scholarly journals Trait coordination and environmental filters shape functional trait distributions of forest understory herbs

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (24) ◽  
pp. 14098-14112
Author(s):  
Matt Candeias ◽  
Jennifer Fraterrigo
Keyword(s):  
Functional Trait ◽  
Forest Understory ◽  
Environmental Filters ◽  
Understory Herbs

Belowground morphology and population dynamics of two forest understory herbs of contrasting growth form

Botany ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph A. Antos ◽  
Donald B. Zobel ◽  
Dylan Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Large Range ◽  
Forest Understory ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
Forest Herbs ◽  
Understory Herbs ◽  
Small Roots ◽  
Chimaphila Umbellata ◽  
Range Of Variation ◽  
Xerophyllum Tenax

Forest understory herbs exhibit a large range of variation in morphology and life history. Here we expand the reported range of variation by describing the belowground structures of two very different species, Xerophyllum tenax and Chimaphila umbellata. We excavated individuals in forests of the Cascade Mountains, Pacific Northwest, USA. Xerophyllum tenax has short rhizomes, but an extensive root system that is exceptionally large among forest understory species. The roots reach 4 m in length and may occupy an area 50 times that of the aboveground canopy. In contrast, Chimaphila umbellata has very small roots, but an extensive rhizome system. The largest plant we excavated had 57 m of connected rhizomes and still had a seedling source. Both species have long-lived individuals but differ in response to disturbance. Based on monitoring of 151 permanent 1 m2 plots in an old-growth forest, X. tenax increased only minimally in density over 40 years following tephra deposition from the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, whereas density of C. umbellata increased substantially. The very different morphology of these two species highlights the large range of variation found among forest herbs, which needs to be considered when examining the forest understory.

Use of a Native Matrix Species to Facilitate Understory Restoration in an Overbrowsed, Invaded Woodland

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua A. Martinez ◽  
Mathew E. Dornbush
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Alliaria Petiolata ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Forest Understory ◽  
Planting Density ◽  
Management Technique ◽  
Garlic Mustard ◽  
Restoration Technique ◽  
Understory Herbs

AbstractThe interactive effects of herbivory, exotic species, and other human-mediated changes to the biosphere are reducing species diversity and altering ecosystem services globally. In this study, we tested whether facilitation could be used as a management technique to restore a degraded northeast Wisconsin forest understory facing high white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) browse pressure and high abundance of the exotic herb garlic mustard [Alliaria petiolata (Bieb.) Cavara & Grande]. Specifically, we attempted to facilitate native understory restoration by planting or seeding native herbs into three different matrix densities of the native, browse-tolerant grass Virginia wildrye (Elymus virginicus L.), which were either protected from (fenced), or accessible to, deer browsing. Deer had minimal impacts on E. virginicus but significantly reduced the cover, survival, and flower production of white snakeroot [Ageratina altissima (L.) King & H.E. Robins.] transplants, largely independent of the density of E. virginicus plantings in open-access plots. In contrast, the richness and abundance of native-seeded species were not affected by deer access but were reduced by increasing E. virginicus densities. Alliaria petiolata cover was significantly higher in plots accessible to deer but declined significantly with increasing E. virginicus planting density in both open-access and fenced plots. These results were largely corroborated by results from an associated observational study, with the exception that natural E. virginicus stands supported slightly higher native-species richness than did adjacent areas lacking E. virginicus. Thus, although we found little support that establishing E. virginicus facilitated browse-susceptible native understory herbs during our short-term experimental study, restored E. virginicus successfully established, thereby increasing native species cover and significantly reducing the cover of the exotic A. petiolata. We suggest the planting of browse-tolerant native species, such as E. virginicus, as a viable restoration technique in heavily browsed, A. petiolata–invaded woodlands.

Seasonal variability of biomass, total leaf area and specific leaf area of forest understory herbs reflects their life strategies

2016 ◽  
Vol 374 ◽  
pp. 71-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrzej M. Jagodziński ◽  
Marcin K. Dyderski ◽  
Katarzyna Rawlik ◽  
Beata Kątna
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Specific Leaf Area ◽  
Seasonal Variability ◽  
Forest Understory ◽  
Life Strategies ◽  
Total Leaf Area ◽  
Total Leaf ◽  
Understory Herbs

scholarly journals Seed biometry: another functional trait in caatinga

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. e51183
Author(s):  
Marcelo da Costa Patrício ◽  
Dilma Maria de Brito Melo Trovão
Keyword(s):  
Functional Trait ◽  
Environmental Stresses ◽  
Pioneer Species ◽  
Environmental Filters ◽  
Essential Condition ◽  
Seed Collection ◽  
Vector Type ◽  
Nutrient Reserve ◽  
Length Width ◽  
Successional Stages

