusions Species' habitat preferences can be fairly predicted by their physiological responses to drought ( R 2 = 0·48). Strong direct and indirect relationships between the five identified traits (plus net photosynthesis at wilting and the time until death) led to synergistic and antagonistic relationship in a path analysis model. To allow better prediction of species distributions along a wetness gradient, the next step would be to link these physiological traits to more accessible functional traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaël Belluau
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke (QC), Canada, J1K 2R1
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24
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Muscarella R, Uriarte M. Do community-weighted mean functional traits reflect optimal strategies? Proc Biol Sci 2016; 283:20152434. [PMID: 27030412 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2015] [Accepted: 03/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The notion that relationships between community-weighted mean (CWM) traits (i.e. plot-level trait values weighted by species abundances) and environmental conditions reflect selection towards locally optimal phenotypes is challenged by the large amount of interspecific trait variation typically found within ecological communities. Reconciling these contrasting patterns is a key to advancing predictive theories of functional community ecology. We combined data on geographical distributions and three traits (wood density, leaf mass per area and maximum height) of 173 tree species in Puerto Rico. We tested the hypothesis that species are more likely to occur where their trait values are more similar to the local CWM trait values (the'CWM-optimality' hypothesis) by comparing species occurrence patterns (as a proxy for fitness) with the functional composition of forest plots across a precipitation gradient. While 70% of the species supported CWM-optimality for at least one trait, nearly 25% significantly opposed it for at least one trait, thereby contributing to local functional diversity. The majority (85%) of species that opposed CWM-optimality did so only for one trait and few species opposed CWM-optimality in multivariate trait space. Our study suggests that constraints to local functional variation act more strongly on multivariate phenotypes than on univariate traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Muscarella
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - María Uriarte
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
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25
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Fajardo A, Siefert A. Temperate rain forest species partition fine-scale gradients in light availability based on their leaf mass per area (LMA). ANNALS OF BOTANY 2016; 118:1307-1315. [PMID: 27604280 PMCID: PMC5155601 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcw184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2016] [Revised: 07/02/2016] [Accepted: 07/26/2016] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Ecologists are increasingly using plant functional traits to predict community assembly, but few studies have linked functional traits to species' responses to fine-scale resource gradients. In this study, it was tested whether saplings of woody species partition fine-scale gradients in light availability based on their leaf mass per area (LMA) in three temperate rain forests and one Mediterranean forest in southern Chile. METHODS LMA was measured under field conditions of all woody species contained in approx. 60 plots of 2 m2 in each site, and light availability, computed as the gap light index (GLI), was determined. For each site, species' pairwise differences in mean LMA (Δ LMA) and abundance-weighted mean GLI (Δ light response) of 2 m2 plots were calculated and it was tested whether they were positively related using Mantel tests, i.e. if species with different LMA values differed in their response to light availability. Additionally linear models were fitted to the relationship between plot-level mean LMA and GLI across plots for each site. KEY RESULTS A positive and significant relationship was found between species' pairwise differences in mean LMA and differences in light response across species for all temperate rain forests, but not for the Mediterranean forest. The results also indicated a significant positive interspecific link between LMA and light availability for all forests. This is in contrast to what is traditionally reported and to expectations from the leaf economics spectrum. CONCLUSIONS In environments subjected to light limitation, interspecific differences in a leaf trait (LMA) can explain the fine-scale partitioning of light availability gradients by woody plant species. This niche partitioning potentially facilitates species coexistence at the within-community level. The high frequency of evergreen shade-intolerant species in these forests may explain the positive correlation between light availability and LMA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Fajardo
- Centro de Investigación en Ecosistemas de la Patagonia (CIEP) Conicyt-Regional R10C1003, Universidad Austral de Chile, Camino Baguales s/n, Coyhaique 5951601, Chile
| | - Andrew Siefert
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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26
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Lu X, Zang R, Ding Y, Huang J. Changes in biotic and abiotic drivers of seedling species composition during forest recovery following shifting cultivation on Hainan Island, China. Biotropica 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xinghui Lu
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of State Forestry Administration; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection; Chinese Academy of Forestry; Beijing 100091 China
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China; Nanjing Forestry University; Nanjing Jiangsu 210037 China
| | - Runguo Zang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of State Forestry Administration; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection; Chinese Academy of Forestry; Beijing 100091 China
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China; Nanjing Forestry University; Nanjing Jiangsu 210037 China
| | - Yi Ding
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of State Forestry Administration; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection; Chinese Academy of Forestry; Beijing 100091 China
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China; Nanjing Forestry University; Nanjing Jiangsu 210037 China
| | - Jihong Huang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of State Forestry Administration; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection; Chinese Academy of Forestry; Beijing 100091 China
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China; Nanjing Forestry University; Nanjing Jiangsu 210037 China
