Modeling the relation between leaf phenology and plant hydraulics in the Amazon rainforest: a trait-based approach on the effects of reduced precipitation and high CO2

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Martins Sophia ◽  
João Paulo Darella Filho ◽  
Caio Fascina ◽  
Bianca Fazio Rius ◽  
Bárbara Rocha Cardeli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Leaf Phenology ◽  
Functional Composition ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Plant Hydraulics ◽  
Trade Offs

<p>Several dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) have been developed to better understand the vegetation's response to climate changes. However, DGVMs generate variable responses on the role of vegetation in the biogeochemical cycles, partially explained by the generalization made regarding the functional diversity, since it is represented by a small set of plant functional types. Trait-based models, which seek to include the variability of functional traits, emerge as a promising alternative for a better representation of the different plant life strategies, and consequently of functional diversity. Including leaf phenology in these models is of paramount importance because it plays a role in controlling the seasonality of carbon, water, and energy fluxes, but the models do not represent or represent inefficiently the phenology. In tropical ecosystems, such as in the Amazon, phenology is mainly driven by soil water availability and evapotranspirative demand, so simulating the impacts of a predicted drier climate require the representation of the connection between phenology and the hydraulic strategies of plants. Therefore, this work aims to contribute to the development of the CAETÊ trait-based model through the implementation of a leaf phenology module linked to plant hydraulic system. This development is being applied to the Amazon basin and its main objective is to improve the representation of the seasonality of vegetation with consequent improvement in the carbon and water cycle, and therefore to assess the impacts of climate changes on it. For this, two functional traits are being used as variants: ψ50 (xylem water potential at which 50% loss of hydraulic conductivity occurs) and τleaves (leaf carbon residence time). Through an environmental filter mechanism and traits trade-offs, each grid cell restricts the performance and survivorship of trait values combinations. The model is being applied under a 30% reduction of precipitation and increasing [CO<sub>2</sub>] to 600 ppmv. As preliminary results we have the performance of the equations that represent phenology and hydraulics developed offline from the model code, which represented the Leaf Economics Spectrum related to the τleaves, besides the isohydric and anisohydric strategies related to the ψ50 (e.g. high P50 values [-1 MPa] interrupted the hydraulic conductance in ~ 0.5 soil water [W; gH20 / gsoil], while low P50 values [-7 MPa] maintained conductance up to W = ~ 0.3). As expected results, two scales will be analyzed: at the community level, it is expected that it will present a change in the functional composition (i.e. composition of phenological and hydraulic strategies) in order to favor strategies that better deal with the new environmental conditions; at the ecosystem level, it is expected that this change in functional composition will alter the primary productivity and evapotranspiration. Finally, it is expected that the approach used will act as an alternative to investigate the relationship between hydraulics and phenology in Amazon in a less discretized way compared to a PFT approach, since this work is being a pioneer in considering this relation along with a logic of variant functional traits. Final results will be obtained before the EGU congress takes place.</p>

scholarly journals Canopy Leaf Traits, Basal Area, and Age Predict Functional Patterns of Regenerating Communities in Secondary Subtropical Forests

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Cristina Müller ◽  
Rodrigo Scarton Bergamin ◽  
Kauane Maiara Bordin ◽  
Joice Klipel ◽  
Milena Fermina Rosenfield
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Leaf Nitrogen ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Secondary Forests ◽  
Functional Composition ◽  
Forest Age

Secondary forests originate from natural regeneration after fallow (succession) or restoration. Species assembly in these communities, which can affect ecosystem functions and successional trajectories, is very unpredictable. Trait-based trajectories can shed light on the recovery of ecosystem functions and enable predictions of how the regenerating communities will change with forest age. Regeneration communities are affected by initial conditions and also by canopy structure and functional traits that alter dispersers' attractiveness and coexistence mechanisms. Here we evaluated how community functional traits change over time and tested if functional diversity and composition of the established canopy, as well as the structure of the canopy and forest age, influence the functional structure of regenerating tree communities when compared to their reference forests. For this, we calculated dissimilarity in trait composition (community-weighted means) and in functional diversity of regenerating communities of each succession/restoration stand, using the tree stratum of nearby mature forests as baseline values. Functional trait information comprises leaf, wood density, and reproductive traits from tree species. Our community data contain information from natural successional forests and restoration sites, in the South-Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Predictor variables of functional dissimilarities were forest age, canopy structural variables, canopy functional composition, and functional diversity. Results showed leaf traits (leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen content, leaf nitrogen-phosphorus ratio) and seed mass varying with forest age. Canopy functional composition based on leaf traits and total basal area significantly predicted multiple trait functional dissimilarity between the regeneration component of secondary forests and their reference community values. Dissimilarity increased when the canopy was composed of species with more acquisitive traits. Difference in functional diversity was only influenced by forest age. Mid-stage secondary forests showed lower functional diversity than early-stage forests. Our results indicated the importance of canopy traits on the natural regeneration of secondary subtropical forests. If functional similarity with reference forests is a desired objective in order to recover ecosystem functions through natural regeneration, leaf functional traits of canopy trees that establish or are planted in degraded areas must be considered in the successional processes.

