Time for a Plant Structural Economics Spectrum
We argue that tree and crown structural diversity can and should be integrated in the whole-plant economics spectrum. Ecologists have found that certain functional trait combinations have been more viable than others during evolution, generating a trait trade-off continuum which can be summarized al...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Forests and Global Change |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/ffgc.2019.00043/full |
| _version_ | 1831518685981835264 |
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| author | Hans Verbeeck Marijn Bauters Marijn Bauters Tobias Jackson Alexander Shenkin Mathias Disney Mathias Disney Kim Calders |
| author_facet | Hans Verbeeck Marijn Bauters Marijn Bauters Tobias Jackson Alexander Shenkin Mathias Disney Mathias Disney Kim Calders |
| author_sort | Hans Verbeeck |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We argue that tree and crown structural diversity can and should be integrated in the whole-plant economics spectrum. Ecologists have found that certain functional trait combinations have been more viable than others during evolution, generating a trait trade-off continuum which can be summarized along a few axes of variation, such as the “worldwide leaf economics spectrum” and the “wood economics spectrum.” However, for woody plants the crown structural diversity should be included as well in the recently introduced “global spectrum of plant form and function,” which now merely focusses on plant height as structural factor. The recent revolution in terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) unlocks the possibility to describe the three dimensional structure of trees quantitatively with unprecedented detail. We demonstrate that based on TLS data, a multidimensional structural trait space can be constructed, which can be decomposed into a few descriptive axes or spectra. We conclude that the time has come to develop a “structural economics spectrum” for woody plants based on structural trait data across the globe. We make suggestions as to what structural features might lie on this spectrum and how these might help improve our understanding of tree form-function relationships. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T08:03:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6566277f039c44f3ae0f5fa41cded960 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2624-893X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T08:03:10Z |
| publishDate | 2019-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Forests and Global Change |
| spelling | doaj.art-6566277f039c44f3ae0f5fa41cded9602022-12-21T23:54:22ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Forests and Global Change2624-893X2019-08-01210.3389/ffgc.2019.00043467434Time for a Plant Structural Economics SpectrumHans Verbeeck0Marijn Bauters1Marijn Bauters2Tobias Jackson3Alexander Shenkin4Mathias Disney5Mathias Disney6Kim Calders7CAVElab – Computational and Applied Vegetation Ecology, Ghent University, Ghent, BelgiumCAVElab – Computational and Applied Vegetation Ecology, Ghent University, Ghent, BelgiumISOFYS – Isotope Bioscience Laboratory, Ghent University, Ghent, BelgiumDepartment of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomEnvironmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United KingdomDepartment of Geography, University College London, London, United KingdomNERC National Centre for Earth Observation, Leicester, United KingdomCAVElab – Computational and Applied Vegetation Ecology, Ghent University, Ghent, BelgiumWe argue that tree and crown structural diversity can and should be integrated in the whole-plant economics spectrum. Ecologists have found that certain functional trait combinations have been more viable than others during evolution, generating a trait trade-off continuum which can be summarized along a few axes of variation, such as the “worldwide leaf economics spectrum” and the “wood economics spectrum.” However, for woody plants the crown structural diversity should be included as well in the recently introduced “global spectrum of plant form and function,” which now merely focusses on plant height as structural factor. The recent revolution in terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) unlocks the possibility to describe the three dimensional structure of trees quantitatively with unprecedented detail. We demonstrate that based on TLS data, a multidimensional structural trait space can be constructed, which can be decomposed into a few descriptive axes or spectra. We conclude that the time has come to develop a “structural economics spectrum” for woody plants based on structural trait data across the globe. We make suggestions as to what structural features might lie on this spectrum and how these might help improve our understanding of tree form-function relationships.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/ffgc.2019.00043/fulllaser scanning (LiDAR)canopy 3D structureforestplant functional traitplant structural trait |
| spellingShingle | Hans Verbeeck Marijn Bauters Marijn Bauters Tobias Jackson Alexander Shenkin Mathias Disney Mathias Disney Kim Calders Time for a Plant Structural Economics Spectrum Frontiers in Forests and Global Change laser scanning (LiDAR) canopy 3D structure forest plant functional trait plant structural trait |
| title | Time for a Plant Structural Economics Spectrum |
| title_full | Time for a Plant Structural Economics Spectrum |
| title_fullStr | Time for a Plant Structural Economics Spectrum |
| title_full_unstemmed | Time for a Plant Structural Economics Spectrum |
| title_short | Time for a Plant Structural Economics Spectrum |
| title_sort | time for a plant structural economics spectrum |
| topic | laser scanning (LiDAR) canopy 3D structure forest plant functional trait plant structural trait |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/ffgc.2019.00043/full |
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