scholarly journals Fungal phylogenies and plant functional traits structure root associated fungal networks in a subtropical forest

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunchao Zhu ◽  
Zihui Wang ◽  
Wenqi Luo ◽  
Jiayi Feng ◽  
Yongfa Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Root Morphology ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Host Plants ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Dark Respiration ◽  
Plant Functional Traits ◽  
Dry Matter Content ◽  
Fungal Phylogeny ◽  
Fungal Interactions

Rhizosphere fungi are essential for plant survival and ecosystem functioning, but the processes structuring plant-fungal interactions remain largely unknown. We constructed association networks between 43 plant species and two groups of root-associated fungi (mycorrhizal and pathogenic) using sequence data. We revealed modularity within the association networks using network analysis, and correlated this modular structure with functional traits and phylogenetic history driving plant-fungal interactions. We observed strong modularity in both plant-mycorrhizal fungal and plant-pathogenic fungal association networks. Plant functional traits and fungal phylogeny clustered within modules. Host plants of mycorrhizal fungi differed significantly between modules in terms of their leaf dry matter content, photosynthetic traits and root tissue density. Host plants of pathogenic fungi differed significantly between modules in terms of their dark respiration rate, light compensation point and root morphology. Modularity within fungi was a product of fungal phylogeny, whereas host plant modularity was a product of functional traits (leaf morphology, photosynthetic rate and root morphology). Our study illustrates the link between plant functional traits and fungal assembly, and highlights the importance of niche-based processes in shaping plant-fungus association networks. Our results suggest that plant traits may be instrumental in managing the composition of belowground fungal communities.

scholarly journals New handbook for standardised measurement of plant functional traits worldwide

2013 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 167 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Pérez-Harguindeguy ◽  
S. Díaz ◽  
E. Garnier ◽  
S. Lavorel ◽  
H. Poorter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Plant Functional Traits ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Evolutionary Patterns ◽  
Ecosystem Properties ◽  
Species Invasions ◽  
Wide Range

Plant functional traits are the features (morphological, physiological, phenological) that represent ecological strategies and determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels and influence ecosystem properties. Variation in plant functional traits, and trait syndromes, has proven useful for tackling many important ecological questions at a range of scales, giving rise to a demand for standardised ways to measure ecologically meaningful plant traits. This line of research has been among the most fruitful avenues for understanding ecological and evolutionary patterns and processes. It also has the potential both to build a predictive set of local, regional and global relationships between plants and environment and to quantify a wide range of natural and human-driven processes, including changes in biodiversity, the impacts of species invasions, alterations in biogeochemical processes and vegetation–atmosphere interactions. The importance of these topics dictates the urgent need for more and better data, and increases the value of standardised protocols for quantifying trait variation of different species, in particular for traits with power to predict plant- and ecosystem-level processes, and for traits that can be measured relatively easily. Updated and expanded from the widely used previous version, this handbook retains the focus on clearly presented, widely applicable, step-by-step recipes, with a minimum of text on theory, and not only includes updated methods for the traits previously covered, but also introduces many new protocols for further traits. This new handbook has a better balance between whole-plant traits, leaf traits, root and stem traits and regenerative traits, and puts particular emphasis on traits important for predicting species’ effects on key ecosystem properties. We hope this new handbook becomes a standard companion in local and global efforts to learn about the responses and impacts of different plant species with respect to environmental changes in the present, past and future.

scholarly journals Functional composition and diversity of leaf traits in subalpine versus alpine vegetation in the Apennines

AoB Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Stanisci ◽  
Alessandro Bricca ◽  
Valentina Calabrese ◽  
Maurizio Cutini ◽  
Harald Pauli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Resource Use ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Plant Functional Traits ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Maximum Height ◽  
Dry Matter Content ◽  
Functional Composition