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Zhang S, Zang R, Huang Y, Ding Y, Huang J, Lu X, Liu W, Long W, Zhang J, Jiang Y. Diversity maintenance mechanism changes with vegetation type and the community size in a tropical nature reserve. Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Shuzi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment, The State Forestry Administration; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection Chinese Academy of Forestry Beijing 100091 China
- Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing Jiangsu 210037 China
| | - Runguo Zang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment, The State Forestry Administration; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection Chinese Academy of Forestry Beijing 100091 China
- Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing Jiangsu 210037 China
| | - Yunfeng Huang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment, The State Forestry Administration; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection Chinese Academy of Forestry Beijing 100091 China
| | - Yi Ding
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment, The State Forestry Administration; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection Chinese Academy of Forestry Beijing 100091 China
- Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing Jiangsu 210037 China
| | - Jihong Huang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment, The State Forestry Administration; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection Chinese Academy of Forestry Beijing 100091 China
- Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing Jiangsu 210037 China
| | - Xinghui Lu
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment, The State Forestry Administration; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection Chinese Academy of Forestry Beijing 100091 China
- Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing Jiangsu 210037 China
| | - Wande Liu
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment, The State Forestry Administration; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection Chinese Academy of Forestry Beijing 100091 China
| | - Wenxing Long
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment, The State Forestry Administration; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection Chinese Academy of Forestry Beijing 100091 China
| | - Junyan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment, The State Forestry Administration; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection Chinese Academy of Forestry Beijing 100091 China
| | - Yong Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment, The State Forestry Administration; Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection Chinese Academy of Forestry Beijing 100091 China
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Sterck F, Anten NPR, Schieving F, Zuidema PA. Trait Acclimation Mitigates Mortality Risks of Tropical Canopy Trees under Global Warming. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:607. [PMID: 27242814 PMCID: PMC4863428 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2016] [Accepted: 04/20/2016] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
There is a heated debate about the effect of global change on tropical forests. Many scientists predict large-scale tree mortality while others point to mitigating roles of CO2 fertilization and - the notoriously unknown - physiological trait acclimation of trees. In this opinion article we provided a first quantification of the potential of trait acclimation to mitigate the negative effects of warming on tropical canopy tree growth and survival. We applied a physiological tree growth model that incorporates trait acclimation through an optimization approach. Our model estimated the maximum effect of acclimation when trees optimize traits that are strongly plastic on a week to annual time scale (leaf photosynthetic capacity, total leaf area, stem sapwood area) to maximize carbon gain. We simulated tree carbon gain for temperatures (25-35°C) and ambient CO2 concentrations (390-800 ppm) predicted for the 21st century. Full trait acclimation increased simulated carbon gain by up to 10-20% and the maximum tolerated temperature by up to 2°C, thus reducing risks of tree death under predicted warming. Functional trait acclimation may thus increase the resilience of tropical trees to warming, but cannot prevent tree death during extremely hot and dry years at current CO2 levels. We call for incorporating trait acclimation in field and experimental studies of plant functional traits, and in models that predict responses of tropical forests to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Sterck
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen UniversityWageningen, Netherlands
| | - Niels P. R. Anten
- Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen UniversityWageningen, Netherlands
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht UniversityUtrecht, Netherlands
| | - Feike Schieving
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht UniversityUtrecht, Netherlands
| | - Pieter A. Zuidema
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen UniversityWageningen, Netherlands
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29
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Gaviria J, Engelbrecht BMJ. Effects of Drought, Pest Pressure and Light Availability on Seedling Establishment and Growth: Their Role for Distribution of Tree Species across a Tropical Rainfall Gradient. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0143955. [PMID: 26619138 PMCID: PMC4664389 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2015] [Accepted: 11/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Tree species distributions associated with rainfall are among the most prominent patterns in tropical forests. Understanding the mechanisms shaping these patterns is important to project impacts of global climate change on tree distributions and diversity in the tropics. Beside direct effects of water availability, additional factors co-varying with rainfall have been hypothesized to play an important role, including pest pressure and light availability. While low water availability is expected to exclude drought-intolerant wet forest species from drier forests (physiological tolerance hypothesis), high pest pressure or low light availability are hypothesized to exclude dry forest species from wetter forests (pest pressure gradient and light availability hypothesis, respectively). To test these hypotheses at the seed-to-seedling transition, the potentially most critical stage for species discrimination, we conducted a reciprocal transplant experiment combined with a pest exclosure treatment at a wet and a dry forest site in Panama with seeds of 26 species with contrasting origin. Establishment success after one year did not reflect species distribution patterns. However, in the wet forest, wet origin species had a home advantage over dry forest species through higher growth rates. At the same time, drought limited survival of wet origin species in the dry forest, supporting the physiological tolerance hypothesis. Together these processes sort species over longer time frames, and exclude species outside their respective home range. Although we found pronounced effects of pests and some effects of light availability on the seedlings, they did not corroborate the pest pressure nor light availability hypotheses at the seed-to-seedling transition. Our results underline that changes in water availability due to climate change will have direct consequences on tree regeneration and distributions along tropical rainfall gradients, while indirect effects of light and pests are less important.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Gaviria
