Environmental factors related to community-level functional traits in limestone hill forests along an altitudinal gradient: a case study in northern Thailand

Abstract This study investigated the environmental factors affecting functional traits, which have been shown to be important for species assembly in diverse forest stands on limestone hills in northern Thailand. We established 54 plots of 400 m2 in three forest sites (lower, middle, and upper) established along an altitudinal gradient on a limestone hill. The functional traits were assessed and then linked to environmental factors governing forest composition. Results indicated that elevation, rocky outcroppings, and sunlight were important factors affecting functional trait diversity at the study site. Areas with high values of these three factors exhibited increased community-level leaf size, specific leaf area, and leaf thickness, all of which are associated with light-demanding species. However, in areas with low values of these three factors, we observed increased community-level wood density and maximum plant height, which are characteristic of shade-tolerant species. Elevation also positively affected functional dispersion and functional richness values, indicating a wide functional trait space in higher elevation areas, but lower areas exhibited a narrower functional trait space. We suggest that combining a trait-based approach with environmental factors can reveal patterns of species composition in limestone forests.

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Relationships between plant functional traits at the community level and environmental factors during succession in a tropical lowland rainforest on Hainan Island, South China

Biodiversity Science ◽

10.3724/sp.j.1003.2013.10012 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 278-287 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Bu Wensheng ◽

Zang Runguo ◽

Ding Yi ◽

Zhang Junyan ◽

Ruan Yunze

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Functional Traits ◽

South China ◽

Hainan Island ◽

Plant Functional Traits ◽

Community Level ◽

Tropical Lowland ◽

Lowland Rainforest ◽

Tropical Lowland Rainforest

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Palm functional trait responses to local environmental factors in the Colombian Amazon

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467421000493 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

William Trujillo ◽

Carlos A. Rivera-Rondón ◽

Jorge Jácome ◽

Néstor García ◽

Wolf L. Eiserhardt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Functional Traits ◽

Forest Type ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Environmental Variable ◽

Community Effects ◽

Trait Variance ◽

Flooded Forests ◽

Colombian Amazon ◽

Pearson Correlations

Abstract Functional traits play a key role in driving plant community effects on ecosystem function. We examined nine functional traits in various palm (Arecaceae) species and their relationships with moisture, tree-fall gaps, slope, and forest type at 29 transects (500×5 m) in the northeastern region of the Colombian Amazon. Redundancy analysis of mean trait values of species within a plot weighted by their abundance and Pearson correlations were used to evaluate the relationships between traits and environmental factors. The community trait composition was correlated with local environmental factors, which explained 23% of the trait variance. We detected functional dominance of the tallest palms in soils with high moisture and in floodplain forests (p ≤0.05). Palms with relatively long leaves were dominant in the flooded forests. Acaulescent and small palms were dominant on high slopes, and in terra firme forests, long-petioled palms were dominant in forest gaps. The number of seeds per fruit was not correlated with any environmental variable. Thus, hydrology is one of the main drivers of the functional composition of neotropical palm communities at the local scale, segregating tall palms with competitive and evasive strategies from small understory palms, which are mainly stress tolerant.

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Environmental Factors Influencing Tree Species Regeneration in Different Forest Stands Growing on a Limestone Hill in Phrae Province, Northern Thailand

Journal of Forest and Environmental Science ◽

10.7747/jfes.2016.32.3.237 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 237-252

Author(s):

Lamthai Asanok ◽

Dokrak Marod

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Tree Species ◽

Forest Stands ◽

Northern Thailand ◽

Factors Influencing ◽

Limestone Hill

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Diversity and abundance of termites along altitudinal gradient and slopes in Mount Slamet, Central Java, Indonesia

Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity ◽

10.13057/biodiv/d190508 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 19 (5) ◽

pp. 1649-1658 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

HERY RATIKNYO ◽

INTAN AHMAD ◽

BAMBANG HERU BUDIYANTO

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Altitudinal Gradient ◽

Diversity Index ◽

Wiener Index ◽

Canopy Closure ◽

Plantation Forest ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Central Java ◽