Abstract Mediterranean high mountain grasslands are shaped by climatic stress and understanding their functional adaptations can contribute to better understanding ecosystems’ response to global change. The present work analyses the plant functional traits of high-elevation grasslands growing in Mediterranean limestone mountains to explore, at the community level, the presence of different plant strategies for resource use (conservative vs. acquisitive) and functional diversity syndromes (convergent or divergent). Thus, we compared the functional composition and diversity of the above-ground traits related to resource acquisition strategies of subalpine and alpine calcareous grasslands in the central Apennines, a mountain region characterized by a dry-summer Mediterranean climate. We used georeferenced vegetation plots and field-measured plant functional traits (plant maximum height, specific leaf area and leaf dry matter content) for the dominant species of two characteristic vegetation types: the subalpine Sesleria juncifolia community and the alpine Silene acaulis community. Both communities are of particular conservation concern and are rich in endemic species for which plant functional traits are measured here for the first time. We analysed the functional composition and diversity using the community-weighted mean trait index and the functional diversity using Rao’s function, and we assessed how much the observed pattern deviated from a random distribution by calculating the respective standardized effect sizes. The results highlighted that an acquisitive resource use strategy and relatively higher functional diversity of leaf traits prevail in the alpine S. acaulis community, optimizing a rapid carbon gain, which would help overcome the constraints exerted by the short growing season. The divergent functional strategy underlines the co-occurrence of different leaf traits in the alpine grasslands, which shows good adaptation to a microhabitat-rich environment. Conversely, in the subalpine S. juncifolia grassland, a conservative resource use strategy and relatively lower functional diversity of the leaf traits are likely related to a high level resistance to aridity over a longer growing season. Our outcomes indicate the preadaptation strategy of the subalpine S. juncifolia grassland to shift upwards to the alpine zone that will become warmer and drier as a result of anthropogenic climate change.

scholarly journals Corrigendum to: New handbook for standardised measurement of plant functional traits worldwide

2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (8) ◽  
pp. 715 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Pérez-Harguindeguy ◽  
S. Díaz ◽  
E. Garnier ◽  
S. Lavorel ◽  
H. Poorter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Plant Functional Traits ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Evolutionary Patterns ◽  
Ecosystem Properties ◽  
Species Invasions ◽  
Wide Range

Plant functional traits are the features (morphological, physiological, phenological) that represent ecological strategies and determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels and influence ecosystem properties. Variation in plant functional traits, and trait syndromes, has proven useful for tackling many important ecological questions at a range of scales, giving rise to a demand for standardised ways to measure ecologically meaningful plant traits. This line of research has been among the most fruitful avenues for understanding ecological and evolutionary patterns and processes. It also has the potential both to build a predictive set of local, regional and global relationships between plants and environment and to quantify a wide range of natural and human-driven processes, including changes in biodiversity, the impacts of species invasions, alterations in biogeochemical processes and vegetation–atmosphere interactions. The importance of these topics dictates the urgent need for more and better data, and increases the value of standardised protocols for quantifying trait variation of different species, in particular for traits with power to predict plant- and ecosystem-level processes, and for traits that can be measured relatively easily. Updated and expanded from the widely used previous version, this handbook retains the focus on clearly presented, widely applicable, step-by-step recipes, with a minimum of text on theory, and not only includes updated methods for the traits previously covered, but also introduces many new protocols for further traits. This new handbook has a better balance between whole-plant traits, leaf traits, root and stem traits and regenerative traits, and puts particular emphasis on traits important for predicting species' effects on key ecosystem properties. We hope this new handbook becomes a standard companion in local and global efforts to learn about the responses and impacts of different plant species with respect to environmental changes in the present, past and future.

