scholarly journals Plant spatial patterns and functional traits interaction along a chronosequence of primary succession: evidence from a central Alpine glacier foreland

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tommaso Sitzia ◽  
Matteo Dainese ◽  
Bertil O. Krüsi ◽  
Duncan McCollin
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Landscape Metrics ◽  
Primary Succession ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Spatial Configuration ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Plant Composition ◽  
Rlq Analysis ◽  
Self Organisation

The main aim of this study was to elucidate the roles of terrain age and spatial self-organisation as drivers of primary succession using high-resolution assessment of plant composition, functional traits and landscape metrics. We sampled 46 plots, 1m x 1m each, distributed along a 15-70 year range of terrain ages on the foreland of the Nardis glacier, located in the southern central Alps of Italy. From existing databases, we selected nine quantitative traits for the 16 plant species present, and we measured a set of seven landscape metrics, which described the spatial arrangement of the plant species patches on the study plots, at a 1cm x 1cm resolution. We applied linear models to study the relationships among plant communities, landscape metrics and terrain age. Furthermore, we used RLQ-analysis to examine trait-spatial configuration relations. To assess the effect of terrain age variation on trait performance, we applied a partial-RLQ analysis approach. Finally, we used the fourth-corner statistic to quantify and test relations between traits, landscape metrics and RLQ axes. Surprisingly, linear models revealed that neither the plant composition nor any of the landscape metrics differed among the three classes of terrain age distinguished, viz. 15-41 y, 41-57 y and 57-66 y, respectively. Further, no correlations were detected between trait patterns and terrain age, however, the floristically defined relevé clusters differed significantly with regard to several landscape metrics and suggestive relationships between increasing patch diversity and traits connected to growth rate were detected. We conclude that (i) terrain age below 70 years is not a good predictor for neither plant composition nor spatial configuration on the studied microhabitat and (ii) the small-scale configuration of the plant species patches correlates with certain functional traits and with plant composition, suggesting species-based spatial self-organisation.

scholarly journals Plant spatial patterns and functional traits interaction along a chronosequence of primary succession: evidence from a central Alpine glacier foreland

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tommaso Sitzia ◽  
Matteo Dainese ◽  
Bertil O. Krüsi ◽  
Duncan McCollin
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Landscape Metrics ◽  
Primary Succession ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Spatial Configuration ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Plant Composition ◽  
Rlq Analysis ◽  
Self Organisation

The main aim of this study was to elucidate the roles of terrain age and spatial self-organisation as drivers of primary succession using high-resolution assessment of plant composition, functional traits and landscape metrics. We sampled 46 plots, 1m x 1m each, distributed along a 15-70 year range of terrain ages on the foreland of the Nardis glacier, located in the southern central Alps of Italy. From existing databases, we selected nine quantitative traits for the 16 plant species present, and we measured a set of seven landscape metrics, which described the spatial arrangement of the plant species patches on the study plots, at a 1cm x 1cm resolution. We applied linear models to study the relationships among plant communities, landscape metrics and terrain age. Furthermore, we used RLQ-analysis to examine trait-spatial configuration relations. To assess the effect of terrain age variation on trait performance, we applied a partial-RLQ analysis approach. Finally, we used the fourth-corner statistic to quantify and test relations between traits, landscape metrics and RLQ axes. Surprisingly, linear models revealed that neither the plant composition nor any of the landscape metrics differed among the three classes of terrain age distinguished, viz. 15-41 y, 41-57 y and 57-66 y, respectively. Further, no correlations were detected between trait patterns and terrain age, however, the floristically defined relevé clusters differed significantly with regard to several landscape metrics and suggestive relationships between increasing patch diversity and traits connected to growth rate were detected. We conclude that (i) terrain age below 70 years is not a good predictor for neither plant composition nor spatial configuration on the studied microhabitat and (ii) the small-scale configuration of the plant species patches correlates with certain functional traits and with plant composition, suggesting species-based spatial self-organisation.

scholarly journals Landscape metrics as functional traits in plants: perspectives from a glacier foreland

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tommaso Sitzia ◽  
Matteo Dainese ◽  
Bertil O. Krüsi ◽  
Duncan McCollin
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Landscape Metrics ◽  
Spatial Configuration ◽  
Leaf Size ◽  
Spatial Arrangement ◽  
Eastern Alps ◽  
Rlq Analysis ◽  
As Species ◽  
Species Specific