Multivariate Correlation ◽

The Family

Pratiknyo H, Ahmad I, Bambang Heru Budianto BH. 2018. Diversity and abundance of termites along altitudinal gradient andslopes in Mount Slamet, Central Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 19: 1649-1658. A study on diversity and abundance of termites along analtitudinal gradient and the different slope was done in plantation forest of Mount Slamet. This research aimed to define the speciescomposition along the altitudinal gradient and slope and to define the environmental factors affecting it. The sampling of termites wascarried out following standardized belt transects (100 m x 2 m) laid vertically on the altitude of 700 up to 1300 m asl on four slopes.Each 100 m length of the belt transects was divided into 20 sections (5 m x 2 m), and termites were taken in each section from the trees,branches, barks and the ground. Data of termites composition were analyzed for diversity index (Shanon-Wiener, H') and dominationindex (Simson, D); the correlation among environmental factors with the family were analyzed by multivariate correlation, and then aCanonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) was used to define the most associated environmental factor to the diversity and abundanceof termites. A total of 7349 individuals belonging to 11 species in nine genera, five subfamilies, and two families were recorded. Fourwood feeder species were Schedorinotermes javanicus, Macrotermes gilvus, Odontotermes javanicus and Microtermes insperatus, whilehumus feeder was Capritermes samarangi, Procapritermes stiger, Nasutitermes matangensis, N. matangensiformis, Bulbitermes spp.,and the soil feeders were PeriCapritermes javanicus and P. dolichocephalus. Based on the Shanon-Wiener index, the Western Slopewas the highest in diversity with five main environmental factors (altitudes, maximal rainfall, N content, manure application and lightintensity) the most influencing while the CCA ordination showed that the canopy closure and light intensity were the most associatedfactor to the diversity and abundance of termites. In conclusion, the slopes

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Functional traits reveal the expansion and packing of ecological niche space underlying an elevational diversity gradient in passerine birds

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2015.2013 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 283 (1822) ◽

pp. 20152013 ◽

Cited By ~ 83

Author(s):

Alex L. Pigot ◽

Christopher H. Trisos ◽

Joseph A. Tobias

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Functional Traits ◽

Ecological Niche ◽

Environmental Gradients ◽

Elevation Gradient ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Passerine Birds ◽

Niche Space ◽

Trait Space

Variation in species richness across environmental gradients may be associated with an expanded volume or increased packing of ecological niche space. However, the relative importance of these alternative scenarios remains unknown, largely because standardized information on functional traits and their ecological relevance is lacking for major diversity gradients. Here, we combine data on morphological and ecological traits for 523 species of passerine birds distributed across an Andes-to-Amazon elevation gradient. We show that morphological traits capture substantial variation in species dietary (75%) and foraging niches (60%) when multiple independent trait dimensions are considered. Having established these relationships, we show that the 14-fold increase in species richness towards the lowlands is associated with both an increased volume and density of functional trait space. However, we find that increases in volume contribute little to changes in richness, with most (78%) lowland species occurring within the range of trait space occupied at high elevations. Taken together, our results suggest that high species richness is mainly associated with a denser occupation of functional trait space, implying an increased specialization or overlap of ecological niches, and supporting the view that niche packing is the dominant trend underlying gradients of increasing biodiversity towards the lowland tropics.

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Diel niche variation in mammals associated with expanded trait space

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-22023-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

D. T. C. Cox ◽

A. S. Gardner ◽

K. J. Gaston

Keyword(s):

Functional Traits ◽

Activity Pattern ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Active Species ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Niche Variation ◽

Habitat Breadth ◽

Unique Species ◽

Trait Space

AbstractMammalian life shows huge diversity, but most groups remain nocturnal in their activity pattern. A key unresolved question is whether mammal species that have diversified into different diel niches occupy unique regions of functional trait space. For 5,104 extant mammals we show here that daytime-active species (cathemeral or diurnal) evolved trait combinations along different gradients from those of nocturnal and crepuscular species. Hypervolumes of five major functional traits (body mass, litter size, diet, foraging strata, habitat breadth) reveal that 30% of diurnal trait space is unique, compared to 55% of nocturnal trait space. Almost half of trait space (44%) of species with apparently obligate diel niches is shared with those that can switch, suggesting that more species than currently realised may be somewhat flexible in their activity patterns. Increasingly, conservation measures have focused on protecting functionally unique species; for mammals, protecting functional distinctiveness requires a focus across diel niches.

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