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Vleminckx J, Hogan JA, Metz MR, Comita LS, Queenborough SA, Wright SJ, Valencia R, Zambrano M, Garwood NC. Flower production decreases with warmer and more humid atmospheric conditions in a western Amazonian forest. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 241:1035-1046. [PMID: 37984822 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19388] [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: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Climate models predict that everwet western Amazonian forests will face warmer and wetter atmospheric conditions, and increased cloud cover. It remains unclear how these changes will impact plant reproductive performance, such as flowering, which plays a central role in sustaining food webs and forest regeneration. Warmer and wetter nights may cause reduced flower production, via increased dark respiration rates or alteration in the reliability of flowering cue-based processes. Additionally, more persistent cloud cover should reduce the amounts of solar irradiance, which could limit flower production. We tested whether interannual variation in flower production has changed in response to fluctuations in irradiance, rainfall, temperature, and relative humidity over 18 yrs in an everwet forest in Ecuador. Analyses of 184 plant species showed that flower production declined as nighttime temperature and relative humidity increased, suggesting that warmer nights and greater atmospheric water saturation negatively impacted reproduction. Species varied in their flowering responses to climatic variables but this variation was not explained by life form or phylogeny. Our results shed light on how plant communities will respond to climatic changes in this everwet region, in which the impacts of these changes have been poorly studied compared with more seasonal Neotropical areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Vleminckx
- Department of Biology of Organisms, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
- Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - J Aaron Hogan
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Margaret R Metz
- Department of Biology, Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR, 97219, USA
| | - Liza S Comita
- School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | | | - S Joseph Wright
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado, Balboa, 0843-03092, Panama
| | - Renato Valencia
- Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, 170143, Ecuador
| | - Milton Zambrano
- Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, 170143, Ecuador
| | - Nancy C Garwood
- School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, 62901, USA
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Zhang YB, Yang D, Zhang KY, Bai XL, Wang YSD, Wu HD, Ding LZ, Zhang YJ, Zhang JL. Higher water and nutrient use efficiencies in savanna than in rainforest lianas result in no difference in photosynthesis. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 42:145-159. [PMID: 34312678 PMCID: PMC8755031 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpab099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Differences in traits between lianas and trees in tropical forests have been studied extensively; however, few have compared the ecological strategies of lianas from different habitats. Here, we measured 25 leaf and stem traits concerning leaf anatomy, morphology, physiology and stem hydraulics for 17 liana species from a tropical seasonal rainforest and for 19 liana species from a valley savanna in south-west China. We found that savanna lianas had higher vessel density, wood density and lower hydraulically weighted vessel diameter and theoretical hydraulic conductivity than tropical seasonal rainforest lianas. Compared with tropical seasonal rainforest lianas, savanna lianas also showed higher leaf dry matter content, carbon isotope composition (δ13C), photosynthetic water use efficiency, ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus, photosynthetic phosphorus use efficiency and lower leaf size, stomatal conductance and nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium concentrations. Interestingly, no differences in light-saturated photosynthetic rate were found between savanna and tropical seasonal rainforest lianas either on mass or area basis. This is probably due to the higher water and nutrient use efficiencies of savanna lianas. A principal component analysis revealed that savanna and tropical seasonal rainforest lianas were significantly separated along the first axis, which was strongly associated with acquisitive or conservative resource use strategy. Leaf and stem functional traits were coordinated across lianas, but the coordination or trade-off was stronger in the savanna than in the tropical seasonal rainforest. In conclusion, a relatively conservative (slow) strategy concerning water and nutrient use may benefit the savanna lianas, while higher nutrient and water use efficiencies allow them to maintain similar photosynthesis as tropical seasonal rainforest species. Our results clearly showed divergences in functional traits between lianas from savanna and tropical seasonal rainforest, suggesting that enhanced water and nutrient use efficiencies might contribute to the distribution of lianas in savanna ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Bing Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
- Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19(A) Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Da Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
- Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
| | - Ke-Yan Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
- Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19(A) Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiao-Long Bai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
- Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19(A) Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yang-Si-Ding Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
- Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19(A) Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Huai-Dong Wu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
| | - Ling-Zi Ding
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
| | - Yong-Jiang Zhang
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - Jiao-Lin Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
- Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
- Yuanjiang Savanna Ecosystem Research Station, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yuanjiang, Yunnan 653300, China
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Bongers F, Ewango CEN, van der Sande MT, Poorter L. Liana species decline in Congo basin contrasts with global patterns. Ecology 2020; 101:e03004. [PMID: 32100291 PMCID: PMC7317384 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Lianas, woody climbing plants, are increasing in many tropical forests, with cascading effects such as decreased forest productivity, carbon sequestration, and resilience. Possible causes are increasing forest fragmentation, CO2 fertilization, and drought. Determining the primary changing species and their underlying vital rates help explain the liana trends. We monitored over 17,000 liana stems for 13 yr in 20 ha of old‐growth forest in the Congo Basin, and here we report changes and vital rates for the community and for the 87 most abundant species. The total liana abundance declined from 15,007 lianas in 1994 to 11,090 in 2001 to 9,978 in 2007. Over half (52%) of the evaluated species have significantly declining populations, showing that the community response is not the result of changes in a few dominant species only. Species density change (i.e., the change in number of individuals per hectare) decreased with mortality rate, tended to increase with recruitment rate, but was independent of growth rate. Species change was independent of functional characteristics important for plant responses to fragmentation, CO2, and drought, such as lifetime light requirements, climbing and dispersal mechanism, and leaf size. These results indicate that in Congo lianas do not show the reputed global liana increase, but rather a decline, and that elements of the reputed drivers underlying global liana change do not apply to this DR Congo forest. We suggest warfare in the Congo Basin to have decimated the elephant population, leading to less disturbance, forest closure, and declining liana numbers. Our results imply that, in this tropical forest, local causes (i.e., disturbance) override more global causes of liana change resulting in liana decline, which sharply contrasts with the liana increase observed elsewhere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frans Bongers
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 47, Wageningen, NL-6700 AA, The Netherlands
| | - Corneille E N Ewango
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 47, Wageningen, NL-6700 AA, The Netherlands.,Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources Management, University of Kisangani, B.P.O. 2012, Kisangani, DR Congo.,Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 67, Wageningen, NL-6700 AP, The Netherlands
| | - Masha T van der Sande
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 47, Wageningen, NL-6700 AA, The Netherlands.,Institute for Global Ecology, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida, USA.,Institute for Biodiversity & Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lourens Poorter
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 47, Wageningen, NL-6700 AA, The Netherlands
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Umaña MN, Forero‐Montaña J, Nytch CJ, Thompson J, Uriarte M, Zimmerman J, Swenson NG. Dry conditions and disturbance promote liana seedling survival and abundance. Ecology 2019; 100:e02556. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2017] [Revised: 09/07/2018] [Accepted: 10/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- María Natalia Umaña
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan 48109 USA
- Department of Biology University of Maryland College Park Maryland 20742 USA
| | | | - Christopher J. Nytch
- Department of Biology University of Puerto Rico Río Piedras Puerto Rico 00931 USA
| | - Jill Thompson
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Bush Estate, Penicuik Midlothian EH26 0QB United Kingdom
| | - María Uriarte
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Environmental Biology Columbia University New York New York 10027 USA
| | - Jess Zimmerman
- Department of Biology University of Puerto Rico Río Piedras Puerto Rico 00931 USA
- Department of Environmental Sciences University of Puerto Rico Río Piedras Puerto Rico 00936 USA
| | - Nathan G. Swenson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan 48109 USA
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Kunming China
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Liana dynamics reflect land-use history and hurricane response in a Puerto Rican forest. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467417000049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Abstract:We studied lianas in a subtropical wet forest in Puerto Rico to understand how hurricane impacts and past human land-uses interact to affect liana dynamics over a 14-year period. We compared a high-intensity land-use area, where the forest that had been cleared, and used for subsistence agriculture before being abandoned in 1934 then regrew to a low-intensity land-use area, in which there had been only some selective experimental logging by the USDA Forest Service in the 1940s. Prior to our study, both areas were strongly affected by Hurricane Hugo in 1989, and again damaged to a lesser degree by Hurricane Georges in 1998, increasing canopy openness and subsequently increasing tree stem densities. Between 2001 and 2015, changes in the light environment and the recovery of forest structure resulted in roughly a 50% reduction in tree stem densities in the high-intensity land-use area, as recruited saplings naturally thinned. In this area, liana abundance increased by 103%, liana biomass tripled, and occupancy of trees by lianas grew by nearly 50%. In the low-intensity land-use area, juvenile stem densities were stable, and resultantly liana abundance only increased by 33%, liana biomass rose 39%, and the occupancy of trees was constant. Liana flower and fruit production increased over the 14-year interval, and these increases were much greater in the high-intensity land-use quadrats. Results of this study do show how rapid forest tree successional dynamics coincide with liana increases, but the confounding of hurricane effects of disturbance at our site, prevent us from asserting that the increases in liana density and biomass can be attributed to the same causes as those in forests elsewhere in the Neotropics.
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