Spatial patterns of vegetation arise from an interplay of functional traits, environmental characteristics and chance. The retreat of glaciers offers exposed substrates which are colonised by plants forming distinct patchy patterns. The aim of this study was to unravel whether patch-level landscape metrics of plants can be treated as functional traits. We sampled 46 plots, each 1 m × 1 m, distributed along a restricted range of terrain age and topsoil texture on the foreland of the Nardis glacier, located in the South-Eastern Alps, Italy. Nine quantitative functional traits were selected for 16 of the plant species present, and seven landscape metrics were measured to describe the spatial arrangement of the plant species’ patches on the study plots, at a resolution of 1 cm × 1 cm. We studied the relationships among plant communities, landscape metrics, terrain age and topsoil texture. RLQ-analysis was used to examine trait-spatial configuration relationships. To assess the effect of terrain age and topsoil texture variation on trait performance, we applied a partial-RLQ analysis approach. Finally, we used the fourth-corner statistic to quantify and test relationships between traits, landscape metrics and RLQ axes. Floristically-defined relevé clusters differed significantly with regard to several landscape metrics. Diversity in patch types and size increased and patch size decreased with increasing canopy height, leaf size and weight. Moreover, more compact patch shapes were correlated with an increased capacity for the conservation of nutrients in leaves. Neither plant species composition nor any of the landscape metrics were found to differ amongst the three classes of terrain age or topsoil texture. We conclude that patch-level landscape metrics of plants can be treated as species-specific functional traits. We recommend that existing databases of functional traits should incorporate these type of data.

scholarly journals Deciphering Substrate-Specific Methane Yields of Perennial Herbaceous Wild Plant Species

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 451
Author(s):  
Moritz von Cossel ◽  
Lorena Agra Pereira ◽  
Iris Lewandowski
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Wild Plant ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Wild Plant Species ◽  
Global Demand ◽  
Bioenergy Cropping Systems

The global demand for plant biomass to provide bioenergy and heat is continuously increasing because of a growing interest among many industrialized and developing countries towards climate sound and renewable energy supply. The exacerbation of land-use conflicts proliferates social-ecological demands on future bioenergy cropping systems. Perennial herbaceous wild plant mixtures (WPMs) represent an approach to providing social-ecologically more sustainably produced biogas substrate that has gained increasing public and political interest only in recent years. The focus of this study lies on three perennial wild plant species (WPS) that usually dominate the biomass yield performance of WPM cultivation. These WPS were compared with established biogas crops in terms of their substrate-specific methane yield (SMY) and lignocellulosic composition. The plant samples were investigated in a small-scale mesophilic discontinuous biogas batch test for determining the SMY. All WPS were found to have significantly lower SMY (241.5–248.5 lN kgVS−1) than maize (337.5 lN kgVS−1). This was attributed to higher contents of lignin (9.7–12.8% of dry matter) as well as lower contents of hemicellulose (9.9–11.5% of dry matter) in the WPS. Only minor, non-significant differences to cup plant and Virginia mallow were observed. Thus, when planning WPS as a diversification measure in biogas cropping systems, their lower SMY should be considered.

scholarly journals Plant species extinction debt in a temperate biodiversity hotspot: Community, species and functional traits approaches

2011 ◽  
Vol 144 (5) ◽  
pp. 1619-1629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Piqueray ◽  
Emmanuelle Bisteau ◽  
Sara Cristofoli ◽  
Rodolphe Palm ◽  
Peter Poschlod ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Biodiversity Hotspot ◽  
Extinction Debt ◽  
Species Extinction

scholarly journals Small-scale plant species distribution in snowbeds and its sensitivity to climate change

Plant Ecology ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 200 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Schöb ◽  
Peter M. Kammer ◽  
Philippe Choler ◽  
Heinz Veit
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Species Distribution ◽  
Small Scale

scholarly journals Major environmental factors and traits of invasive alien plants determine their spatial distribution: a case study in Korea

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Minwoo Oh ◽  
Yoonjeong Heo ◽  
Eun Ju Lee ◽  
Hyohyemi Lee
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Alien Species ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Invasive Plants ◽  
Alien Plants ◽  
Summer Temperature ◽  
Alien Plant Species ◽  
Alien Plant ◽  
Cold Spots

Abstract Background As trade increases, the influx of various alien species and their spread to new regions are prevalent, making them a general problem globally. Anthropogenic activities and climate change have led to alien species becoming distributed beyond their native range. As a result, alien species can be easily found anywhere, with the density of individuals varying across locations. The prevalent distribution of alien species adversely affects invaded ecosystems; thus, strategic management plans must be established to control them effectively. To this end, this study evaluated hotspots and cold-spots in the degree of distribution of invasive alien plant species, and major environmental factors related to hot spots were identified. We analyzed 10,287 distribution points of 126 species of alien plant species collected through a national survey of alien species using the hierarchical model of species communities (HMSC) framework. Results The explanatory and fourfold cross-validation predictive power of the model were 0.91 and 0.75 as area under the curve (AUC) values, respectively. Hotspots of invasive plants were found in the Seoul metropolitan area, Daegu metropolitan city, Chungcheongbuk-do Province, southwest shore, and Jeju Island. Hotspots were generally found where the highest maximum summer temperature, winter precipitation, and road density were observed. In contrast, seasonality in temperature, annual temperature range, precipitation during summer, and distance to rivers and the sea were negatively correlated to hotspots. The model showed that functional traits accounted for 55% of the variance explained by environmental factors. Species with a higher specific leaf area were found where temperature seasonality was low. Taller species were associated with a larger annual temperature range. Heavier seed mass was associated with a maximum summer temperature > 29 °C. Conclusions This study showed that hotspots contained 2.1 times more alien plants on average than cold-spots. Hotspots of invasive plants tended to appear under less stressful climate conditions, such as low fluctuations in temperature and precipitation. In addition, disturbance by anthropogenic factors and water flow positively affected hotspots. These results were consistent with previous reports on the ruderal and competitive strategies of invasive plants, not the stress-tolerant strategy. Our results supported that the functional traits of alien plants are closely related to the ecological strategies of plants by shaping the response of species to various environmental filters. Therefore, to control alien plants effectively, the occurrence of disturbed sites where alien plants can grow in large quantities should be minimized, and the waterfront of rivers must be managed.