Seed biometrics is an excellent tool for understanding environmental filters, species potential and dispersal, successional stages of communities and the dynamics used by seeds to germinate, establish and develop, thus constituting a functional trait of the species. We aim to understand the relationship between aspects of seed biometrics and other phenological traits, in order to infer contributions about functional strategies in Caatinga. Between September 2017 and January 2019, 10 individuals of Cenostigma pyramidale (Tul.) LP Queiroz, Commiphora lepthophloeos (Mart.) JB Gillett, Jatropha mollissima (Pohl.) Baill., Monteverdia rigida (Mart.) Biral. Pseudobombax marginatum (A.ST.-Hil) A. Robyns, Zizyphus joazeiro Mart. were monitored for the selection of three seed collection matrices. From each matrix 100 seeds were collected, which after screening resulted in 35 intact seeds that were used to measure length, width, thickness and volume. Caatinga seeds are generally small, as a result of the environmental stresses of the Brazilian semiarid. The analyzed variables separated three groups in the PCA. We noticed that these groups evidenced the successional stages in the Caatinga. One group included M. rigida and P. marginatum, which are late secondary. C. pyramidale and C. lepthophloeos formed another group coincident with intermediate successional stages. J. mollissima and Z. joazeiro formed a group of pioneer species in anthropized environments. Another finding was that the area was in secondary succession. The pioneer species presented the largest seeds and this characteristic is associated with the need for nutrient reserve that allows the embryo to germinate and last for a longer period without the need for exogenous nutrients, an essential condition for the Caatinga. With the advancement of ecological succession and the establishment of a more consolidated plant community, competition for resources, the frequent dispersion vector type and the nature of the environmental stresses present, the seeds may be smaller.

Dominance determines fish community biomass in a temperate seagrass ecosystem

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Matthius Eger ◽  
Rebecca J. Best ◽  
Julia Kathleen Baum
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Ecosystem Function ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Community Biomass ◽  
Ecosystem Valuation ◽  
Species Abundances

Biodiversity and ecosystem function are often correlated, but there are multiple hypotheses about the mechanisms underlying this relationship. Ecosystem functions such as primary or secondary production may be maximized by species richness, evenness in species abundances, or the presence or dominance of species with certain traits. Here, we combined surveys of natural fish communities (conducted in July and August, 2016) with morphological trait data to examine relationships between diversity and ecosystem function (quantified as fish community biomass) across 14 subtidal eelgrass meadows in the Northeast Pacific (54° N 130° W). We employed both taxonomic and functional trait measures of diversity to investigate if ecosystem function is driven by species diversity (complementarity hypothesis) or by the presence or dominance of species with particular trait values (selection or dominance hypotheses). After controlling for environmental variation, we found that fish community biomass is maximized when taxonomic richness and functional evenness is low, and in communities dominated by species with particular trait values – those associated with benthic habitats and prey capture. While previous work on fish communities has found that species richness is positively correlated with ecosystem function, our results instead highlight the capacity for regionally prevalent and locally dominant species to drive ecosystem function in moderately diverse communities. We discuss these alternate links between community composition and ecosystem function and consider their divergent implications for ecosystem valuation and conservation prioritization.

Community characteristics of forest understory birds along an elevational gradient in the Horn of Africa: A multi-year baseline

The Condor ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle D Kittelberger ◽  
Montague H C Neate-Clegg ◽  
Evan R Buechley ◽  
Çağan Hakkı Şekercioğlu
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Forest Understory ◽  
Bird Abundance ◽  
Tropical Mountains ◽  
Demographic Rates ◽  
Understory Birds ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Tropical mountains are global hotspots for birdlife. However, there is a dearth of baseline avifaunal data along elevational gradients, particularly in Africa, limiting our ability to observe and assess changes over time in tropical montane avian communities. In this study, we undertook a multi-year assessment of understory birds along a 1,750 m elevational gradient (1,430–3,186 m) in an Afrotropical moist evergreen montane forest within Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains. Analyzing 6 years of systematic bird-banding data from 5 sites, we describe the patterns of species richness, abundance, community composition, and demographic rates over space and time. We found bimodal patterns in observed and estimated species richness across the elevational gradient (peaking at 1,430 and 2,388 m), although no sites reached asymptotic species richness throughout the study. Species turnover was high across the gradient, though forested sites at mid-elevations resembled each other in species composition. We found significant variation across sites in bird abundance in some of the dietary and habitat guilds. However, we did not find any significant trends in species richness or guild abundances over time. For the majority of analyzed species, capture rates did not change over time and there were no changes in species’ mean elevations. Population growth rates, recruitment rates, and apparent survival rates averaged 1.02, 0.52, and 0.51 respectively, and there were no elevational patterns in demographic rates. This study establishes a multi-year baseline for Afrotropical birds along an elevational gradient in an under-studied international biodiversity hotspot. These data will be critical in assessing the long-term responses of tropical montane birdlife to climate change and habitat degradation.

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