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Gomarasca U, Migliavacca M, Kattge J, Nelson JA, Niinemets Ü, Wirth C, Cescatti A, Bahn M, Nair R, Acosta ATR, Arain MA, Beloiu M, Black TA, Bruun HH, Bucher SF, Buchmann N, Byun C, Carrara A, Conte A, da Silva AC, Duveiller G, Fares S, Ibrom A, Knohl A, Komac B, Limousin JM, Lusk CH, Mahecha MD, Martini D, Minden V, Montagnani L, Mori AS, Onoda Y, Peñuelas J, Perez-Priego O, Poschlod P, Powell TL, Reich PB, Šigut L, van Bodegom PM, Walther S, Wohlfahrt G, Wright IJ, Reichstein M. Leaf-level coordination principles propagate to the ecosystem scale. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3948. [PMID: 37402725 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39572-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Fundamental axes of variation in plant traits result from trade-offs between costs and benefits of resource-use strategies at the leaf scale. However, it is unclear whether similar trade-offs propagate to the ecosystem level. Here, we test whether trait correlation patterns predicted by three well-known leaf- and plant-level coordination theories - the leaf economics spectrum, the global spectrum of plant form and function, and the least-cost hypothesis - are also observed between community mean traits and ecosystem processes. We combined ecosystem functional properties from FLUXNET sites, vegetation properties, and community mean plant traits into three corresponding principal component analyses. We find that the leaf economics spectrum (90 sites), the global spectrum of plant form and function (89 sites), and the least-cost hypothesis (82 sites) all propagate at the ecosystem level. However, we also find evidence of additional scale-emergent properties. Evaluating the coordination of ecosystem functional properties may aid the development of more realistic global dynamic vegetation models with critical empirical data, reducing the uncertainty of climate change projections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulisse Gomarasca
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany.
| | | | - Jens Kattge
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Jacob A Nelson
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Ülo Niinemets
- Chair of Plant and Crop Science, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 1, 51006, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Christian Wirth
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Michael Bahn
- Universität Innsbruck, Institut für Ökologie, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Richard Nair
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
- Discipline of Botany, School of Natural Sciences Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Alicia T R Acosta
- Dipartimento di Scienze - Università Roma TRE - V.le Marconi 446, 00146, Roma, Italy
| | - M Altaf Arain
- School of Earth, Environment & Society and McMaster Centre for Climate Change, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Mirela Beloiu
- Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - T Andrew Black
- Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Hans Henrik Bruun
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Solveig Franziska Bucher
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution - Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Philosophenweg 16, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Nina Buchmann
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Chaeho Byun
- Department of Biological Sciences, Andong National University, Andong, 36729, Republic of Korea
| | - Arnaud Carrara
- Fundación Centro de Estudios Ambientales del Mediterráneo (CEAM), Paterna, Spain
| | - Adriano Conte
- National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP), Metaponto, 75012, Italy
| | - Ana C da Silva
- Santa Catarina State University, Agroveterinary Center, Forestry Department, Av Luiz de Camões, 2090, Conta Dinheiro, 88.520-000, Lages, SC, Brazil
| | - Gregory Duveiller
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Silvano Fares
- National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Institute for Agriculture and Forestry Systems in the Mediterranean (ISAFOM), Naples, 80055, Italy
| | - Andreas Ibrom
- Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Environmental Engineering and Resource Management, Bygningstorvet 115, 2800 Kgs., Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Alexander Knohl
- Bioclimatology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Benjamin Komac
- Andorra Research + Innovation; Avinguda Rocafort 21-23, Edifici Molí, 3r pis, AD600, Sant Julià de Lòria, Andorra
| | | | - Christopher H Lusk
- Environmenal Research Institute, University of Waikato, Private Bag, 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Miguel D Mahecha
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Remote Sensing Centre for Earth System Research, Leipzig University, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - David Martini
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Vanessa Minden
- Department of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussel, Belgium
| | - Leonardo Montagnani
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano, Piazza Università 5, 39100, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Akira S Mori
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo, 153-8904, Japan
| | - Yusuke Onoda
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Oiwake, Kitashirakawa, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Josep Peñuelas
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, Barcelona, 08193, Catalonia, Spain
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, 08193, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Oscar Perez-Priego
- Department of Forestry Engineering, University of Córdoba, Edif. Leonardo da Vinci, Campus de Rabanales s/n, 14071, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Peter Poschlod
- Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Plant Sciences - Faculty of Biology and Preclinical Medicine - University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstrasse 31, D-93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Thomas L Powell
- The Department of Earth and Environmental Systems, The University of the South, Sewanee, TN, USA
| | - Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
- Institute for Global Change Biology, and School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, 2753, Australia
| | - Ladislav Šigut
- Department of Matter and Energy Fluxes, Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Bělidla 986/4a, 603 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Peter M van Bodegom
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 2, 2333 CC, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Sophia Walther
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Georg Wohlfahrt
- Universität Innsbruck, Institut für Ökologie, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Ian J Wright
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, 2753, Australia
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Markus Reichstein
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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2
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Xu WB, Guo WY, Serra-Diaz JM, Schrodt F, Eiserhardt WL, Enquist BJ, Maitner BS, Merow C, Violle C, Anand M, Belluau M, Bruun HH, Byun C, Catford JA, Cerabolini BE, Chacón-Madrigal E, Ciccarelli D, Cornelissen JHC, Dang-Le AT, de Frutos A, Dias AS, Giroldo AB, Gutiérrez AG, Hattingh W, He T, Hietz P, Hough-Snee N, Jansen S, Kattge J, Komac B, Kraft NJ, Kramer K, Lavorel S, Lusk CH, Martin AR, Ma KP, Mencuccini M, Michaletz ST, Minden V, Mori AS, Niinemets Ü, Onoda Y, Onstein RE, Peñuelas J, Pillar VD, Pisek J, Pound MJ, Robroek BJ, Schamp B, Slot M, Sun M, Sosinski ÊE, Soudzilovskaia NA, Thiffault N, van Bodegom PM, van der Plas F, Zheng J, Svenning JC, Ordonez A. Global beta-diversity of angiosperm trees is shaped by Quaternary climate change. Sci Adv 2023; 9:eadd8553. [PMID: 37018407 PMCID: PMC10075971 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add8553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
As Earth's climate has varied strongly through geological time, studying the impacts of past climate change on biodiversity helps to understand the risks from future climate change. However, it remains unclear how paleoclimate shapes spatial variation in biodiversity. Here, we assessed the influence of Quaternary climate change on spatial dissimilarity in taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional composition among neighboring 200-kilometer cells (beta-diversity) for angiosperm trees worldwide. We found that larger glacial-interglacial temperature change was strongly associated with lower spatial turnover (species replacements) and higher nestedness (richness changes) components of beta-diversity across all three biodiversity facets. Moreover, phylogenetic and functional turnover was lower and nestedness higher than random expectations based on taxonomic beta-diversity in regions that experienced large temperature change, reflecting phylogenetically and functionally selective processes in species replacement, extinction, and colonization during glacial-interglacial oscillations. Our results suggest that future human-driven climate change could cause local homogenization and reduction in taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity of angiosperm trees worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wu-Bing Xu
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Wen-Yong Guo
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station and Research Center for Global Change and Complex Ecosystems, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, 200241 Shanghai, P.R. China
| | | | - Franziska Schrodt
- School of Geography, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Wolf L. Eiserhardt
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Surrey TW9 3AE, UK
| | - Brian J. Enquist
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- The Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Rd., Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
| | - Brian S. Maitner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Cory Merow
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Cyrille Violle
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Madhur Anand
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michaël Belluau
- Centre for Forest Research, Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, P.O. Box 8888, Centre-ville station, Montréal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada
| | - Hans Henrik Bruun
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Chaeho Byun
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Andong National University, Andong, 36729, Korea
| | - Jane A. Catford
- Department of Geography, King’s College London, London WC2B 4BG, UK
| | - Bruno E. L. Cerabolini
- Department of Biotechnologies and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Via Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Eduardo Chacón-Madrigal
- Herbario Luis Fournier Origgi, Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ecología Tropical (CIBET), Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, 11501-2060 San José, Costa Rica
| | - Daniela Ciccarelli
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Luca Ghini 13, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - J. Hans C. Cornelissen
- Systems Ecology, A-LIFE, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit, 1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Anh Tuan Dang-Le
- Faculty of Biology - Biotechnology, University of Science - VNUHCM, 227 Nguyen Van Cu, District 5, 700000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Angel de Frutos
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Arildo S. Dias
- Goethe University, Institute for Physical Geography, Altenhöferallee 1, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Aelton B. Giroldo
- Departamento de Ensino, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciências e Tecnologia do Ceará - IFCE campus Crateús, Avenida Geraldo Barbosa Marques, 567, 63708-260 Crateús, Brazil
| | - Alvaro G. Gutiérrez
- Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales y Recursos Naturales Renovables, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de Chile, Santa Rosa 11315, La Pintana, Santiago, Chile
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), Santiago, Chile
| | - Wesley Hattingh
- Global Systems and Analytics, Nova Pioneer, Paulshof, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Tianhua He
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, P.O. Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
- College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, Australia
| | - Peter Hietz
- Institute of Botany, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, 1180 Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Steven Jansen
- Institute of Systematic Botany and Ecology, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Jens Kattge
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans Knöll Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Benjamin Komac
- Andorra Recerca + Innovació, AD600 Sant Julià de Lòria (Principat d'), Andorra
| | - Nathan J. B. Kraft
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Koen Kramer
- Wageningen University, Forest Ecology and Management Group, Droevendaalsesteeg 4, 6700AA Wageningen, Netherlands
- Land Life Company, Mauritskade 63, 1092AD, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Sandra Lavorel
- Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine, LECA, UMR UGA-USMB-CNRS 5553, Université Grenoble Alpes, CS 40700, 38058 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
| | - Christopher H. Lusk
- Environmental Research Institute, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Adam R. Martin
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, M1C 1A4 Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ke-Ping Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Maurizio Mencuccini
- ICREA, Barcelona, 08010, Spain
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona 08193, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Sean T. Michaletz
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Vanessa Minden
- Department of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Institute for Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Akira S. Mori