Species abundance is jointly determined by functional traits and negative density dependence in a subtropical forest in southern China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weitao Wang ◽  
Yun Jiang ◽  
Buhang Li ◽  
Nianxun Xi ◽  
Yongfa Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Density Dependence ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Plant Functional Traits ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Dry Matter Content ◽  
Combined Effects ◽  
Negative Density Dependence

Abstract Aims The factors affecting species abundance are a subject of ongoing debates in community ecology. Empirical studies have demonstrated that tree abundance is affected by plant functional traits and negative density dependence (NDD). However, few studies have focused on the combined effects of negative density dependence and plant functional traits on species abundance. Methods In this study, we used tree functional traits and two census data from a 50-ha forest dynamic plot in the Heishiding (HSD) Nature Reserve to explore the combined effects of functional traits and NDD on species abundance. Using hierarchical Bayesian models, we analyzed how neighbor densities affected the survival of saplings from 130 species and extracted posterior means of the coefficients to represent NDD. The structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was then applied to investigate the causal relationships among species functional traits, negative density dependence, and species abundance. Important findings SEM showed that tree functional traits, including specific leaf area (SLA), leaf area (LA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf N content (LNC), maximum electron transport rate (ETRmax), and conspecific adult negative density dependence (CNDDadult), together explained 20% of the total variation in tree abundance. Specifically, SLA affected tree abundance both directly and indirectly via CNDDadult, with a totally negative influence on abundance. LDMC and LNC had only indirect effects mediated by CNDDadult on tree abundance. ETRmax and LA had directly negative effects on abundance, but their direct connections with CNDDadult were not observed. In addition, CNDDadult was negatively correlated with species abundance, indicating that abundant species are under stronger negative density dependence. Among these investigated traits, SLA contributed the most to the variation in CNDDadult and abundance. We argued that our findings of trait-CNDDadult-abundance relationships can improve our understanding of the determinants of species commonness and rarity in forests.

scholarly journals Precipitation Variability Affects Aboveground Biomass Directly and Indirectly via Plant Functional Traits in the Desert Steppe of Inner Mongolia, Northern China

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huan Cheng ◽  
Yuanbo Gong ◽  
Xiaoan Zuo
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Inner Mongolia ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Plant Functional Traits ◽  
Leaf Nitrogen Content ◽  
Dry Matter Content ◽  
Desert Steppe ◽  
Precipitation Changes

Clarifying the response of community and dominance species to climate change is crucial for disentangling the mechanism of the ecosystem evolution and predicting the prospective dynamics of communities under the global climate scenario. We examined how precipitation changes affect community structure and aboveground biomass (AGB) according to manipulated precipitation experiments in the desert steppe of Inner Mongolia, China. Bayesian model and structural equation models (SEM) were used to test variation and causal relationship among precipitation, plant diversity, functional attributes, and AGB. The results showed that the responses of species richness, evenness, and plant community weighted means traits to precipitation changes in amount and year were significant. The SEM demonstrated that precipitation change in amount and year has a direct effect on richness, evenness, and community-weighted mean (CWM) for height, leaf area (LA), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf nitrogen content (LNC), and leaf carbon content (LCC) and AGB; there into CWM for height and LDMC had a direct positive effect on AGB; LA had a direct negative effect on AGB. Three dominant species showed diverse adaptation and resource utilization strategies in response to precipitation changes. A. polyrhizum showed an increase in height under the precipitation treatments that promoted AGB, whereas the AGB of P. harmala and S. glareosa was boosted through alterations in height and LA. Our results highlight the asynchronism of variation in community composition and structure, leaf functional traits in precipitation-AGB relationship. We proposed that altered AGB resulted from the direct and indirect effects of plant functional traits (plant height, LA, LDMC) rather than species diversity, plant functional traits are likely candidate traits, given that they are mechanistically linked to precipitation changes and affected aboveground biomass in a desert steppe.

scholarly journals Intraspecific trait variability shapes leaf trait response to altered fire regimes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel M Mitchell ◽  
Greg M Ames ◽  
Justin P Wright
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
Dry Matter Content ◽  
Disturbance Regimes