- Department of Plant Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Bettina M. J. Engelbrecht
- Department of Plant Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Panama
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Groenendijk P, van der Sleen P, Vlam M, Bunyavejchewin S, Bongers F, Zuidema PA. No evidence for consistent long-term growth stimulation of 13 tropical tree species: results from tree-ring analysis. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2015; 21:3762-76. [PMID: 25917997 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2015] [Accepted: 02/22/2015] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The important role of tropical forests in the global carbon cycle makes it imperative to assess changes in their carbon dynamics for accurate projections of future climate-vegetation feedbacks. Forest monitoring studies conducted over the past decades have found evidence for both increasing and decreasing growth rates of tropical forest trees. The limited duration of these studies restrained analyses to decadal scales, and it is still unclear whether growth changes occurred over longer time scales, as would be expected if CO2 -fertilization stimulated tree growth. Furthermore, studies have so far dealt with changes in biomass gain at forest-stand level, but insights into species-specific growth changes - that ultimately determine community-level responses - are lacking. Here, we analyse species-specific growth changes on a centennial scale, using growth data from tree-ring analysis for 13 tree species (~1300 trees), from three sites distributed across the tropics. We used an established (regional curve standardization) and a new (size-class isolation) growth-trend detection method and explicitly assessed the influence of biases on the trend detection. In addition, we assessed whether aggregated trends were present within and across study sites. We found evidence for decreasing growth rates over time for 8-10 species, whereas increases were noted for two species and one showed no trend. Additionally, we found evidence for weak aggregated growth decreases at the site in Thailand and when analysing all sites simultaneously. The observed growth reductions suggest deteriorating growth conditions, perhaps due to warming. However, other causes cannot be excluded, such as recovery from large-scale disturbances or changing forest dynamics. Our findings contrast growth patterns that would be expected if elevated CO2 would stimulate tree growth. These results suggest that commonly assumed growth increases of tropical forests may not occur, which could lead to erroneous predictions of carbon dynamics of tropical forest under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Groenendijk
- Forest Ecology & Forest Management group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Peter van der Sleen
- Forest Ecology & Forest Management group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Instituto Boliviano de Investigación Forestal, Km 9 carretera al norte, Casilla 6204, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
| | - Mart Vlam
- Forest Ecology & Forest Management group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Frans Bongers
- Forest Ecology & Forest Management group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Pieter A Zuidema
- Forest Ecology & Forest Management group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Environmental Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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31
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How do Light and Water Acquisition Strategies Affect Species Selection during Secondary Succession in Moist Tropical Forests? FORESTS 2015. [DOI: 10.3390/f6062047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Peters RL, Groenendijk P, Vlam M, Zuidema PA. Detecting long-term growth trends using tree rings: a critical evaluation of methods. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2015; 21:2040-2054. [PMID: 25482401 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2014] [Accepted: 10/28/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Tree-ring analysis is often used to assess long-term trends in tree growth. A variety of growth-trend detection methods (GDMs) exist to disentangle age/size trends in growth from long-term growth changes. However, these detrending methods strongly differ in approach, with possible implications for their output. Here, we critically evaluate the consistency, sensitivity, reliability and accuracy of four most widely used GDMs: conservative detrending (CD) applies mathematical functions to correct for decreasing ring widths with age; basal area correction (BAC) transforms diameter into basal area growth; regional curve standardization (RCS) detrends individual tree-ring series using average age/size trends; and size class isolation (SCI) calculates growth trends within separate size classes. First, we evaluated whether these GDMs produce consistent results applied to an empirical tree-ring data set of Melia azedarach, a tropical tree species from Thailand. Three GDMs yielded similar results - a growth decline over time - but the widely used CD method did not detect any change. Second, we assessed the sensitivity (probability of correct growth-trend detection), reliability (100% minus probability of detecting false trends) and accuracy (whether the strength of imposed trends is correctly detected) of these GDMs, by applying them to simulated growth trajectories with different imposed trends: no trend, strong trends (-6% and +6% change per decade) and weak trends (-2%, +2%). All methods except CD, showed high sensitivity, reliability and accuracy to detect strong imposed trends. However, these were considerably lower in the weak or no-trend scenarios. BAC showed good sensitivity and accuracy, but low reliability, indicating uncertainty of trend detection using this method. Our study reveals that the choice of GDM influences results of growth-trend studies. We recommend applying multiple methods when analysing trends and encourage performing sensitivity and reliability analysis. Finally, we recommend SCI and RCS, as these methods showed highest reliability to detect long-term growth trends.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard L Peters
