Variation in the Functional Traits of Forest Vegetation along Compound Habitat Gradients in Different Climatic Zones in China
Investigating functional plant traits is essential for understanding plant responses and adaptations to global climate change and ecosystem functions. Synchronous observations of multiple plant traits across multiple sites are rare. Here, we obtained community, functional trait, and environmental da...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Forests |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/6/1232 |
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| author | Liangjin Yao Yue Xu Chuping Wu Fuying Deng Lan Yao Xunru Ai Runguo Zang |
| author_facet | Liangjin Yao Yue Xu Chuping Wu Fuying Deng Lan Yao Xunru Ai Runguo Zang |
| author_sort | Liangjin Yao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Investigating functional plant traits is essential for understanding plant responses and adaptations to global climate change and ecosystem functions. Synchronous observations of multiple plant traits across multiple sites are rare. Here, we obtained community, functional trait, and environmental data for different forest vegetation types in China’s tropical, subtropical, warm-temperate, and cold-temperate zones. Using principal component (PC) analysis, we constructed a composite–habitat gradient axis of biotic and abiotic factors across different climatic zones, differentiated functional trait compositions along the axis and their driving factors, and reached three main conclusions. (1) At the community level, the community-weighted mean and variance of each trait level differed across the climatic zones. Specific leaf areas and leaf phosphorus contents decreased with increasing PC1 values, whereas community-weighted means and variances of leaf dry-matter contents, leaf nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratios, and wood densities significantly increased with increasing PC1 values. However, the leaf nitrogen content varied along the PC1 axis. Both the community-weighted skewness and kurtosis of functional traits increased significantly with increasing PC1 values for the composite habitat gradient across the climatic zones. (2) The weighted mean, variance, skewness, and kurtosis of each functional trait exhibited different patterns on the composite habitat gradient PC2 axis than on the PC1 axis across the climatic zones, and the correlation was weak. (3) Most functional traits correlated significantly with the community-weighted mean and variance, kurtosis, and skewness. Therefore, the different functional trait compositions of forest communities in different climatic zones reflected trait convergence caused by the environment and trait differences caused by species competition in response to local-scale filtering. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:28:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c43e994c5963464d9981a6fb8d05902f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:28:01Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-c43e994c5963464d9981a6fb8d05902f2023-11-18T10:28:10ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072023-06-01146123210.3390/f14061232Variation in the Functional Traits of Forest Vegetation along Compound Habitat Gradients in Different Climatic Zones in ChinaLiangjin Yao0Yue Xu1Chuping Wu2Fuying Deng3Lan Yao4Xunru Ai5Runguo Zang6Zhejiang Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou 310023, ChinaEcology and Nature Conservation, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Beijing 100091, ChinaZhejiang Academy of Forestry, Hangzhou 310023, ChinaSchool of Earth Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, ChinaSchool of Forestry and Horticulture, Hubei University for Nationalities, Enshi 445000, ChinaSchool of Forestry and Horticulture, Hubei University for Nationalities, Enshi 445000, ChinaEcology and Nature Conservation, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Beijing 100091, ChinaInvestigating functional plant traits is essential for understanding plant responses and adaptations to global climate change and ecosystem functions. Synchronous observations of multiple plant traits across multiple sites are rare. Here, we obtained community, functional trait, and environmental data for different forest vegetation types in China’s tropical, subtropical, warm-temperate, and cold-temperate zones. Using principal component (PC) analysis, we constructed a composite–habitat gradient axis of biotic and abiotic factors across different climatic zones, differentiated functional trait compositions along the axis and their driving factors, and reached three main conclusions. (1) At the community level, the community-weighted mean and variance of each trait level differed across the climatic zones. Specific leaf areas and leaf phosphorus contents decreased with increasing PC1 values, whereas community-weighted means and variances of leaf dry-matter contents, leaf nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratios, and wood densities significantly increased with increasing PC1 values. However, the leaf nitrogen content varied along the PC1 axis. Both the community-weighted skewness and kurtosis of functional traits increased significantly with increasing PC1 values for the composite habitat gradient across the climatic zones. (2) The weighted mean, variance, skewness, and kurtosis of each functional trait exhibited different patterns on the composite habitat gradient PC2 axis than on the PC1 axis across the climatic zones, and the correlation was weak. (3) Most functional traits correlated significantly with the community-weighted mean and variance, kurtosis, and skewness. Therefore, the different functional trait compositions of forest communities in different climatic zones reflected trait convergence caused by the environment and trait differences caused by species competition in response to local-scale filtering.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/6/1232Chinaclimatic zonecommunity compositioncomposite habitat zoneenvironmentforest vegetation |
| spellingShingle | Liangjin Yao Yue Xu Chuping Wu Fuying Deng Lan Yao Xunru Ai Runguo Zang Variation in the Functional Traits of Forest Vegetation along Compound Habitat Gradients in Different Climatic Zones in China Forests China climatic zone community composition composite habitat zone environment forest vegetation |
| title | Variation in the Functional Traits of Forest Vegetation along Compound Habitat Gradients in Different Climatic Zones in China |
| title_full | Variation in the Functional Traits of Forest Vegetation along Compound Habitat Gradients in Different Climatic Zones in China |
| title_fullStr | Variation in the Functional Traits of Forest Vegetation along Compound Habitat Gradients in Different Climatic Zones in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Variation in the Functional Traits of Forest Vegetation along Compound Habitat Gradients in Different Climatic Zones in China |
| title_short | Variation in the Functional Traits of Forest Vegetation along Compound Habitat Gradients in Different Climatic Zones in China |
| title_sort | variation in the functional traits of forest vegetation along compound habitat gradients in different climatic zones in china |
| topic | China climatic zone community composition composite habitat zone environment forest vegetation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/6/1232 |
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