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
| | - Ülo Niinemets
- Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 1, 51006 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Yusuke Onoda
- Division of Forest and Biomaterials Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Oiwake, Kitashirakawa, Kyoto, 606-8502 Japan
| | - Renske E. Onstein
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Darwinweg 2, 2333CR Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Josep Peñuelas
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona 08193, Catalonia, Spain
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF- CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, Barcelona 08193, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Valério D. Pillar
- Department of Ecology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, 91501-970, Brazil
| | - Jan Pisek
- Tartu Observatory, University of Tartu, Observatooriumi 1, Tõravere, 61602 Tartumaa, Estonia
| | - Matthew J. Pound
- Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK
| | - Bjorn J. M. Robroek
- Aquatic Ecology and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Brandon Schamp
- Department of Biology, Algoma University, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, P6A 2G4, Canada
| | - Martijn Slot
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | - Miao Sun
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | | | | | - Nelson Thiffault
- Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Wood Fibre Centre, 1055 du P.E.P.S., P.O. Box 10380, Stn. Sainte-Foy, Quebec, QC G1V 4C7, Canada
| | - Peter M. van Bodegom
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, 2333 CC Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Fons van der Plas
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, Netherlands
| | - Jingming Zheng
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Forest Resources and Ecosystem Processes, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Alejandro Ordonez
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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3
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Renée Wilson
- Environmental Research Institute University of Waikato Private Bag 3105 Hamilton New Zealand
| | - Christopher H. Lusk
- Environmental Research Institute University of Waikato Private Bag 3105 Hamilton New Zealand
| | - David Ian Campbell
- Environmental Research Institute University of Waikato Private Bag 3105 Hamilton New Zealand
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4
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Guo WY, Serra-Diaz JM, Schrodt F, Eiserhardt WL, Maitner BS, Merow C, Violle C, Anand M, Belluau M, Bruun HH, Byun C, Catford JA, Cerabolini BEL, Chacón-Madrigal E, Ciccarelli D, Cornelissen JHC, Dang-Le AT, de Frutos A, Dias AS, Giroldo AB, Guo K, Gutiérrez AG, Hattingh W, He T, Hietz P, Hough-Snee N, Jansen S, Kattge J, Klein T, Komac B, Kraft NJB, Kramer K, Lavorel S, Lusk CH, Martin AR, Mencuccini M, Michaletz ST, Minden V, Mori AS, Niinemets Ü, Onoda Y, Peñuelas J, Pillar VD, Pisek J, Robroek BJM, Schamp B, Slot M, Sosinski ÊE, Soudzilovskaia NA, Thiffault N, van Bodegom P, van der Plas F, Wright IJ, Xu WB, Zheng J, Enquist BJ, Svenning JC. High exposure of global tree diversity to human pressure. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2026733119. [PMID: 35709320 PMCID: PMC9231180 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2026733119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Safeguarding Earth's tree diversity is a conservation priority due to the importance of trees for biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services such as carbon sequestration. Here, we improve the foundation for effective conservation of global tree diversity by analyzing a recently developed database of tree species covering 46,752 species. We quantify range protection and anthropogenic pressures for each species and develop conservation priorities across taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity dimensions. We also assess the effectiveness of several influential proposed conservation prioritization frameworks to protect the top 17% and top 50% of tree priority areas. We find that an average of 50.2% of a tree species' range occurs in 110-km grid cells without any protected areas (PAs), with 6,377 small-range tree species fully unprotected, and that 83% of tree species experience nonnegligible human pressure across their range on average. Protecting high-priority areas for the top 17% and 50% priority thresholds would increase the average protected proportion of each tree species' range to 65.5% and 82.6%, respectively, leaving many fewer species (2,151 and 2,010) completely unprotected. The priority areas identified for trees match well to the Global 200 Ecoregions framework, revealing that priority areas for trees would in large part also optimize protection for terrestrial biodiversity overall. Based on range estimates for >46,000 tree species, our findings show that a large proportion of tree species receive limited protection by current PAs and are under substantial human pressure. Improved protection of biodiversity overall would also strongly benefit global tree diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Yong Guo
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, 200241 Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
- Research Center for Global Change and Complex Ecosystems, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, 200241 Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Josep M. Serra-Diaz
- UMR Silva, Université de Lorraine, AgroParisTech, and INRAE, 54000 Nancy, France
| | - Franziska Schrodt
- School of Geography, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Wolf L. Eiserhardt
- Section for Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Brian S. Maitner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721
| | - Cory Merow
- Eversource Energy Center, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06268
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06268
| | - Cyrille Violle
- CEFE, Uni Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Madhur Anand
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Michaël Belluau
- Centre for Forest Research, Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada
| | - Hans Henrik Bruun
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Chaeho Byun
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Andong National University, Andong 36729, Korea
| | - Jane A. Catford
- Department of Geography, King’s College London, London WC2B 4BG, United Kingdom
| | - Bruno E. L. Cerabolini
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, I-21100 Varese, Italy
| | | | | | - J. Hans C. Cornelissen
- Department of Ecological Science, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Anh Tuan Dang-Le
- University of Science, 700000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Vietnam National University, 700000 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Angel de Frutos
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Arildo S. Dias
- Institute for Physical Geography, Goethe University, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Aelton B. Giroldo
- Departamento de Ensino, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciências e Tecnologia do Ceará, Crateús 63708-260, Brazil
| | - Kun Guo
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, 200241 Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
- Research Center for Global Change and Complex Ecosystems, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, 200241 Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Alvaro G. Gutiérrez
- Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales y Recursos Naturales Renovables, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de Chile, Santa Rosa 11315, La Pintana, Santiago, Chile
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), Barrio Universitario, 4070374 Concepción, Chile
| | - Wesley Hattingh
- Global Systems and Analytics, Nova Pioneer, Paulshof, Gauteng, 2191, South Africa
| | - Tianhua He
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
- College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia
| | - Peter Hietz
- Institute of Botany, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1180 Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Steven Jansen
- Institute of Systematic Botany and Ecology, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Jens Kattge
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Tamir Klein
- Department of Plant & Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovot, Israel
| | - Benjamin Komac
- Centre d’Estudis de la Neu i la Muntanya d’Andorra, Institut d’Estudis, Andorrans (CENMA–IEA), AD600 Sant Julià de Lòria, Principality of Andorra
| | - Nathan J. B. Kraft
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Koen Kramer
- Forest Ecology and Management Group, Wageningen University, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Land Life Company, 1092AD Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sandra Lavorel
- Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine, LECA, UMR UGA-USMB-CNRS 5553, Université Grenoble Alpes, 38058 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
| | - Christopher H. Lusk
- Environmental Research Institute, University of Waikato, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
| | - Adam R. Martin
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Maurizio Mencuccini
- ICREA, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
- CREAF, Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sean T. Michaletz
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Vanessa Minden
- Department of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Institute for Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Akira S. Mori
- Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, Hodogaya, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
| | - Ülo Niinemets
- Estonian University of Life Sciences, 51006 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Yusuke Onoda
- Division of Forest and Biomaterials Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Oiwake, Kitashirakawa, Kyoto 606-8502 Japan
| | - Josep Peñuelas
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, 08193 Catalonia, Spain
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF, CSIC–UAB, Bellaterra, Barcelona, 08193 Catalonia, Spain
| | - Valério D. Pillar
- Department of Ecology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 91501-970, Brazil
| | - Jan Pisek
- Tartu Observatory, University of Tartu, Tõravere, 61602 Tartumaa, Estonia
| | - Bjorn J. M. Robroek
- Aquatic Ecology & Environmental Biology Group, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Brandon Schamp
- Department of Biology, Algoma University, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2G4, Canada
| | - Martijn Slot
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panama
| | | | | | - Nelson Thiffault
- Canadian Wood Fibre Centre, Natural Resources Canada, Québec City, QC G1V 4C7, Canada
| | - Peter van Bodegom
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Fons van der Plas
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ian J. Wright
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Wu-Bing Xu
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jingming Zheng
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Forest Resources and Ecosystem Processes, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, People’s Republic of China
| | - Brian J. Enquist
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721
- The Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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Lusk CH. A field test of forest canopy structure measurements with the CanopyCapture smartphone application. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13450. [PMID: 35586134 PMCID: PMC9109689 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Several smartphone applications have been developed for the purpose of low-cost and convenient assessments of vegetation canopy structure and understorey illumination. Like standard hemispherical photography, most of these applications require user decisions about image processing, posing challenges for repeatability of measurements. Here I report a test of CanopyCapture, an application that instantaneously estimates percentage canopy gap fraction without any input from the user, and has the added advantage of an intuitive levelling mechanism. Methods Gap fraction estimates by CanopyCapture were compared with gap fraction values computed by the LAI-2200C Canopy Analyzer, in two contrasting evergreen temperate forests in New Zealand: an even-aged southern beech (Nothofagus) stand and an old-growth podocarp/broadleaf forest. These comparisons were repeated using a wide-angle adapter to enhance the smartphone camera's field of view from 45 to 65°. I also asked if CanopyCapture results depended on sky condition (sunny vs. overcast) and on the type of smartphone used. Results CanopyCapture output was significantly correlated with gap fraction computed by the LAI-2200C (R2 = 0.39), and use of the wide-angle adapter lifted this value to 0.56. However, CanopyCapture output was not significantly correlated with LAI-2200C output in the even-aged Nothofagus stand, where there was less spatial variation in canopy structure. Despite being much less sensitive to variation in gap fraction than the LAI-2200C, CanopyCapture was nevertheless able to detect differences in average gap fraction between the two forests studied. CanopyCapture results beneath intact canopies were not significantly affected by sky condition, but reflection of direct light off tree trunks in sunny weather caused slight overestimation of gap fraction beneath broken canopies and gaps. Uneven or patchy cloud cover can also cause erroneous readings beneath large canopy openings. Three different models of smartphone gave different results. Conclusions CanopyCapture offers a rapid and repeatable proxy for comparisons of average canopy gap fraction in multiple stands/forests, provided large sample sizes are used. Measurement under even overcast skies is recommended, and studies involving multiple operators will need to standardize smartphones to ensure comparability of results. Although wide-angle adapters can improve performance, CanopyCapture's low sensitivity prevents high-resolution comparisons of the light environments of individual understorey plants within a stand.