Abstract Background and Aims Understanding impacts of altered disturbance regimes on community structure and function is a key goal for community ecology. Functional traits link species composition to ecosystem functioning. Changes in the distribution of functional traits at community scales in response to disturbance can be driven not only by shifts in species composition, but also by shifts in intraspecific trait values. Understanding the relative importance of these two processes has important implications for predicting community responses to altered disturbance regimes. Methods We experimentally manipulated fire return intervals in replicated blocks of a fire-adapted, longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem in North Carolina, USA and measured specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and compositional responses along a lowland to upland gradient over a 4 year period. Plots were burned between zero and four times. Using a trait-based approach, we simulate hypothetical scenarios which allow species presence, abundance or trait values to vary over time and compare these with observed traits to understand the relative contributions of each of these three processes to observed trait patterns at the study site. We addressed the following questions. (1) How do changes in the fire regime affect community composition, structure and community-level trait responses? (2) Are these effects consistent across a gradient of fire intensity? (3) What are the relative contributions of species turnover, changes in abundance and changes in intraspecific trait values to observed changes in community-weighted mean (CWM) traits in response to altered fire regime? Key Results We found strong evidence that altered fire return interval impacted understorey plant communities. The number of fires a plot experienced significantly affected the magnitude of its compositional change and shifted the ecotone boundary separating shrub-dominated lowland areas from grass-dominated upland areas, with suppression sites (0 burns) experiencing an upland shift and annual burn sites a lowland shift. We found significant effects of burn regimes on the CWM of SLA, and that observed shifts in both SLA and LDMC were driven primarily by intraspecific changes in trait values. Conclusions In a fire-adapted ecosystem, increased fire frequency altered community composition and structure of the ecosystem through changes in the position of the shrub line. We also found that plant traits responded directionally to increased fire frequency, with SLA decreasing in response to fire frequency across the environmental gradient. For both SLA and LDMC, nearly all of the observed changes in CWM traits were driven by intraspecific variation.

scholarly journals Repeated patterns in the evolution of size in island plants

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Matthew Biddick
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Leaf Size ◽  
Plant Functional Traits ◽  
Common Element ◽  
Island Rule ◽  
Island Populations ◽  
Stem Size ◽  
Island Evolution

<p>For reasons not fully understood, animals often evolve predictably on islands. For example, radiations of large, flightless birds are a common element of many island biotas. However, our understanding of how plants evolve on islands is comparatively poor. Further, an investigation into the evolution of island plants could help resolve unanswered questions about island animals. This thesis investigates insular size changes in a range of plant functional traits.   First (Chapter 2), I explored size changes in 9 species of vines that have colonized islands from the New Zealand and Australian mainland. I asked whether leaf–stem allometry prohibits leaves and stems from evolving independently from one another. Island populations consistently produced larger leaves than did mainland populations. Moreover, changes in leaf size were not associated with concomitant changes in stem size, suggesting that trait allometry does not govern trait evolution on islands.   Next (Chapter 3), I asked whether plants obey the infamous island rule, a putative trend in island evolution wherein small animals become large on islands and large animals become small. I demonstrate that plant stature and leaf area obey the island rule, and seed size does not. My findings illustrate that the island rule is more pervasive than previously considered, but that support for its predictions vary among plant functional traits.   Third (Chapter 4), I demonstrate that the island rule results from evolutionary drift along bounded trait domains. The island rule has long been hypothesized to result from a suite of selective pressures. Applying my model to island plants, I show that evolutionary drift is the most parsimonious explanation for the island rule pattern.   Finally (Chapter 5), to explore insular patterns in leaf size evolution, I conducted a large-scale, macroevolutionary analysis of leaf size on 98 of New Zealand’s offshore islands. Leaf gigantism was emblematic of island populations, and was most prominent in taxa with variable leaf morphologies on the mainland. Further, leaf gigantism was greatest in populations inhabiting old, distant islands, suggesting that time since divergence is a direct predictor of morphological differentiation between mainland and island populations.  Overall, this thesis reveals novel patterns, and helps disentangle the distinct roles of natural selection and drift, in the evolution of plant form and function on islands. Finally, this thesis illustrates how investigating the changes in plant traits can help identify the evolutionary mechanisms operating on islands.</p>

scholarly journals Single Grazing Is More Detrimental to Grasslands Than Mixed Grazing: Evidence From the Response of Functional Traits of Dominant Plants to Grazing Systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Wang ◽  
Jinghui Zhang ◽  
Zhiyong Li ◽  
Huamin Liu ◽  
Lixin Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Inner Mongolia ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
Intraspecific Variability ◽  
Cattle Grazing ◽  
Plant Functional Traits ◽  
Dry Matter Content ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Inner Mongolia Grassland ◽  
Grazing Systems