scholarly journals Functional diversity increases the efficacy of phage combinations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosanna C. T. Wright ◽  
Ville Friman ◽  
Margaret C. M. Smith ◽  
Michael Brockhurst
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Phage Therapy ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Functionally Diverse

Phage therapy is a promising alternative to traditional antibiotics for treating bacterial infections. Such phage-based therapeutics typically contain multiple phages, but how the efficacy of phage combinations scales with phage richness, identity and functional traits is unclear. Here, we experimentally tested the efficacy of 827 unique phage combinations ranging in phage richness from 1 to 12 phages. The efficacy of phage combinations increased with phage richness. However, complementarity between functionally diverse phages allowed efficacy to be maximised at lower levels of phage richness in functionally diverse combinations. These findings suggest that phage functional diversity is the key property of effective phage combinations, enabling the design of simple but effective phage therapies that overcome the practical and regulatory hurdles that limit development of more diverse phage therapy cocktails.

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 Functional diversity increases the efficacy of phage combinations

Microbiology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 167 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosanna C. T. Wright ◽  
Ville-Petri Friman ◽  
Margaret C. M. Smith ◽  
Michael A. Brockhurst
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Phage Therapy ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Functionally Diverse

Phage therapy is a promising alternative to traditional antibiotics for treating bacterial infections. Such phage-based therapeutics typically contain multiple phages, but how the efficacy of phage combinations scales with phage richness, identity and functional traits is unclear. Here, we experimentally tested the efficacy of 827 unique phage combinations ranging in phage richness from one to 12 phages. The efficacy of phage combinations increased with phage richness. However, complementarity between functionally diverse phages allowed efficacy to be maximized at lower levels of phage richness in functionally diverse combinations. These findings suggest that phage functional diversity is the key property of effective phage combinations, enabling the design of simple but effective phage therapies that overcome the practical and regulatory hurdles that limit development of more diverse phage therapy cocktails.

Modeling light competition in the Amazon forest: the effects of high CO2 in functional diversity and biogeochemical cycle.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bárbara Rocha Cardeli ◽  
Bianca Fazio Rius ◽  
Caio Fascina ◽  
João Paulo Darela-Filho ◽  
Gabriela Martins Sophia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Life Strategies ◽  
Light Competition ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Competition For Light

<p>The increase of CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations implies direct and indirect (by changing climate) impacts on the terrestrial ecosystem. Several Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) have been developed to better understand the response of vegetation to climate change. However, the representation of plant diversity through a small set of Plant Functional Types (PFTs) adopted by the majority of DGVMs undermines their ability to represent functional diversity and fundamental interactions between these different life strategies of plants, like competition, which has been shown to be paramount in determining ecosystem functioning. Studies have shown that increasing CO<sub>2</sub> concentration may determine the outcome of vegetation competition and, as a consequence, the ability to adapt to the environment, functional diversity, and community assembly mechanisms. Thus, the inclusion of competitive dynamics in these models becomes strategic to improve predictions and understanding the effects of climate change on vegetation and how it affects change in carbon fluxes and stocks in the community. In that sense, this project aims to contribute to the development of a light competition module within CAETÊ model (<strong>C</strong>Arbon and <strong>E</strong>cosystem functional <strong>T</strong>rait <strong>E</strong>valuation model) which involves the implementation of allometric relations between plant organs. As a trait-based model, CAETÊ seeks to represent plant functional diversity in a less discrete way through the usage of variant values for functional traits. For this purpose, two key functional traits that are closely related to competition for light are employed as variants: <em>wood density </em>(WD) and <em>specific leaf area </em>(SLA). The main objective is to understand how light competition related to plant functional traits alters the response of Amazon plant communities under changing environmental conditions. As preliminary results, the algorithms containing the allometric and competition equations were developed outside the main model code and represent plant dynamics trade-offs between the variant functional traits and plant physiology and survivorship: WD relates to strategies of mortality and height growth. For example, high values of WD [1g/cm<sup>-3</sup>] are related to low heights [~30m.] and, low heights incur higher mortality rates; SLA relates to light competitive effect, Leaf Economics Spectrum, and LAI (leaf area index) determination, one of the most important parameters that determine the absorption of light by different life strategies. These trade-offs allow the representation of different plant life competition strategies. We expected that the light restriction for some functional strategies may incur a decrease in functional dominance and photosynthesis rate, consequently changing net primary productivity and after all the functional structure of the community. For functional diversity, it is expected changes in functional richness and functional divergence (related to the strength that competition exerts in the community) in order to favor strategies that better deal with the new environmental conditions simulated by CAETÊ with increasing [CO<sub>2</sub>] to 600 ppmv, for example. Finally, it is expected that this approach may contribute to improving the representation of competition for light in DGVMs to more assertively obtain the effects of climate changes on vegetation and ecosystem dynamics. Final results will be obtained until the EGU Congress takes place.</p>

Fungal functional ecology: Bringing a trait-based approach to plant-associated fungi

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy E. Zanne ◽  
Kessy Abarenkov ◽  
Michelle E. Afkhami ◽  
Carlos A. Aguilar-Trigueros ◽  
Scott Bates ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Quantitative Trait ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Functional Ecology ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Detection And Identification ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Identification Of Fungi