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Maurin KJL, Smissen RD, Lusk CH. A dated phylogeny shows Plio-Pleistocene climates spurred evolution of antibrowsing defences in the New Zealand flora. New Phytol 2022; 233:546-554. [PMID: 34610149 PMCID: PMC9298021 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Some plant traits may be legacies of coevolution with extinct megafauna. One example is the convergent evolution of 'divaricate' cage architectures in many New Zealand lineages, interpreted as a response to recently extinct flightless avian browsers whose ancestors arrived during the Paleogene period. Although experiments have confirmed that divaricate habit deters extant browsers, its abundance on frosty, droughty sites appears consistent with an earlier interpretation as a response to cold, dry Plio-Pleistocene climates. We used 45 protein-coding sequences from plastid genomes to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the divaricate habit in extant New Zealand lineages. Our dated phylogeny of 215 species included 91% of New Zealand eudicot divaricate species. We show that 86% of extant divaricate plants diverged from non-divaricate sisters within the last 5 Ma, implicating Plio-Pleistocene climates in the proliferation of cage architectures in New Zealand. Our results, combined with other recent findings, are consistent with the synthetic hypothesis that the browser-deterrent effect of cage architectures was strongly selected only when Plio-Pleistocene climatic constraints prevented woody plants from growing quickly out of reach of browsers. This is consistent with the abundance of cage architectures in other regions where plant growth is restricted by aridity or short frost-free periods.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rob D. Smissen
- Allan HerbariumManaaki Whenua – Landcare ResearchLincoln7640New Zealand
| | - Christopher H. Lusk
- Environmental Research InstituteThe University of WaikatoHamilton3240New Zealand
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7
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Falster D, Gallagher R, Wenk EH, Wright IJ, Indiarto D, Andrew SC, Baxter C, Lawson J, Allen S, Fuchs A, Monro A, Kar F, Adams MA, Ahrens CW, Alfonzetti M, Angevin T, Apgaua DMG, Arndt S, Atkin OK, Atkinson J, Auld T, Baker A, von Balthazar M, Bean A, Blackman CJ, Bloomfield K, Bowman DMJS, Bragg J, Brodribb TJ, Buckton G, Burrows G, Caldwell E, Camac J, Carpenter R, Catford JA, Cawthray GR, Cernusak LA, Chandler G, Chapman AR, Cheal D, Cheesman AW, Chen SC, Choat B, Clinton B, Clode PL, Coleman H, Cornwell WK, Cosgrove M, Crisp M, Cross E, Crous KY, Cunningham S, Curran T, Curtis E, Daws MI, DeGabriel JL, Denton MD, Dong N, Du P, Duan H, Duncan DH, Duncan RP, Duretto M, Dwyer JM, Edwards C, Esperon-Rodriguez M, Evans JR, Everingham SE, Farrell C, Firn J, Fonseca CR, French BJ, Frood D, Funk JL, Geange SR, Ghannoum O, Gleason SM, Gosper CR, Gray E, Groom PK, Grootemaat S, Gross C, Guerin G, Guja L, Hahs AK, Harrison MT, Hayes PE, Henery M, Hochuli D, Howell J, Huang G, Hughes L, Huisman J, Ilic J, Jagdish A, Jin D, Jordan G, Jurado E, Kanowski J, Kasel S, Kellermann J, Kenny B, Kohout M, Kooyman RM, Kotowska MM, Lai HR, Laliberté E, Lambers H, Lamont BB, Lanfear R, van Langevelde F, Laughlin DC, Laugier-Kitchener BA, Laurance S, Lehmann CER, Leigh A, Leishman MR, Lenz T, Lepschi B, Lewis JD, Lim F, Liu U, Lord J, Lusk CH, Macinnis-Ng C, McPherson H, Magallón S, Manea A, López-Martinez A, Mayfield M, McCarthy JK, Meers T, van der Merwe M, Metcalfe DJ, Milberg P, Mokany K, Moles AT, Moore BD, Moore N, Morgan JW, Morris W, Muir A, Munroe S, Nicholson Á, Nicolle D, Nicotra AB, Niinemets Ü, North T, O'Reilly-Nugent A, O'Sullivan OS, Oberle B, Onoda Y, Ooi MKJ, Osborne CP, Paczkowska G, Pekin B, Guilherme Pereira C, Pickering C, Pickup M, Pollock LJ, Poot P, Powell JR, Power SA, Prentice IC, Prior L, Prober SM, Read J, Reynolds V, Richards AE, Richardson B, Roderick ML, Rosell JA, Rossetto M, Rye B, Rymer PD, Sams MA, Sanson G, Sauquet H, Schmidt S, Schönenberger J, Schulze ED, Sendall K, Sinclair S, Smith B, Smith R, Soper F, Sparrow B, Standish RJ, Staples TL, Stephens R, Szota C, Taseski G, Tasker E, Thomas F, Tissue DT, Tjoelker MG, Tng DYP, de Tombeur F, Tomlinson K, Turner NC, Veneklaas EJ, Venn S, Vesk P, Vlasveld C, Vorontsova MS, Warren CA, Warwick N, Weerasinghe LK, Wells J, Westoby M, White M, Williams NSG, Wills J, Wilson PG, Yates C, Zanne AE, Zemunik G, Ziemińska K. AusTraits, a curated plant trait database for the Australian flora. Sci Data 2021; 8:254. [PMID: 34593819 PMCID: PMC8484355 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-021-01006-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
We introduce the AusTraits database - a compilation of values of plant traits for taxa in the Australian flora (hereafter AusTraits). AusTraits synthesises data on 448 traits across 28,640 taxa from field campaigns, published literature, taxonomic monographs, and individual taxon descriptions. Traits vary in scope from physiological measures of performance (e.g. photosynthetic gas exchange, water-use efficiency) to morphological attributes (e.g. leaf area, seed mass, plant height) which link to aspects of ecological variation. AusTraits contains curated and harmonised individual- and species-level measurements coupled to, where available, contextual information on site properties and experimental conditions. This article provides information on version 3.0.2 of AusTraits which contains data for 997,808 trait-by-taxon combinations. We envision AusTraits as an ongoing collaborative initiative for easily archiving and sharing trait data, which also provides a template for other national or regional initiatives globally to fill persistent gaps in trait knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Falster
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
| | - Rachael Gallagher
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Elizabeth H Wenk
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ian J Wright
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Dony Indiarto
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Caitlan Baxter
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - James Lawson
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Orange, Australia
| | - Stuart Allen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Anne Fuchs
- Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (a joint venture between Parks Australia and CSIRO), Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Anna Monro
- Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (a joint venture between Parks Australia and CSIRO), Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Fonti Kar
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Mark A Adams
- Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia
| | - Collin W Ahrens
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Matthew Alfonzetti
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Deborah M G Apgaua
- Centre for Rainforest Studies, School for Field Studies, Yungaburra, Queensland, 4872, Australia
| | | | - Owen K Atkin
- The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Joe Atkinson
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Tony Auld
- NSW Department of Planning Industry and Environment, Parramatta, Australia
| | | | - Maria von Balthazar
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | | | | | - Jason Bragg
- Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia
| | | | | | | | | | - James Camac
- Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | | | | | - Lucas A Cernusak
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Alex R Chapman
- Western Australian Herbarium, Keiran McNamara Conservation Science Centre, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Western Australia, Kensington, Australia
| | - David Cheal
- Centre for Environmental Management, School of Health & Life Sciences, Federation University, Mount Helen, Australia
| | | | - Si-Chong Chen
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Richmond, Kew, United Kingdom
| | - Brendan Choat
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Brook Clinton
- Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (a joint venture between Parks Australia and CSIRO), Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Peta L Clode
- University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
| | - Helen Coleman
- Western Australian Herbarium, Keiran McNamara Conservation Science Centre, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Western Australia, Kensington, Australia
| | - William K Cornwell
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Michael Crisp
- The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Erika Cross
- Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, Australia
| | - Kristine Y Crous
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Saul Cunningham
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | | | - Ellen Curtis
- University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Matthew I Daws
- Environment Department, Alcoa of Australia, Huntly, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Jane L DeGabriel
- School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Douglas, Australia
| | - Matthew D Denton
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Ning Dong
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Honglang Duan
- Institute for Forest Resources & Environment of Guizhou, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | | | - Richard P Duncan
- Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, ACT, 2617, Canberra, Australia
| | - Marco Duretto
- National Herbarium of New South Wales, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia
| | - John M Dwyer
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | | | | | - John R Evans
- The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Susan E Everingham
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Jennifer Firn
- Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Carlos Roberto Fonseca
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Natal - RN, Brazil
| | | | - Doug Frood
- Pathways Bushland and Environment Consultancy, Sydney, Australia
| | - Jennifer L Funk
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, USA
| | | | - Oula Ghannoum
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Carl R Gosper
- Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, WA, Australia
| | - Emma Gray
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Saskia Grootemaat
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Greg Guerin
- Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, The School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Lydia Guja
- Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (a joint venture between Parks Australia and CSIRO), Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Amy K Hahs
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | | | - Martin Henery
- arks Australia, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Hobart, Australia
| | - Dieter Hochuli
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | | | - Guomin Huang
- Nanchang Institute of Technology, Nanchang, China
| | - Lesley Hughes
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - John Huisman
- Western Australian Herbarium, Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, Western Australia, Australia
| | | | - Ashika Jagdish
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Daniel Jin
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | | | - Enrique Jurado
- Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico
| | | | | | - Jürgen Kellermann
- State Herbarium of South Australia, Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium, Hackney Road, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia
| | | | - Michele Kohout
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, Australia
| | - Robert M Kooyman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Martyna M Kotowska
- Department of Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Hao Ran Lai
- University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Etienne Laliberté
- Institut de recherche en biologie végétale, Université de Montréal, 4101 Sherbrooke Est, Montréal, H1X 2B2, Canada
| | - Hans Lambers
- University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
| | | | - Robert Lanfear
- Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Frank van Langevelde
- Wildlife Ecology & Conservation Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Daniel C Laughlin
- Department of Botany, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA
| | | | | | | | - Andrea Leigh
- University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Tanja Lenz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Brendan Lepschi
- Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (a joint venture between Parks Australia and CSIRO), Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | | | - Felix Lim
- AMAP (Botanique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des Végétations), Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | | | | | - Christopher H Lusk
- Environmental Research Institute, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | | | - Hannah McPherson
- National Herbarium of New South Wales, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia
| | - Susana Magallón
- Laboratorio Nacional de Ciencias de la Sostenibilidad, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Anthony Manea
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Andrea López-Martinez
- Laboratorio Nacional de Ciencias de la Sostenibilidad, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Margaret Mayfield
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | | | | | - Marlien van der Merwe
- Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia
| | | | | | | | - Angela T Moles
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ben D Moore
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | | | | | | | - Annette Muir
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, Australia
| | - Samantha Munroe
- Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, The School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | | | - Dean Nicolle
- Currency Creek Arboretum, Currency Creek, Australia
| | | | - Ülo Niinemets
- Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Tom North
- Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (a joint venture between Parks Australia and CSIRO), Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | | | | | - Brad Oberle
- Division of Natural Sciences, New College of Florida, Sarasota, USA
| | - Yusuke Onoda
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Mark K J Ooi
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
| | - Colin P Osborne
- University of Sheffield, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Grazyna Paczkowska
- Western Australian Herbarium, Keiran McNamara Conservation Science Centre, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Western Australia, Kensington, Australia
| | - Burak Pekin
- Istanbul Technical University, Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Caio Guilherme Pereira
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA
| | | | | | | | - Pieter Poot
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia
| | - Jeff R Powell
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Sally A Power
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | | | | | | | - Jennifer Read
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Victoria Reynolds
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | | | - Ben Richardson
- Western Australian Herbarium, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Western Australia, Kensington, Australia
| | | | - Julieta A Rosell
- Laboratorio Nacional de Ciencias de la Sostenibilidad, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Maurizio Rossetto
- National Herbarium of New South Wales, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia
| | - Barbara Rye
- Western Australian Herbarium, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Western Australia, Kensington, Australia
| | - Paul D Rymer
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Michael A Sams