- Forest Ecology & Forest Management group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands; Landscape Dynamics, Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Zürcherstrasse 111, CH-8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
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Amissah L, Mohren GMJ, Kyereh B, Poorter L. The effects of drought and shade on the performance, morphology and physiology of Ghanaian tree species. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0121004. [PMID: 25836337 PMCID: PMC4383566 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2014] [Accepted: 02/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In tropical forests light and water availability are the most important factors for seedling growth and survival but an increasing frequency of drought may affect tree regeneration. One central question is whether drought and shade have interactive effects on seedling growth and survival. Here, we present results of a greenhouse experiment, in which seedlings of 10 Ghanaian tree species were exposed to combinations of strong seasonal drought (continuous watering versus withholding water for nine weeks) and shade (5% irradiance versus 20% irradiance). We evaluated the effects of drought and shade on seedling survival and growth and plasticity of 11 underlying traits related to biomass allocation, morphology and physiology. Seedling survival under dry conditions was higher in shade than in high light, thus providing support for the "facilitation hypothesis" that shade enhances plant performance through improved microclimatic conditions, and rejecting the trade-off hypothesis that drought should have stronger impact in shade because of reduced root investment. Shaded plants had low biomass fraction in roots, in line with the trade-off hypothesis, but they compensated for this with a higher specific root length (i.e., root length per unit root mass), resulting in a similar root length per plant mass and, hence, similar water uptake capacity as high-light plants. The majority (60%) of traits studied responded independently to drought and shade, indicating that within species shade- and drought tolerances are not in trade-off, but largely uncoupled. When individual species responses were analysed, then for most of the traits only one to three species showed significant interactive effects between drought and shade. The uncoupled response of most species to drought and shade should provide ample opportunity for niche differentiation and species coexistence under a range of water and light conditions. Overall our greenhouse results suggest that, in the absence of root competition shaded tropical forest tree seedlings may be able to survive prolonged drought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy Amissah
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research—Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Godefridus M. J. Mohren
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Boateng Kyereh
- College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Lourens Poorter
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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van der Sande MT, Zuidema PA, Sterck F. Explaining biomass growth of tropical canopy trees: the importance of sapwood. Oecologia 2015; 177:1145-55. [PMID: 25634307 PMCID: PMC4363484 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3220-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2014] [Accepted: 01/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Tropical forests are important in worldwide carbon (C) storage and sequestration. C sequestration of these forests may especially be determined by the growth of canopy trees. However, the factors driving variation in growth among such large individuals remain largely unclear. We evaluate how crown traits [total leaf area, specific leaf area and leaf nitrogen (N) concentration] and stem traits [sapwood area (SA) and sapwood N concentration] measured for individual trees affect absolute biomass growth for 43 tropical canopy trees belonging to four species, in a moist forest in Bolivia. Biomass growth varied strongly among trees, between 17.3 and 367.3 kg year−1, with an average of 105.4 kg year−1. We found that variation in biomass growth was chiefly explained by a positive effect of SA, and not by tree size or other traits examined. SA itself was positively associated with sapwood growth, sapwood lifespan and basal area. We speculate that SA positively affects the growth of individual trees mainly by increasing water storage, thus securing water supply to the crown. These positive roles of sapwood on growth apparently offset the increased respiration costs incurred by more sapwood. This is one of the first individual-based studies to show that variation in sapwood traits—and not crown traits—explains variation in growth among tropical canopy trees. Accurate predictions of C dynamics in tropical forests require similar studies on biomass growth of individual trees as well as studies evaluating the dual effect of sapwood (water provision vs. respiratory costs) on tropical tree growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masha T van der Sande
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands,
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35
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Rainfall and temperature affect tree species distribution in Ghana. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2014. [DOI: 10.1017/s026646741400025x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Abstract:We evaluated the relative importance of annual rainfall, temperature and their seasonality to tree species distribution in Ghana. We used species presence/absence data from 2505 1-ha plots systematically distributed over Ghana's forests. Logistic regression was used to determine species responses to four climatic variables generated from the Worldclim database. The distribution of 95% of 20 species was significantly associated with annual rainfall, 60% with rainfall seasonality, 45% with isothermality and 40% with temperature seasonality. Annual rainfall explained on average most of the variation (17%, range = 0.5–52%) in species distribution, followed by rainfall seasonality 5% (range = 0.5–27%), isothermality 4% (range = 0.8–24%) and temperature seasonality 1% (range = 0.4–4.5%). Our results suggest that, out of the climatic variables investigated, rainfall is the main factor determining tree species distribution in Ghana; temperature also influences the distribution of a number of species, although it explains much less of the variation. The reduction in annual rainfall that prevailing climate-change scenarios predict for the region will result in a shift in the distribution of most species, whereas the predicted increase in temperature variation is likely to have little effect.
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