scholarly journals A Web-Based Software Platform for Restoration-Oriented Species Selection Based on Plant Functional Traits

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Wang ◽  
Shuguang Jian ◽  
Hai Ren ◽  
Junhua Yan ◽  
Nan Liu
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Plant Functional Traits ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Software Platform ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Successful Case ◽  
The Future ◽  
Degraded Ecosystems

Plant functional traits are fundamental to the understanding of plant adaptations and distributions. Recently, scientists proposed a trait-based species selection theory to support the selection of suitable plant species to restore the degraded ecosystems, to prevent the invasive exotic species and to manage the sustainable ecosystems. Based on this theory, in a previous study, we developed a species screening model and successfully applied it to a project where plant species were selected for restoring a tropical coral island. However, during this process we learned that a software platform is necessary to automate the selection process because it can flexible to assist users. Here, we developed a generalized software platform called the “Restoration Plant Species Selection (RPSS) Platform.” This flexible software is designed to assist users in selecting plant species for particular purposes (e.g., restore the degraded ecosystems and others). It is written in R language and integrated with external R packages, including the packages that computing similarity indexes, providing graphic outputs, and offering web functions. The software has a web-based graphical user interface that allows users to execute required functions via checkboxes and buttons. The platform has cross-platform functionality, which means that it can run on all common operating systems (e.g., Windows, Linux, macOS, and others). We also illustrate a successful case study in which the software platform was used to select suitable plant species for restoration purpose. The objective of this paper is to introduce the newly developed software platform RPSS and to provide useful guidances on using it for various applications. At this step, we also realized that the software platform should be constantly updated (e.g., add new features) in the future. Based on the existing successful application and the possible updates, we believe that our RPSS software platform will have broader applications in the future.

scholarly journals A linear model for leaf area measurement to screen potential leaf material for herbal drug in Adhatoda vasica L.

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 140-143
Author(s):  
J. V. Thaker ◽  
R. P. Kuvad ◽  
V. S. Thaker
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Linear Model ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Nondestructive Method ◽  
Area Measurement ◽  
Adhatoda Vasica ◽  
Linear Correlations

Leaf area is an important parameter in physiology and agronomy studies. Linear models for leaf area measurement are developed for plant species as a nondestructive method. The plant Adhatoda vasica L. (a medicinal plant) was selected and the leaves of this plant were used for development of linear model for leaf area using Leaf Area Meter (LAM) software. Planimetric parameters (length, length2, width and width2) and gravimetric (dry weight and water content) parameters are considered for the development of linear model for this plant species. Single factor ANOVA and linear correlations were worked out using these parameters and leaf area. The plant was showed significant relationship with the parameters studied. The best correlation as represented by regression coefficient (R2) was used and improved R2 is worked out. It is observed that with increase in leaf area, water content is also increased and showed best correlation with the leaf area. Thus water content can be taken as a parameter for developing linear model for leaf area is concluded.

scholarly journals Assessment of the Potential Risk of Rock-Climbing for Cliff Plant Species and Natural Protected Areas of Spain

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Indradatta deCastro-Arrazola ◽  
Martí March-Salas ◽  
Juan Lorite
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Potential Risk ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Rock Climbing ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
Natural Protected Areas ◽  
Priority Species

In recent years, the popularity of rock-climbing has grown tremendously, setting an increasing pressure on cliff habitats. Climbing may be particularly harmful in the Mediterranean biome due to its appropriate environmental conditions for climbing. A few studies have identified the effect of climbing on plant diversity at a small-scale (namely locally or even just in specific climbing areas). However, no studies exist assessing the potential risk of rock-climbing on a broad-scale (e.g., regional or national). The study aims to identify the priority locations and priority cliff plant species in Spain to focus future study efforts. Spain was selected because it is a plant biodiversity hotspot, with a great diversity of endemic and endangered species, and one of the most popular destinations for climbers. We used a geographic information system-based approach to model the spatial concurrence among Spanish climbing areas (and climbing intensity), natural protected areas (NPAs), and distribution of threatened cliff plants (and their IUCN threat category). We found that 53.5% of climbing areas in Spain are located within a NPA, most of them falling into NPAs of medium protection level. We mapped 151 threatened cliff plants, identifying four medium priority Mediterranean locations and eight priority species in which future research efforts should be focused. High-priority study locations are absent in Spain according to our spatial modeling. For the first time on a national scale, this study identifies areas in which climbing represents a potential threat for cliff habitats and threatened plants. These findings contribute to designing field studies on the effects of rock-climbing on Mediterranean cliffs, laying the groundwork for a sustainable, yet challenging, balance between the protection of these unique habitats and rock-climbing.

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