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | - Gordon Sanson
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Hervé Sauquet
- National Herbarium of New South Wales, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia
| | - Susanne Schmidt
- School of Agriculture and Food Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | - Jürg Schönenberger
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Kerrie Sendall
- Rider University, Lawrence Township, Lawrenceville, NJ, USA
| | - Steve Sinclair
- Department of Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Benjamin Smith
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Renee Smith
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Ben Sparrow
- Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, The School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Rachel J Standish
- Environmental and Conservation Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia
| | - Timothy L Staples
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | - Ruby Stephens
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Guy Taseski
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Elizabeth Tasker
- NSW Department of Planning Industry and Environment, Parramatta, Australia
| | | | - David T Tissue
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Mark G Tjoelker
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - David Yue Phin Tng
- Centre for Rainforest Studies, School for Field Studies, Yungaburra, Queensland, 4872, Australia
| | - Félix de Tombeur
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liege, Gembloux, Belgium
| | | | | | | | - Susanna Venn
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia
| | - Peter Vesk
- University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Carolyn Vlasveld
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | | | - Charles A Warren
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | | | | | - Jessie Wells
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | - Mark Westoby
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Matthew White
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Jarrah Wills
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | - Peter G Wilson
- National Herbarium of NSW and Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia
| | - Colin Yates
- Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, WA, Australia
| | - Amy E Zanne
- Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, 20052, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33146 USA, George Washington University, Washington, DC, 20052, USA
| | | | - Kasia Ziemińska
- AMAP (Botanique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des Végétations), Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Montpellier, France
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Lusk CH, Wiser SK, Laughlin DC. Macroclimate and Topography Interact to Influence the Abundance of Divaricate Plants in New Zealand. Front Plant Sci 2020; 11:507. [PMID: 32508852 PMCID: PMC7248281 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The abundance of the divaricate growth form in New Zealand has been interpreted as either (a) the response of an isolated flora to cool, dry, Plio-Pleistocene climates; or (b) a defense against large browsing birds (moa) that were hunted to extinction shortly after human arrival during the last millennium. We used patterns of divaricate plant abundance across present-day landscapes to test a novel synthetic hypothesis: that the divaricate form is of most value to plants on fertile soils that attract herbivores, on sites where climatic constraints prevent plants from quickly growing out of the browse zone. This hypothesis predicts that divaricate species should be most abundant on terraces (landforms that are both fertile and frost-prone) in regions that are cold and dry, and should be scarce across all topographic positions in the warmest (largely frost-free) regions. To address our hypothesis, we first tested the influence of topography on frost regimes and nutrient levels by measuring temperatures and soil total C, N, and P at four standard topographic positions at five localities differing widely in macroclimate. We then extracted a dataset of 236 surveys comprising 9,877 relevé plots from the New Zealand National Vegetation Survey databank. We calculated the proportion of arborescent species with a divaricate growth form and the proportion of total arborescentcover contributed by divaricates on each plot; we then fitted linear mixed-effect models predicting these response variables as functions of topographic position and climate. The number of frosts recorded averaged <1 yr-1 at the warmest of the five sites studied, to >60 yr-1 on all topographic positions at the coldest site. Terraces were subject to more frequent and harder frosts than any other topographic position. Topography had no significant influence on total N or C:N, but total P was higher on terraces and in gullies than on faces or ridges. Frost-free period was the dominant influence on both species representation and cover of divaricate plants throughout the country. The effect of topography was also significant, but weaker. The effect of frost-free period was stronger on sites with water deficits than on sites where precipitation exceeded evapotranspiration. Divaricates made their largest contributions on terraces in cold, dry regions; as predicted, they were scarce on all topographic positions on sites with frost-free periods >300 days. Our hypothesis was generally supported, although the effect of topography on divaricate abundance was not as strong as some previous studies led us to expect. Divaricates made their largest contributions to arborescent species richness and cover on sites where climatic restrictions on growth coincide with relatively high nutrient availability. The contemporary distribution of the divaricate form across New Zealand landscapes thus appears to be reasonably well explained by the hypothesized interaction of climate and fertility-mediated browsing, although experiments may provide more conclusive tests of this hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher H. Lusk
- Environmental Research Institute, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Susan K. Wiser
- Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
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9
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Lusk CH, Grierson ERP, Laughlin DC. Large leaves in warm, moist environments confer an advantage in seedling light interception efficiency. New Phytol 2019; 223:1319-1327. [PMID: 30985943 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Leaf size varies conspicuously along environmental gradients. Small leaves help plants cope with drought and frost, because of the effect of leaf size on boundary layer conductance; it is less clear what advantage large leaves confer in benign environments. We asked if large leaves give species of warm climates an advantage in seedling light interception efficiency over small-leaved species from colder environments. We measured seedling leaf, architectural and biomass distribution traits of 18 New Zealand temperate rainforest evergreens; we then used a 3-D digitiser and the Yplant program to model leaf area display and light interception. Species associated with mild climates on average had larger leaves and larger specific leaf areas (SLA) than those from cold climates, and displayed larger effective foliage areas per unit of aboveground biomass, indicating higher light interception efficiency at whole-plant level. This reflected differences in total foliage area, rather than in self-shading. Our findings advance the understanding of leaf size by showing that large leaves enable seedlings of species with highly conductive (but frost-sensitive) xylem to deploy large foliage areas without increasing self-shading. Leaf size variation along temperature gradients in humid forests may therefore reflect a trade-off between seedling light interception efficiency and susceptibility to frost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher H Lusk
- Environmental Research Institute, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand
| | - Ella R P Grierson
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research, Sandringham 1142, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Daniel C Laughlin
- Department of Botany, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA
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10
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Lusk CH. Leaf functional trait variation in a humid temperate forest, and relationships with juvenile tree light requirements. PeerJ 2019; 7:e6855. [PMID: 31119078 PMCID: PMC6511228 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The species-rich arborescent assemblages of humid tropical forests encompass much of the known range of the leaf economics spectrum, often including >20-fold variation in leaf lifespan. This suite of traits underpins a life-history continuum from fast-growing pioneers to slow-growing shade-tolerant species. Less is known about the range of leaf traits in humid temperate forests, and there are conflicting reports about relationships of these traits with the light requirements of temperate evergreen angiosperms. Here I quantify the range of leaf functional traits in a New Zealand temperate evergreen forest, and relationships of these traits with light requirements of juvenile trees and shrubs. Foliage turnover of saplings of 19 evergreen angiosperms growing beneath gaps (12-29% canopy openness) and in understories (1.2-2.9%) was measured over 12 months. Dry mass per area (LMA), dry matter content, thickness, density and nitrogen content (N) of leaves were also measured. Species minimum light requirements were indexed as the 10th percentile of the distribution of saplings in relation to canopy openness. Interspecific variation of leaf lifespan was ∼6-fold in gaps (0.6 to 3.8 yrs), and ∼11-fold in the understorey (0.7 to 7.7 yrs). Six small tree and shrub species are effectively leaf-exchangers, with leaf lifespans of c.1 year in gaps-albeit usually longer in the shade. Interspecific variation in other leaf traits was 2.5 to 4-fold. Lifespans and LMA of both sun and shade leaves were negatively correlated with species light requirements i.e., positively correlated with shade tolerance. However, light environment (gap vs shade) explained about the same amount of variation in LMA as species' identity did. Species light requirements were not significantly correlated with leaf N, dry matter content, density or thickness-except for a marginally significant correlation with dry matter content of shade leaves. Species light requirements were thus less consistently related to leaf structural traits than appears to be the case in humid tropical forests. Whereas the wide interspecific variation in leaf economic traits of tropical rainforest species outweighs plastic response to light availability, temperate evergreen woody angiosperms appear to occupy a narrower range of the leaf economic spectrum. Standardization of the light environments in which LMA is measured is vital in comparative studies of humid temperate forest evergreens, because of countergradient responses of this trait to light, and because of the relative magnitudes of plastic and interspecific variation in LMA in these forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher H. Lusk
- Environmental Research Institute, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
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11
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Lusk CH, Clearwater MJ, Laughlin DC, Harrison SP, Prentice IC, Nordenstahl M, Smith B. Frost and leaf-size gradients in forests: global patterns and experimental evidence. New Phytol 2018; 219:565-573. [PMID: 29766502 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Explanations of leaf size variation commonly focus on water availability, yet leaf size also varies with latitude and elevation in environments where water is not strongly limiting. We provide the first conclusive test of a prediction of leaf energy balance theory that may explain this pattern: large leaves are more vulnerable to night-time chilling, because their thick boundary layers impede convective exchange with the surrounding air. Seedlings of 15 New Zealand evergreens spanning 12-fold variation in leaf width were exposed to clear night skies, and leaf temperatures were measured with thermocouples. We then used a global dataset to assess several climate variables as predictors of leaf size in forest assemblages. Leaf minus air temperature was strongly correlated with leaf width, ranging from -0.9 to -3.2°C in the smallest- and largest-leaved species, respectively. Mean annual temperature and frost-free period were good predictors of evergreen angiosperm leaf size in forest assemblages, but no climate variable predicted deciduous leaf size. Although winter deciduousness makes large leaves possible in strongly seasonal climates, large-leaved evergreens are largely confined to frost-free climates because of their susceptibility to radiative cooling. Evergreen leaf size data can therefore be used to enhance vegetation models, and to infer palaeotemperatures from fossil leaf assemblages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher H Lusk
- Environmental Research Institute, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Michael J Clearwater
- Environmental Research Institute, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Daniel C Laughlin
- Department of Botany, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA
| | - Sandy P Harrison
- Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AH, UK
| | - Iain Colin Prentice
- AXA Chair of Biosphere and Climate Impacts, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Marisa Nordenstahl
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Benjamin Smith
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, 22362, Lund, Sweden
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Sendall KM, Reich PB, Lusk CH. Size-related shifts in carbon gain and growth responses to light differ among rainforest evergreens of contrasting shade tolerance. Oecologia 2018; 187:609-623. [PMID: 29637296 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4125-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Recent work suggests that plant size affects light requirements and carbon balance of juvenile trees, and such shifts may be greater in light-demanding species than in their more shade-tolerant associates. To explore the physiological basis of such shifts, we measured juvenile light interception, carbon gain and growth of four subtropical Australian rainforest trees differing in shade tolerance, comparing individuals ranging from 13 to 238 cm in height, across a wide range of understory environments. We hypothesized that even in a standardized light environment, increasing sapling size would lead to declines in net daily carbon gain of foliage and relative growth rates (RGR) of all species, with declines more pronounced in light-demanding species. Crown architecture of individuals was recorded using a 3-dimensional digitizer, and the YPLANT program was used to estimate the self-shaded fraction of each crown and model net carbon gain. Increased sapling size caused a significant increase in self-shading, and significant declines in net daily carbon gain and RGR of light-demanding species, while such ontogenetic variations were minimal or absent in shade-tolerant species. Additionally, differences in the slope of the relationship between light and RGR led to crossovers in RGR among shade-tolerant and light-demanding species at low light. Our results show that the magnitude of ontogenetic variation in net daily carbon gain and RGR can be substantial and may depend on successional status, making it unsafe to assume that young seedling performance can be used to predict or model responses of larger juvenile trees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerrie M Sendall
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, 30460, USA. .,Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA. .,Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia.
| | - Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.,Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, 2753, Australia
| | - Christopher H Lusk
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand
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Piper FI, Altmann SH, Lusk CH. Global patterns of insect herbivory in gap and understorey environments, and their implications for woody plant carbon storage. OIKOS 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.04686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Frida I. Piper
- Centro de Investigación en Ecosistemas de la Patagonia (CIEP); Moraleda 16 Coyhaique Chile
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Laughlin DC, Lusk CH, Bellingham PJ, Burslem DFRP, Simpson AH, Kramer-Walter KR. Intraspecific trait variation can weaken interspecific trait correlations when assessing the whole-plant economic spectrum. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:8936-8949. [PMID: 29152189 PMCID: PMC5677476 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Revised: 07/21/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The worldwide plant economic spectrum hypothesis predicts that leaf, stem, and root traits are correlated across vascular plant species because carbon gain depends on leaves being adequately supplied with water and nutrients, and because construction of each organ involves a trade-off between performance and persistence. Despite its logical and intuitive appeal, this hypothesis has received mixed empirical support. If traits within species diverge in their responses to an environmental gradient, then interspecific trait correlations could be weakened when measured in natural ecosystems. To test this prediction, we measured relative growth rates (RGR) and seven functional traits that have been shown to be related to fluxes of water, nutrients, and carbon across 56 functionally diverse tree species on (1) juveniles in a controlled environment, (2) juveniles in forest understories, and (3) mature trees in forests. Leaf, stem, and fine root traits of juveniles grown in a controlled environment were closely correlated with each other, and with RGR. Remarkably, the seven leaf, stem, and fine root tissue traits spanned a single dimension of variation when measured in the controlled environment. Forest-grown juveniles expressed lower leaf mass per area, but higher wood and fine root tissue density, than greenhouse-grown juveniles. Traits and growth rates were decoupled in forest-grown juveniles and mature trees. Our results indicate that constraints exist on the covariation, not just the variation, among vegetative plant organs; however, divergent responses of traits within species to environmental gradients can mask interspecific trait correlations in natural environments. Correlations among organs and relationships between traits and RGR were strong when plants were compared in a standardized environment. Our results may reconcile the discrepancies seen among studies, by showing that if traits and growth rates of species are compared across varied environments, then the interorgan trait correlations observed in controlled conditions can weaken or disappear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel C Laughlin
- Department of Botany University of Wyoming Laramie WY USA.,Environmental Research Institute School of Science University of Waikato Hamilton New Zealand
| | - Christopher H Lusk
- Environmental Research Institute School of Science University of Waikato Hamilton New Zealand
| | | | | | - Angela H Simpson
- Environmental Research Institute School of Science University of Waikato Hamilton New Zealand
| | - Kris R Kramer-Walter
- Environmental Research Institute School of Science University of Waikato Hamilton New Zealand
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15
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Lusk CH, Laughlin DC. Regeneration patterns, environmental filtering and tree species coexistence in a temperate forest. New Phytol 2017; 213:657-668. [PMID: 27588893 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2016] [Accepted: 07/31/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Forest ecologists researching the functional basis of tree regeneration patterns and species coexistence often attempt to correlate traits with light-gradient partitioning. However, an exclusive focus on light can overlook other important drivers of forest dynamics. We measured light, temperatures, humidity and sapling densities in each of four phases of a forest dynamic mosaic in New Zealand: shaded understoreys, tree-fall gaps, treefern groves and clearings. We then measured leaf, wood and seed traits, as potential predictors of species' regeneration patterns. Saplings of 18 out of 21 species were significantly associated with one or other of the four phases, and associations were best predicted by a two-trait model (leaf size, wood density) explaining 51% of observed variation. Species associated with treefall gaps had traits favouring light pre-emption (large leaves, low-density wood), whereas those establishing in clearings mostly had small leaves and dense wood, traits probably conferring resistance to the frosts and summer water deficits that saplings were exposed to there. The dynamics of some forests cannot be explained adequately by light-gradient partitioning through a growth vs shade tolerance tradeoff, underpinned by the leaf economics spectrum. Consideration of multiple environmental filters and multiple traits will enhance understanding of regeneration patterns and species coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher H Lusk
- Environmental Research Institute, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Daniel C Laughlin
- Environmental Research Institute, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand
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16
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Sendall KM, Lusk CH, Reich PB. Trade‐offs in juvenile growth potential vs. shade tolerance among subtropical rain forest trees on soils of contrasting fertility. Funct Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kerrie M. Sendall
- Department of Forest Resources University of Minnesota 1530 Cleveland Avenue N St. Paul MN 55108 USA
- Department of Biological Sciences Macquarie University Sydney NSW 2109 Australia
| | - Christopher H. Lusk
- Department of Biological Sciences Macquarie University Sydney NSW 2109 Australia
- Environmental Research Institute University of Waikato Private Bag 3105 Hamilton New Zealand
| | - Peter B. Reich
- Department of Forest Resources University of Minnesota 1530 Cleveland Avenue N St. Paul MN 55108 USA
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment University of Western Sydney Penrith NSW 2753 Australia
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17
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Sendall KM, Lusk CH, Reich PB. Becoming less tolerant with age: sugar maple, shade, and ontogeny. Oecologia 2015; 179:1011-21. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3428-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2014] [Accepted: 08/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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18
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Falster DS, Duursma RA, Ishihara MI, Barneche DR, FitzJohn RG, Vårhammar A, Aiba M, Ando M, Anten N, Aspinwall MJ, Baltzer JL, Baraloto C, Battaglia M, Battles JJ, Bond-Lamberty B, van Breugel M, Camac J, Claveau Y, Coll L, Dannoura M, Delagrange S, Domec JC, Fatemi F, Feng W, Gargaglione V, Goto Y, Hagihara A, Hall JS, Hamilton S, Harja D, Hiura T, Holdaway R, Hutley LS, Ichie T, Jokela EJ, Kantola A, Kelly JWG, Kenzo T, King D, Kloeppel BD, Kohyama T, Komiyama A, Laclau JP, Lusk CH, Maguire DA, le Maire G, Mäkelä A, Markesteijn L, Marshall J, McCulloh K, Miyata I, Mokany K, Mori S, Myster RW, Nagano M, Naidu SL, Nouvellon Y, O'Grady AP, O'Hara KL, Ohtsuka T, Osada N, Osunkoya OO, Peri PL, Petritan AM, Poorter L, Portsmuth A, Potvin C, Ransijn J, Reid D, Ribeiro SC, Roberts SD, Rodríguez R, Saldaña-Acosta A, Santa-Regina I, Sasa K, Selaya NG, Sillett SC, Sterck F, Takagi K, Tange T, Tanouchi H, Tissue D, Umehara T, Utsugi H, Vadeboncoeur MA, Valladares F, Vanninen P, Wang JR, Wenk E, Williams R, de Aquino Ximenes F, Yamaba A, Yamada T, Yamakura T, Yanai RD, York RA. BAAD: a Biomass And Allometry Database for woody plants. Ecology 2015. [DOI: 10.1890/14-1889.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Atkin OK, Bloomfield KJ, Reich PB, Tjoelker MG, Asner GP, Bonal D, Bönisch G, Bradford MG, Cernusak LA, Cosio EG, Creek D, Crous KY, Domingues TF, Dukes JS, Egerton JJG, Evans JR, Farquhar GD, Fyllas NM, Gauthier PPG, Gloor E, Gimeno TE, Griffin KL, Guerrieri R, Heskel MA, Huntingford C, Ishida FY, Kattge J, Lambers H, Liddell MJ, Lloyd J, Lusk CH, Martin RE, Maksimov AP, Maximov TC, Malhi Y, Medlyn BE, Meir P, Mercado LM, Mirotchnick N, Ng D, Niinemets Ü, O'Sullivan OS, Phillips OL, Poorter L, Poot P, Prentice IC, Salinas N, Rowland LM, Ryan MG, Sitch S, Slot M, Smith NG, Turnbull MH, VanderWel MC, Valladares F, Veneklaas EJ, Weerasinghe LK, Wirth C, Wright IJ, Wythers KR, Xiang J, Xiang S, Zaragoza-Castells J. Global variability in leaf respiration in relation to climate, plant functional types and leaf traits. New Phytol 2015; 206:614-36. [PMID: 25581061 DOI: 10.1111/nph.13253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2014] [Accepted: 11/29/2014] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Leaf dark respiration (Rdark ) is an important yet poorly quantified component of the global carbon cycle. Given this, we analyzed a new global database of Rdark and associated leaf traits. Data for 899 species were compiled from 100 sites (from the Arctic to the tropics). Several woody and nonwoody plant functional types (PFTs) were represented. Mixed-effects models were used to disentangle sources of variation in Rdark . Area-based Rdark at the prevailing average daily growth temperature (T) of each site increased only twofold from the Arctic to the tropics, despite a 20°C increase in growing T (8-28°C). By contrast, Rdark at a standard T (25°C, Rdark (25) ) was threefold higher in the Arctic than in the tropics, and twofold higher at arid than at mesic sites. Species and PFTs at cold sites exhibited higher Rdark (25) at a given photosynthetic capacity (Vcmax (25) ) or leaf nitrogen concentration ([N]) than species at warmer sites. Rdark (25) values at any given Vcmax (25) or [N] were higher in herbs than in woody plants. The results highlight variation in Rdark among species and across global gradients in T and aridity. In addition to their ecological significance, the results provide a framework for improving representation of Rdark in terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs) and associated land-surface components of Earth system models (ESMs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Owen K Atkin
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Building 134, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia; Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Building 46, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia
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Kooyman RM, Wilf P, Barreda VD, Carpenter RJ, Jordan GJ, Sniderman JMK, Allen A, Brodribb TJ, Crayn D, Feild TS, Laffan SW, Lusk CH, Rossetto M, Weston PH. Paleo-Antarctic rainforest into the modern Old World tropics: the rich past and threatened future of the "southern wet forest survivors". Am J Bot 2014; 101:2121-2135. [PMID: 25480709 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1400340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED • PREMISE OF STUDY Have Gondwanan rainforest floral associations survived? Where do they occur today? Have they survived continuously in particular locations? How significant is their living floristic signal? We revisit these classic questions in light of significant recent increases in relevant paleobotanical data.• METHODS We traced the extinction and persistence of lineages and associations through the past across four now separated regions-Australia, New Zealand, Patagonia, and Antarctica-using fossil occurrence data from 63 well-dated Gondwanan rainforest sites and 396 constituent taxa. Fossil sites were allocated to four age groups: Cretaceous, Paleocene-Eocene, Neogene plus Oligocene, and Pleistocene. We compared the modern and ancient distributions of lineages represented in the fossil record to see if dissimilarity increased with time. We quantified similarity-dissimilarity of composition and taxonomic structure among fossil assemblages, and between fossil and modern assemblages.• KEY RESULTS Strong similarities between ancient Patagonia and Australia confirmed shared Gondwanan rainforest history, but more of the lineages persisted in Australia. Samples of ancient Australia grouped with the extant floras of Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Fiji, and Mt. Kinabalu. Decreasing similarity through time among the regional floras of Antarctica, Patagonia, New Zealand, and southern Australia reflects multiple extinction events.• CONCLUSIONS Gondwanan rainforest lineages contribute significantly to modern rainforest community assembly and often co-occur in widely separated assemblages far from their early fossil records. Understanding how and where lineages from ancient Gondwanan assemblages co-occur today has implications for the conservation of global rainforest vegetation, including in the Old World tropics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert M Kooyman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde 2113, Sydney, Australia National Herbarium of NSW, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney 2000, Australia
| | - Peter Wilf
- Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Viviana D Barreda
- Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, CONICET, División Paleobotánica, Av. Ángel Gallardo 470, C1405DJR Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Raymond J Carpenter
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Benham Bldg DX 650 312, University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Gregory J Jordan
