Covariation in plant functional traits and soil fertility within two species-rich forests.
The distribution of plant species along environmental gradients is expected to be predictable based on organismal function. Plant functional trait research has shown that trait values generally vary predictably along broad-scale climatic and soil gradients. This work has also demonstrated that at an...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2012-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/22509355/?tool=EBI |
| _version_ | 1818991702158868480 |
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| author | Xiaojuan Liu Nathan G Swenson S Joseph Wright Liwen Zhang Kai Song Yanjun Du Jinlong Zhang Xiangcheng Mi Haibao Ren Keping Ma |
| author_facet | Xiaojuan Liu Nathan G Swenson S Joseph Wright Liwen Zhang Kai Song Yanjun Du Jinlong Zhang Xiangcheng Mi Haibao Ren Keping Ma |
| author_sort | Xiaojuan Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The distribution of plant species along environmental gradients is expected to be predictable based on organismal function. Plant functional trait research has shown that trait values generally vary predictably along broad-scale climatic and soil gradients. This work has also demonstrated that at any one point along these gradients there is a large amount of interspecific trait variation. The present research proposes that this variation may be explained by the local-scale sorting of traits along soil fertility and acidity axes. Specifically, we predicted that trait values associated with high resource acquisition and growth rates would be found on soils that are more fertile and less acidic. We tested the expected relationships at the species-level and quadrat-level (20 × 20 m) using two large forest plots in Panama and China that contain over 450 species combined. Predicted relationships between leaf area and wood density and soil fertility were supported in some instances, but the majority of the predicted relationships were rejected. Alternative resource axes, such as light gradients, therefore likely play a larger role in determining the interspecific variability in plant functional traits in the two forests studied. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T20:14:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-86382fd62f324916aafcb0a9bd8ac812 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T20:14:28Z |
| publishDate | 2012-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-86382fd62f324916aafcb0a9bd8ac8122022-12-21T19:27:46ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032012-01-0174e3476710.1371/journal.pone.0034767Covariation in plant functional traits and soil fertility within two species-rich forests.Xiaojuan LiuNathan G SwensonS Joseph WrightLiwen ZhangKai SongYanjun DuJinlong ZhangXiangcheng MiHaibao RenKeping MaThe distribution of plant species along environmental gradients is expected to be predictable based on organismal function. Plant functional trait research has shown that trait values generally vary predictably along broad-scale climatic and soil gradients. This work has also demonstrated that at any one point along these gradients there is a large amount of interspecific trait variation. The present research proposes that this variation may be explained by the local-scale sorting of traits along soil fertility and acidity axes. Specifically, we predicted that trait values associated with high resource acquisition and growth rates would be found on soils that are more fertile and less acidic. We tested the expected relationships at the species-level and quadrat-level (20 × 20 m) using two large forest plots in Panama and China that contain over 450 species combined. Predicted relationships between leaf area and wood density and soil fertility were supported in some instances, but the majority of the predicted relationships were rejected. Alternative resource axes, such as light gradients, therefore likely play a larger role in determining the interspecific variability in plant functional traits in the two forests studied.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/22509355/?tool=EBI |
| spellingShingle | Xiaojuan Liu Nathan G Swenson S Joseph Wright Liwen Zhang Kai Song Yanjun Du Jinlong Zhang Xiangcheng Mi Haibao Ren Keping Ma Covariation in plant functional traits and soil fertility within two species-rich forests. PLoS ONE |
| title | Covariation in plant functional traits and soil fertility within two species-rich forests. |
| title_full | Covariation in plant functional traits and soil fertility within two species-rich forests. |
| title_fullStr | Covariation in plant functional traits and soil fertility within two species-rich forests. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Covariation in plant functional traits and soil fertility within two species-rich forests. |
| title_short | Covariation in plant functional traits and soil fertility within two species-rich forests. |
| title_sort | covariation in plant functional traits and soil fertility within two species rich forests |
| url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/22509355/?tool=EBI |
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