Fungi play many essential roles in ecosystems. They facilitate plant access to nutrients and water, serve as decay agents that cycle carbon and nutrients through the soil, water and atmosphere, and are major regulators of macro-organismal populations. Although technological advances are improving the detection and identification of fungi, there still exist key gaps in our ecological knowledge of this kingdom, especially related to function. Trait-based approaches have been instrumental in strengthening our understanding of plant functional ecology and, as such, provide excellent models for deepening our understanding of fungal functional ecology in ways that complement insights gained from traditional and -omics-based techniques. In this review, we synthesize current knowledge of fungal functional ecology, taxonomy and systematics and introduce a novel database of fungal functional traits (FunFun). FunFun is built to interface with other databases to explore and predict how fungal functional diversity varies by taxonomy, guild, and other evolutionary or ecological grouping variables. To highlight how a quantitative trait-based approach can provide new insights, we describe multiple targeted examples and end by suggesting next steps in the rapidly growing field of fungal functional ecology.

scholarly journals Ecometabolic mixture design-fingerprints from exploratory multi-block data analysis in Coffea arabica beans from climate changes: elevated carbon dioxide and reduced soil water availability

2021 ◽  
pp. 129716
Author(s):  
Gustavo Galo Marcheafave ◽  
Cláudia Domiciano Tormena ◽  
Amelia Elena Terrile ◽  
Carlos Alberto Rossi Salamanca-Neto ◽  
Elen Romão Sartori ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Coffea Arabica ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Elevated Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Mixture Design ◽  
Soil Water Availability ◽  
Block Data

Functional diversity alters the effects of a pulse perturbation on the dynamics of tritrophic food webs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruben Ceulemans ◽  
Laurie Anne Myriam Wojcik ◽  
Ursula Gaedke
Keyword(s):  
Food Web ◽  
Food Webs ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Feedback Loop ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Nutrient Pulse ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Food Web Model

Biodiversity decline causes a loss of functional diversity, which threatens ecosystems through a dangerous feedback loop: this loss may hamper ecosystems' ability to buffer environmental changes, leading to further biodiversity losses. In this context, the increasing frequency of climate and human-induced excessive loading of nutrients causes major problems in aquatic systems. Previous studies investigating how functional diversity influences the response of food webs to disturbances have mainly considered systems with at most two functionally diverse trophic levels. Here, we investigate the effects of a nutrient pulse on the resistance, resilience and elasticity of a tritrophic---and thus more realistic---plankton food web model depending on its functional diversity. We compare a non-adaptive food chain with no diversity to a highly diverse food web with three adaptive trophic levels. The species fitness differences are balanced through trade-offs between defense/growth rate for prey and selectivity/half-saturation constant for predators. We showed that the resistance, resilience and elasticity of tritrophic food webs decreased with larger perturbation sizes and depended on the state of the system when the perturbation occured. Importantly, we found that a more diverse food web was generally more resistant, resilient, and elastic. Particularly, functional diversity dampened the probability of a regime shift towards a non-desirable alternative state. In addition, despite the complex influence of the shape and type of the dynamical attractors, the basal-intermediate interaction determined the robustness against a nutrient pulse. This relationship was strongly influenced by the diversity present and the third trophic level. Overall, using a food web model of realistic complexity, this study confirms the destructive potential of the positive feedback loop between biodiversity loss and robustness, by uncovering mechanisms leading to a decrease in resistance, resilience and elasticity as functional diversity declines.

scholarly journals Daily and seasonal patterns of CO2 fluxes and evapotranspiration in maize-grass intercropping

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 777-782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cássia B. Machado ◽  
José R. de S. Lima ◽  
Antonio C. D. Antonino ◽  
Eduardo S. de Souza ◽  
Rodolfo M. S. Souza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Co2 Uptake ◽  
Co2 Fluxes ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Available Energy ◽  
Atmospheric Carbon ◽  
Main Consumer

ABSTRACT Studies that investigate the relationships between CO2 fluxes and evapotranspiration (ET) are important for predicting how agricultural ecosystems will respond to climate changes. However, none was made on the maize-grass intercropping system in Brazil. The aim of this study was to determine the ET and CO2 fluxes in a signal grass pasture intercropped with maize, in São João, Pernambuco, Brazil, in a drought year. Furthermore, the soil water storage (SWS) and leaf area index (LAI) were determined. The latent heat flux was the main consumer of the available energy and the daily and seasonal ET and CO2 variations were mainly controlled by rainfall, through the changes in soil water content and consequently in SWS. The agroecosystem acted as an atmospheric carbon source, during drier periods and lower LAI, and as an atmospheric carbon sink, during wetter periods and higher LAI values. In a dry year, the intercropping sequestered 2.9 t C ha-1, which was equivalent to 8.0 kg C ha-1 d-1. This study showed strong seasonal fluctuations in maize-grass intercropping CO2 fluxes, due to seasonality of rainfall, and that this agroecosystem is vulnerable to low SWS, with significant reduction in CO2 uptake during these periods.

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