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55 Hobart, 7001 Tasmania, Australia
| | - J M Kale Sniderman
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia
| | - Andrew Allen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde 2113, Sydney, Australia
| | - Timothy J Brodribb
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55 Hobart, 7001 Tasmania, Australia
| | - Darren Crayn
- Australian Tropical Herbarium, School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia
| | - Taylor S Feild
- Australian Tropical Herbarium, School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia
| | - Shawn W Laffan
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington 2052, Sydney, Australia
| | - Christopher H Lusk
- School of Science, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Maurizio Rossetto
- National Herbarium of NSW, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney 2000, Australia
| | - Peter H Weston
- National Herbarium of NSW, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney 2000, Australia
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Peppe DJ, Lemons CR, Royer DL, Wing SL, Wright IJ, Lusk CH, Rhoden CH. Biomechanical and leaf-climate relationships: a comparison of ferns and seed plants. Am J Bot 2014; 101:338-347. [PMID: 24509795 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1300220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Relationships of leaf size and shape (physiognomy) with climate have been well characterized for woody non-monocotyledonous angiosperms (dicots), allowing the development of models for estimating paleoclimate from fossil leaves. More recently, petiole width of seed plants has been shown to scale closely with leaf mass. By measuring petiole width and leaf area in fossils, leaf mass per area (MA) can be estimated and an approximate leaf life span inferred. However, little is known about these relationships in ferns, a clade with a deep fossil record and with the potential to greatly expand the applicability of these proxies. METHODS We measured the petiole width, MA, and leaf physiognomic characters of 179 fern species from 188 locations across six continents. We applied biomechanical models and assessed the relationship between leaf physiognomy and climate using correlational approaches. KEY RESULTS The scaling relationship between area-normalized petiole width and MA differs between fern fronds and pinnae. The scaling relationship is best modeled as an end-loaded cantilevered beam, which is different from the best-fit biomechanical model for seed plants. Fern leaf physiognomy is not influenced by climatic conditions. CONCLUSIONS The cantilever beam model can be applied to fossil ferns. The lack of sensitivity of leaf physiognomy to climate in ferns argues against their use to reconstruct paleoclimate. Differences in climate sensitivity and biomechanical relationships between ferns and seed plants may be driven by differences in their hydraulic conductivity and/or their differing evolutionary histories of vein architecture and leaf morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Peppe
- Department of Geology, Baylor University, Waco, Texas 76798 USA
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Kooyman RM, Zanne AE, Gallagher RV, Cornwell W, Rossetto M, O'Connor P, Parkes EA, Catterall CF, Laffan SW, Lusk CH. Effects of growth form and functional traits on response of woody plants to clearing and fragmentation of subtropical rainforest. Conserv Biol 2013; 27:1468-1477. [PMID: 23869490 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2012] [Accepted: 02/03/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The conservation implications of large-scale rainforest clearing and fragmentation on the persistence of functional and taxonomic diversity remain poorly understood. If traits represent adaptive strategies of plant species to particular circumstances, the expectation is that the effect of forest clearing and fragmentation will be affected by species functional traits, particularly those related to dispersal. We used species occurrence data for woody plants in 46 rainforest patches across 75,000 ha largely cleared of forest by the early 1900s to determine the combined effects of area reduction, fragmentation, and patch size on the taxonomic structure and functional diversity of subtropical rainforest. We compiled species trait values for leaf area, seed dry mass, wood density, and maximum height and calculated species niche breadths. Taxonomic structure, trait values (means, ranges), and the functional diversity of assemblages of climbing and free-standing plants in remnant patches were quantified. Larger rainforest patches had higher species richness. Species in smaller patches were taxonomically less related than species in larger patches. Free-standing plants had a high percentage of frugivore dispersed seeds; climbers had a high proportion of small wind-dispersed seeds. Connections between the patchy spatial distribution of free-standing species, larger seed sizes, and dispersal syndrome were weak. Assemblages of free-standing plants in patches showed more taxonomic and spatial structuring than climbing plants. Smaller isolated patches retained relatively high functional diversity and similar taxonomic structure to larger tracts of forest despite lower species richness. The response of woody plants to clearing and fragmentation of subtropical rainforest differed between climbers and slow-growing mature-phase forest trees but not between climbers and pioneer trees. Quantifying taxonomic structure and functional diversity provides an improved basis for conservation planning and management by elucidating the effects of forest-area reduction and fragmentation. Efectos de la Forma de Crecimiento y Atributos Funcionales en la Respuesta de Plantas Leñosas al Desmonte y Fragmentación de Bosque Lluvioso Subtropical.
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Affiliation(s)
- R M Kooyman
- National Herbarium of NSW, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney, 2000, Australia; Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde 2113, Sydney, Australia
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23
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher H. Lusk
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Waikato; Private Bag 3105 Hamilton New Zealand
| | - Murray. A. Jorgensen
- Department of Statistics; University of Waikato; Private Bag 3105 Hamilton New Zealand
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Lusk CH, Kelly JWG, Gleason SM. Light requirements of Australian tropical vs. cool-temperate rainforest tree species show different relationships with seedling growth and functional traits. Ann Bot 2013; 111:479-488. [PMID: 23264237 PMCID: PMC3579444 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcs289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2012] [Accepted: 11/15/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS A trade-off between shade tolerance and growth in high light is thought to underlie the temporal dynamics of humid forests. On the other hand, it has been suggested that tree species sorting on temperature gradients involves a trade-off between growth rate and cold resistance. Little is known about how these two major trade-offs interact. METHODS Seedlings of Australian tropical and cool-temperate rainforest trees were grown in glasshouse environments to compare growth versus shade-tolerance trade-offs in these two assemblages. Biomass distribution, photosynthetic capacity and vessel diameters were measured in order to examine the functional correlates of species differences in light requirements and growth rate. Species light requirements were assessed by field estimation of the light compensation point for stem growth. RESULTS Light-demanding and shade-tolerant tropical species differed markedly in relative growth rates (RGR), but this trend was less evident among temperate species. This pattern was paralleled by biomass distribution data: specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf area ratio (LAR) of tropical species were significantly positively correlated with compensation points, but not those of cool-temperate species. The relatively slow growth and small SLA and LAR of Tasmanian light-demanders were associated with narrow vessels and low potential sapwood conductivity. CONCLUSIONS The conservative xylem traits, small LAR and modest RGR of Tasmanian light-demanders are consistent with selection for resistance to freeze-thaw embolism, at the expense of growth rate. Whereas competition for light favours rapid growth in light-demanding trees native to environments with warm, frost-free growing seasons, frost resistance may be an equally important determinant of the fitness of light-demanders in cool-temperate rainforest, as seedlings establishing in large openings are exposed to sub-zero temperatures that can occur throughout most of the year.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher H Lusk
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand.
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Jiménez‐Castillo M, Lusk CH. Vascular performance of woody plants in a temperate rain forest: lianas suffer higher levels of freeze–thaw embolism than associated trees. Funct Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mylthon Jiménez‐Castillo
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile Casilla 567 Valdivia Chile
- Jardín Botánico Universidad Austral de Chile Valdivia Chile
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Craine JM, Engelbrecht BMJ, Lusk CH, McDowell NG, Poorter H. Resource limitation, tolerance, and the future of ecological plant classification. Front Plant Sci 2012; 3:246. [PMID: 23115561 PMCID: PMC3483597 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2012.00246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2012] [Accepted: 10/15/2012] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Throughout the evolutionary history of plants, drought, shade, and scarcity of nutrients have structured ecosystems and communities globally. Humans have begun to drastically alter the prevalence of these environmental factors with untold consequences for plant communities and ecosystems worldwide. Given limitations in using organ-level traits to predict ecological performance of species, recent advances using tolerances of low resource availability as plant functional traits are revealing the often hidden roles these factors have in structuring communities and are becoming central to classifying plants ecologically. For example, measuring the physiological drought tolerance of plants has increased the predictability of differences among species in their ability to survive drought as well as the distribution of species within and among ecosystems. Quantifying the shade tolerance of species has improved our understanding of local and regional species diversity and how species have sorted within and among regions. As the stresses on ecosystems continue to shift, coordinated studies of whole-plant growth centered on tolerance of low resource availability will be central in predicting future ecosystem functioning and biodiversity. This will require efforts that quantify tolerances for large numbers of species and develop bioinformatic and other techniques for comparing large number of species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bettina M. J. Engelbrecht
- Department of Plant Ecology, University of Bayreuth Bayreuth, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research InstituteBalboa, Ancon, Panama
| | - Christopher H. Lusk
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of WaikatoHamilton, New Zealand
| | - Nate G. McDowell
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National LaboratoryLos Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Hendrik Poorter
- IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum JülichJülich, Germany
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Lusk CH, Pérez-Millaqueo MM, Saldaña A, Burns BR, Laughlin DC, Falster DS. Seedlings of temperate rainforest conifer and angiosperm trees differ in leaf area display. Ann Bot 2012; 110:177-88. [PMID: 22585929 PMCID: PMC3380592 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcs095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2011] [Accepted: 03/06/2012] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The contemporary relegation of conifers mainly to cold or infertile sites has been ascribed to low competitive ability, as a result of the hydraulic inefficiency of tracheids and their seedlings' initial dependence on small foliage areas. Here it is hypothesized that, in temperate rainforests, the larger leaves of angiosperms also reduce self-shading and thus enable display of larger effective foliage areas than the numerous small leaves of conifers. METHODS This hypothesis was tested using 3-D modelling of plant architecture and structural equation modelling to compare self-shading and light interception potential of seedlings of six conifers and 12 angiosperm trees from temperate rainforests. The ratio of displayed leaf area to plant mass (LAR(d)) was used to indicate plant light interception potential: LAR(d) is the product of specific leaf area, leaf mass fraction, self-shading and leaf angle. RESULTS Angiosperm seedlings self-shaded less than conifers, mainly because of differences in leaf number (more than leaf size), and on average their LAR(d) was about twice that of conifers. Although specific leaf area was the most pervasive influence on LAR(d), differences in self-shading also significantly influenced LAR(d) of large seedlings. CONCLUSIONS The ability to deploy foliage in relatively few, large leaves is advantageous in minimizing self-shading and enhancing seedling light interception potential per unit of plant biomass. This study adds significantly to evidence that vegetative traits may be at least as important as reproductive innovations in explaining the success of angiosperms in productive environments where vegetation is structured by light competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher H Lusk
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.