Plant functional traits reflect species ecological strategies and determine how plants respond to environmental changes, however, how dominant species in the Inner Mongolia grassland adapt to different grazing systems by changing their functional traits has not been systematically investigated. In this study, we established four 7-year grazing treatments in the Inner Mongolia grassland: cattle grazing, sheep grazing, mixed sheep and cattle grazing, and no grazing. Fourteen functional traits of three dominant species (Stipa grandis, Leymus chinensis, and Cleistogenes squarrosa) were measured under the different grazing treatments. We found convergences of plant functional traits that indicate herbivory avoidance or tolerance. Plants reduced their vegetative height (VH) and stem: leaf ratio (SLR) to avoid grazing; increased their ability to acquire resources by increasing their specific leaf area (SLA), leaf nitrogen concentration (LNC), and leaf phosphorus concentration (LPC); and reduced their leaf dry matter content (LDMC) to tolerate grazing. Moreover, plants may adapt to grazing by increasing the intraspecific variability of their functional traits. Sheep-only grazing adversely affected L. chinensis growth and survival, while cattle-only grazing hindered S. grandis growth and increased the intraspecific variability of its plant functional traits. Our study emphasizes that intraspecific variability is an important indicator of the responses of plant functional traits to grazing. Since single grazing is more detrimental to the functional traits of dominant plants, we suggest that mixed cattle and sheep grazing may be a more environmentally friendly and sustainable practice for the Inner Mongolia grassland than single grazing.

scholarly journals Repeated patterns in the evolution of size in island plants

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Matthew Biddick
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Leaf Size ◽  
Plant Functional Traits ◽  
Common Element ◽  
Island Rule ◽  
Island Populations ◽  
Stem Size ◽  
Island Evolution

<p>For reasons not fully understood, animals often evolve predictably on islands. For example, radiations of large, flightless birds are a common element of many island biotas. However, our understanding of how plants evolve on islands is comparatively poor. Further, an investigation into the evolution of island plants could help resolve unanswered questions about island animals. This thesis investigates insular size changes in a range of plant functional traits.   First (Chapter 2), I explored size changes in 9 species of vines that have colonized islands from the New Zealand and Australian mainland. I asked whether leaf–stem allometry prohibits leaves and stems from evolving independently from one another. Island populations consistently produced larger leaves than did mainland populations. Moreover, changes in leaf size were not associated with concomitant changes in stem size, suggesting that trait allometry does not govern trait evolution on islands.   Next (Chapter 3), I asked whether plants obey the infamous island rule, a putative trend in island evolution wherein small animals become large on islands and large animals become small. I demonstrate that plant stature and leaf area obey the island rule, and seed size does not. My findings illustrate that the island rule is more pervasive than previously considered, but that support for its predictions vary among plant functional traits.   Third (Chapter 4), I demonstrate that the island rule results from evolutionary drift along bounded trait domains. The island rule has long been hypothesized to result from a suite of selective pressures. Applying my model to island plants, I show that evolutionary drift is the most parsimonious explanation for the island rule pattern.   Finally (Chapter 5), to explore insular patterns in leaf size evolution, I conducted a large-scale, macroevolutionary analysis of leaf size on 98 of New Zealand’s offshore islands. Leaf gigantism was emblematic of island populations, and was most prominent in taxa with variable leaf morphologies on the mainland. Further, leaf gigantism was greatest in populations inhabiting old, distant islands, suggesting that time since divergence is a direct predictor of morphological differentiation between mainland and island populations.  Overall, this thesis reveals novel patterns, and helps disentangle the distinct roles of natural selection and drift, in the evolution of plant form and function on islands. Finally, this thesis illustrates how investigating the changes in plant traits can help identify the evolutionary mechanisms operating on islands.</p>

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