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Duursma RA, Falster DS, Valladares F, Sterck FJ, Pearcy RW, Lusk CH, Sendall KM, Nordenstahl M, Houter NC, Atwell BJ, Kelly N, Kelly JWG, Liberloo M, Tissue DT, Medlyn BE, Ellsworth DS. Light interception efficiency explained by two simple variables: a test using a diversity of small- to medium-sized woody plants. New Phytol 2012; 193:397-408. [PMID: 22066945 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03943.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
• Plant light interception efficiency is a crucial determinant of carbon uptake by individual plants and by vegetation. Our aim was to identify whole-plant variables that summarize complex crown architecture, which can be used to predict light interception efficiency. • We gathered the largest database of digitized plants to date (1831 plants of 124 species), and estimated a measure of light interception efficiency with a detailed three-dimensional model. Light interception efficiency was defined as the ratio of the hemispherically averaged displayed to total leaf area. A simple model was developed that uses only two variables, crown density (the ratio of leaf area to total crown surface area) and leaf dispersion (a measure of the degree of aggregation of leaves). • The model explained 85% of variation in the observed light interception efficiency across the digitized plants. Both whole-plant variables varied across species, with differences in leaf dispersion related to leaf size. Within species, light interception efficiency decreased with total leaf number. This was a result of changes in leaf dispersion, while crown density remained constant. • These results provide the basis for a more general understanding of the role of plant architecture in determining the efficiency of light harvesting.
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Affiliation(s)
- R A Duursma
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
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Lusk CH, Pérez-Millaqueo MM, Piper FI, Saldaña A. Ontogeny, understorey light interception and simulated carbon gain of juvenile rainforest evergreens differing in shade tolerance. Ann Bot 2011; 108:419-28. [PMID: 21856637 PMCID: PMC3158685 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcr166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2011] [Accepted: 05/03/2011] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS A long-running debate centres on whether shade tolerance of tree seedlings is mainly a function of traits maximizing net carbon gain in low light, or of traits minimizing carbon loss. To test these alternatives, leaf display, light-interception efficiency, and simulated net daily carbon gain of juvenile temperate evergreens of differing shade tolerance were measured, and how these variables are influenced by ontogeny was queried. METHODS The biomass distribution of juveniles (17-740 mm tall) of seven temperate rainforest evergreens growing in low (approx. 4 %) light in the understorey of a second-growth stand was quantified. Daytime and night-time gas exchange rates of leaves were also determined, and crown architecture was recorded digitally. YPLANT was used to model light interception and carbon gain. RESULTS An index of species shade tolerance correlated closely with photosynthetic capacities and respiration rates per unit mass of leaves, but only weakly with respiration per unit area. Accumulation of many leaf cohorts by shade-tolerant species meant that their ratios of foliage area to biomass (LAR) decreased more gradually with ontogeny than those of light-demanders, but also increased self-shading; this depressed the foliage silhouette-to-area ratio (STAR), which was used as an index of light-interception efficiency. As a result, displayed leaf area ratio (LAR(d) = LAR × STAR) of large seedlings was not related to species shade tolerance. Self-shading also caused simulated net daily carbon assimilation rates of shade-tolerant species to decrease with ontogeny, leading to a negative correlation of shade tolerance with net daily carbon gain of large (500 mm tall) seedlings in the understorey. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that efficiency of energy capture is not an important correlate of shade tolerance in temperate rainforest evergreens. Ontogenetic increases in self-shading largely nullify the potential carbon gain advantages expected to result from low respiration rates and long leaf lifespans in shade-tolerant evergreens. The main advantage of their long-lived leaves is probably in reducing the costs of crown maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher H Lusk
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia.
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Peppe DJ, Royer DL, Cariglino B, Oliver SY, Newman S, Leight E, Enikolopov G, Fernandez-Burgos M, Herrera F, Adams JM, Correa E, Currano ED, Erickson JM, Hinojosa LF, Hoganson JW, Iglesias A, Jaramillo CA, Johnson KR, Jordan GJ, Kraft NJB, Lovelock EC, Lusk CH, Niinemets U, Peñuelas J, Rapson G, Wing SL, Wright IJ. Sensitivity of leaf size and shape to climate: global patterns and paleoclimatic applications. New Phytol 2011. [PMID: 21294735 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03615×.×] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
• Paleobotanists have long used models based on leaf size and shape to reconstruct paleoclimate. However, most models incorporate a single variable or use traits that are not physiologically or functionally linked to climate, limiting their predictive power. Further, they often underestimate paleotemperature relative to other proxies. • Here we quantify leaf-climate correlations from 92 globally distributed, climatically diverse sites, and explore potential confounding factors. Multiple linear regression models for mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP) are developed and applied to nine well-studied fossil floras. • We find that leaves in cold climates typically have larger, more numerous teeth, and are more highly dissected. Leaf habit (deciduous vs evergreen), local water availability, and phylogenetic history all affect these relationships. Leaves in wet climates are larger and have fewer, smaller teeth. Our multivariate MAT and MAP models offer moderate improvements in precision over univariate approaches (± 4.0 vs 4.8°C for MAT) and strong improvements in accuracy. For example, our provisional MAT estimates for most North American fossil floras are considerably warmer and in better agreement with independent paleoclimate evidence. • Our study demonstrates that the inclusion of additional leaf traits that are functionally linked to climate improves paleoclimate reconstructions. This work also illustrates the need for better understanding of the impact of phylogeny and leaf habit on leaf-climate relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Peppe
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT 06459, USA.
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Peppe DJ, Royer DL, Cariglino B, Oliver SY, Newman S, Leight E, Enikolopov G, Fernandez-Burgos M, Herrera F, Adams JM, Correa E, Currano ED, Erickson JM, Hinojosa LF, Hoganson JW, Iglesias A, Jaramillo CA, Johnson KR, Jordan GJ, Kraft NJB, Lovelock EC, Lusk CH, Niinemets U, Peñuelas J, Rapson G, Wing SL, Wright IJ. Sensitivity of leaf size and shape to climate: global patterns and paleoclimatic applications. New Phytol 2011; 190:724-39. [PMID: 21294735 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03615.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
• Paleobotanists have long used models based on leaf size and shape to reconstruct paleoclimate. However, most models incorporate a single variable or use traits that are not physiologically or functionally linked to climate, limiting their predictive power. Further, they often underestimate paleotemperature relative to other proxies. • Here we quantify leaf-climate correlations from 92 globally distributed, climatically diverse sites, and explore potential confounding factors. Multiple linear regression models for mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP) are developed and applied to nine well-studied fossil floras. • We find that leaves in cold climates typically have larger, more numerous teeth, and are more highly dissected. Leaf habit (deciduous vs evergreen), local water availability, and phylogenetic history all affect these relationships. Leaves in wet climates are larger and have fewer, smaller teeth. Our multivariate MAT and MAP models offer moderate improvements in precision over univariate approaches (± 4.0 vs 4.8°C for MAT) and strong improvements in accuracy. For example, our provisional MAT estimates for most North American fossil floras are considerably warmer and in better agreement with independent paleoclimate evidence. • Our study demonstrates that the inclusion of additional leaf traits that are functionally linked to climate improves paleoclimate reconstructions. This work also illustrates the need for better understanding of the impact of phylogeny and leaf habit on leaf-climate relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Peppe
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT 06459, USA.
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Lusk CH, Onoda Y, Kooyman R, Gutiérrez-Girón A. Reconciling species-level vs plastic responses of evergreen leaf structure to light gradients: shade leaves punch above their weight. New Phytol 2010; 186:429-438. [PMID: 20202128 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03202.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
*When grown in a common light environment, the leaves of shade-tolerant evergreen trees have a larger leaf mass per unit area (LMA) than their light-demanding counterparts, associated with differences in lifespan. Yet plastic responses of LMA run counter to this pattern: shade leaves have smaller LMA than sun leaves, despite often living longer. *We measured LMA and cell wall content, and conducted punch and shear tests, on sun and shade leaves of 13 rainforest evergreens of differing shade tolerance, in order to understand adaptation vs plastic responses of leaf structure and biomechanics to shade. *Species shade tolerance and leaf mechanical properties correlated better with cell wall mass per unit area than with LMA. Growth light environment had less effect on leaf mechanics than on LMA: shade leaves had, on average, 40% lower LMA than sun leaves, but differences in work-to-shear, and especially force-to-punch, were smaller. This was associated with a slightly larger cell wall fraction in shade leaves. *The persistence of shade leaves might reflect unattractiveness to herbivores because they yield smaller benefits (cell contents per area) per unit fracture force than sun leaves. In forest trees, cell wall fraction and force-to-punch are more robust correlates of species light requirements than LMA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher H Lusk
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia.
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Abstract
Knowledge of leaf chemistry, physiology, and life span is essential for global vegetation modeling, but such data are scarce or lacking for some regions, especially in developing countries. Here we use data from 2021 species at 175 sites around the world from the GLOPNET compilation to show that key physiological traits that are difficult to measure (such as photosynthetic capacity) can be predicted from simple qualitative plant characteristics, climate information, easily measured ("soft") leaf traits, or all of these in combination. The qualitative plant functional type (PFT) attributes examined are phylogeny (angiosperm or gymnosperm), growth form (grass, herb, shrub, or tree), and leaf phenology (deciduous vs. evergreen). These three PFT attributes explain between one-third and two-thirds of the variation in each of five quantitative leaf ecophysiological traits: specific leaf area (SLA), leaf life span, mass-based net photosynthetic capacity (Amass), nitrogen content (N(mass)), and phosphorus content (P(mass)). Alternatively, the combination of four simple, widely available climate metrics (mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, mean vapor pressure deficit, and solar irradiance) explain only 5-20% of the variation in those same five leaf traits. Adding the climate metrics to the qualitative PFTs as independent factors in the model increases explanatory power by 3-11% for the five traits. If a single easily measured leaf trait (SLA) is also included in the model along with qualitative plant traits and climate metrics, an additional 5-25% of the variation in the other four other leaf traits is explained, with the models accounting for 62%, 65%, 66%, and 73% of global variation in N(mass), P(mass), A(mass), and leaf life span, respectively. Given the wide availability of the summary climate data and qualitative PFT data used in these analyses, they could be used to explain roughly half of global variation in the less accessible leaf traits (A(mass), leaf life span, N(mass), P(mass)); this can be augmented to two-thirds of all variation if climatic and PFT data are used in combination with the readily measured trait SLA. This shows encouraging possibilities of progress in developing general predictive equations for macro-ecology, global scaling, and global modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, 1530 Cleveland Avenue North, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108, USA.
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Lusk CH, Jiménez-Castillo M, Salazar-Ortega N. Evidence that branches of evergreen angiosperm and coniferous trees differ in hydraulic conductance but not in Huber values. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1139/b07-002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The hydraulic efficiency conferred by vessels is regarded as one of the key innovations explaining the historical rise of the angiosperms at the expense of the gymnosperms. Few studies, however, have compared the structure and function of xylem and their relationships with foliage traits in evergreen representatives of both groups. We measured sapwood cross-sectional area, conduit diameters, hydraulic conductance, and leaf area of fine branches (2.5–7.5 mm diameter) of five conifers and eight evergreen angiosperm trees in evergreen temperate forests in south-central Chile. Conductance of both lineages was higher at Los Lleuques, a warm temperate site with strong Mediterranean influence, than in a cool temperate rain forest at Puyehue. At a common sapwood cross-sectional area, angiosperm branches at both sites had greater hydraulic conductance (G) than conifers, but similar leaf areas. Branch conductance normalized by subtended leaf area (GL) at both sites was, therefore, higher in angiosperms than in conifers. Hydraulically weighted mean conduit diameters were much larger in angiosperms than in conifers, although this difference was less marked at Puyehue, the cooler of the two sites. Conduits of the vesselless rain forest angiosperm Drimys winteri J.R. & G. Forst were wider than those of coniferous associates, although narrower than angiosperm vessels. However, GL of D. winteri was within the range of values measured for vesselbearing angiosperms at the same site. The observed differences in xylem structure and function correlate with evidence that evergreen angiosperms have higher average stomatal conductance and photosynthetic capacity than their coniferous associates in southern temperate forests. Comparisons of conifers and angiosperm branches thus suggest that the superior capacity of angiosperm conduits is attributable to the development of higher gas-exchange rates per unit leaf area, rather than to a more extensive leaf area. Results also suggest that the tracheary elements of some vesselless angiosperms differ in width and hydraulic efficiency from conifer tracheids.
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Lusk CH, Warton DI. Global meta-analysis shows that relationships of leaf mass per area with species shade tolerance depend on leaf habit and ontogeny. New Phytol 2007; 176:764-774. [PMID: 17997762 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2007.02264.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
It was predicted that relationships of leaf mass per area (LMA) with juvenile shade tolerance will depend on leaf habit, and on whether species are compared at a common age as young seedlings, or at a common size as saplings. A meta-analysis of 47 comparative studies (372 species) was used to test predictions, and the effect of light environment on this relationship. The LMA of evergreens was positively correlated with shade tolerance, irrespective of ontogeny or light environment. The LMA of young seedlings (<or=1 yr) of deciduous species in low light was also positively correlated with shade tolerance; more weakly so in high light. By contrast, size-specific comparisons of deciduous saplings gave negative correlations of LMA with shade tolerance. Independent contrasts and cross-species analyses yielded broadly similar results. We conclude that ontogeny strongly influences the relationship of LMA with shade tolerance of deciduous trees, but has little impact on that of evergreens. Size-specific comparisons reveal opposing trends in deciduous and evergreen taxa: the negative relationship of LMA with shade tolerance of deciduous species is probably dominated by interspecific differences in palisade thickness, whereas patterns in evergreens are probably shaped more by the degree of structural reinforcement, linked to wide variation in leaf lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher H Lusk
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - David I Warton
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia
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Wright IJ, Reich PB, Atkin OK, Lusk CH, Tjoelker MG, Westoby M. Irradiance, temperature and rainfall influence leaf dark respiration in woody plants: evidence from comparisons across 20 sites. New Phytol 2006; 169:309-19. [PMID: 16411934 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2005.01590.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Leaf dark respiration (R) is one of the most fundamental physiological processes in plants and is a major component of terrestrial CO2 input to the atmosphere. Still, it is unclear how predictably species vary in R along broad climate gradients. Data for R and other key leaf traits were compiled for 208 woody species from 20 sites around the world. We quantified relationships between R and site climate, and climate-related variation in relationships between R and other leaf traits. Species at higher-irradiance sites had higher mean R at a given leaf N concentration, specific leaf area (SLA), photosynthetic capacity (Amass) or leaf lifespan than species at lower-irradiance sites. Species at lower-rainfall sites had higher mean R at a given SLA or Amass than species at higher-rainfall sites. On average, estimated field rates of R were higher at warmer sites, while no trend with site temperature was seen when R was adjusted to a standard measurement temperature. Our findings should prove useful for modelling plant nutrient and carbon budgets, and for modelling vegetation shifts with climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian J Wright
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia.
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Lusk CH, Chazdon RL, Hofmann G. A bounded null model explains juvenile tree community structure along light availability gradients in a temperate rain forest. OIKOS 2006. [DOI: 10.1111/j.0030-1299.2006.13922.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Saldaña A, Gianoli E, Lusk CH. Ecophysiological responses to light availability in three Blechnum species (Pteridophyta, Blechnaceae) of different ecological breadth. Oecologia 2005; 145:252-7. [PMID: 16025357 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-005-0116-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2004] [Accepted: 03/24/2005] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In Chilean evergreen temperate forest, fern species of the genus Blechnum occur in diverse microhabitats ranging from large gaps to heavily shaded understoreys. We hypothesised that differences in the ecological breadth of three co-occurring Blechnum species would be associated with differences in magnitude of ecophysiological responses to light availability. We quantified the field distribution of each species in relation to diffuse light availability (% canopy openness), and measured in situ variation in photosynthetic capacity (A), dark respiration (R (d)) and specific leaf area (SLA) across the light gradient. The response of SLA of each species was also evaluated in a common garden in two light conditions (understorey and forest edge). The three Blechnum species differed significantly in the range of light environments occupied (breadth: B. chilense > B. hastatum > B. mochaenum). Despite significant interspecific differences in average A and R (d), the response of these traits to light availability did not differ among species. However, there was significant interspecific variation in both the mean value and the plasticity of SLA to light availability, the species with least ecological breadth (B. mochaenum) showing a flatter reaction norm (lower response) than its two congeners. This pattern was also found in the common garden experiment. The adjustment of leaf morphology (SLA) to light availability appears to be an important mechanism of acclimation in these Blechnum species. The narrow range of light environments occupied by B. mochaenum may be at least partly attributable to its inability to display phenotypic plasticity in SLA to changes in light availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Saldaña
- Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile
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Wright IJ, Reich PB, Cornelissen JHC, Falster DS, Groom PK, Hikosaka K, Lee W, Lusk CH, Niinemets Ü, Oleksyn J, Osada N, Poorter H, Warton DI, Westoby M. Modulation of leaf economic traits and trait relationships by climate. Global Ecology and Biogeography 2005; 14:411-421. [PMID: 0 DOI: 10.1111/j.1466-822x.2005.00172.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 354] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
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Lusk CH, Wright I, Reich PB. Photosynthetic differences contribute to competitive advantage of evergreen angiosperm trees over evergreen conifers in productive habitats. New Phytol 2003; 160:329-336. [PMID: 33832183 DOI: 10.1046/j.1469-8137.2003.00879.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
• Here we explore the possible role of leaf-level gas exchange traits in determining growth rate differences and competitive interactions between evergreen angiosperms and conifers. • We compared relationships among photosynthetic capacity (Amax ), maximum stomatal conductance (Gs ), leaf life span, nitrogen concentration (N) and specific leaf area (SLA), in sun leaves of 23 evergreen angiosperm and 20 conifer populations. • Despite similar average leaf Nmass , conifer leaves lived longer on average (36 months) than angiosperms (25 months). At a standardized leaf N, Amass was higher in angiosperms (56 nmol g-1 s-1 ) than in conifers (36 nmol g-1 s-1 ). Stepwize regression suggested that most of this difference in photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency could be explained by Gs and SLA. Mean Gs (on an area basis) of angiosperms was higher than that of conifers (152 vs 117 mmol m2 s-1 ), but Aarea -Gs relationships were similar for the two groups. At a given leaf N, conifers had lower SLA (projected area basis) than angiosperms. • Photosynthetic differences probably contribute to the competitive advantage of angiosperm trees over conifers in productive habitats, and may be linked to the greater hydraulic capacity of vessels, enabling angiosperms to develop higher stomatal conductance and therefore sustain higher transpiration rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher H Lusk
- Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile
| | - Ian Wright
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, Australia
| | - Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St Paul MN 55108, USA
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Abstract
• The safe site concept could have utility in community ecology if predictive relationships between plant traits and safe site characteristics could be identified. Here we examine the proposal that the nature and relative abundance of safe sites are systematically related to seed size, in an assemblage of 17 woody species in a temperate forest. • We compared the degree of association of seedlings of each species with elevated microsites, and examined life-history correlates of this variation. • Seed size explained 45% of interspecific variation in percentage of seedlings growing on logs and other elevated substrates. Neither specific leaf area nor an index of light requirements gave significant increases in explanatory power. Phylogenetically independent contrasts gave a similar, but weaker, relationship with seed size. Most small-seeded species were overrepresented on elevated microsites, whereas two large-seeded taxa were underrepresented on these substrates. Safe sites of small-seeded species were therefore more spatially restricted than those of large-seeded taxa, as elevated surfaces occupied only 8% of the forest floor. • Safe site differentiation may help to explain the wide range of seed size present within many communities, as well as species coexistence in forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher H Lusk
- Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile
| | - Colleen K Kelly
- Division of Biodiversity and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, University of Southampton, UK
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Lusk CH, Jara C, Parada T. Influence of canopy tree size on stand basal area may reflect uncoupling of crown expansion and trunk diameter growth. AUSTRAL ECOL 2003. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1442-9993.2003.01279.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Abstract
• In a comparative study of 26 Chilean temperate woody species, the following questions were addressed. Are germination requirements correlated with seedling light requirements? Can germination requirements be used to delimit pioneer and nonpioneer guilds? • To assess dependence of germination on canopy gaps, germination percentages were compared experimentally in gap and understorey environments. Seedling light requirements were quantified by determining the mean light environment naturally occupied by juveniles of each species. • Germination was significantly higher in the gap than in the understorey in > 30% of the species, although only one germinated exclusively in the gap. In the understorey, germination was higher in 19% of species, whereas 50% were indifferent to germination environment. Several light-demanding species germinated abundantly in the understorey. Both cross-species analysis and phylogenetically independent contrasts showed that seedling light requirements were not correlated with responsiveness of germination to the gap environment. • Results suggest that germination requirements and seedling light requirements are not coupled, and that requirement of canopy gaps for germination cannot be used to delimit pioneer and nonpioneer guilds in a Chilean temperate rain forest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier A Figueroa
- Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Casilla 114-D, Santiago, Chile
| | - Christopher H Lusk
- Departamento de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile
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