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Moss C, N, P and K stoichiometry and their relationships are related to soil nutrients and environment in a temperate desert of central Asia
Yong-Gang Li, Xiao-Bing Zhou, Yongxing Lu, Yuan-Ming Zhang
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (3): 0-rtac070.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac070
Abstract144)      PDF (1442KB)(95)       Save
Previous studies showed that moss stoichiometric characteristics were influenced by moss patch size, shrubs and the environment in the desert. The study of moss stoichiometry in different spatial distribution areas is crucial for an understanding of growth and adaptation strategy of the mosses. In this study, the dominant moss (Syntrichia caninervis) of biological soil crusts and soil under the moss patches in the Gurbantunggut Desert were selected to determine their stoichiometry in different dunes and sites. Moss stoichiometry and soil available nutrients were significantly influenced by different distribution areas except for moss C. The Naboveground vs. Nbelowground' Paboveground vs. Pbelowground and Kaboveground vs. Kbelowground scaling exponents of moss were 0.251, 0.389 and 0.442, respectively. The N vs. P scaling exponents were 0.71, 0.84 in above- and below-ground parts of moss. Moss stoichiometry was disproportionately distributed in the above-ground and below-ground parts. Moreover, moss N, P and K elements were influenced by mean annual precipitation (MAP), longitude and soil nutrients. The nutrients of moss were affected by spatial distribution, mean annual temperature (MAT), MAP and soil nutrients. The growth of moss was limited by N element in the temperate desert. This study provides the stoichiometric characteristics of C, N, P and K of moss at different spatial scales and explores their relationships with environmental variables, which can help understand nutrient patterns and utilization strategy of N, P and K, and their potential responses to global climate changes in desert.
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Plant community traits and functions mediate the biomass trade-off of alpine grasslands along precipitation gradients on the Tibetan Plateau
Le Sun, Jian Sun, Jun-Xi Wu, Zi-Yin Du, You-Jun Chen, Yi Wang, Miao Liu, Wen-Cheng Li, Er-Yuan Liang
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (5): 0-rtad009.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtad009
Abstract124)      PDF (1677KB)(56)       Save
A better understanding the mechanisms driving plant biomass allocation in different ecosystems is an important theoretical basis for illustrating the adaptive strategies of plants. To date, the effects of habitat conditions on plant biomass allocation have been widely studied. However, it is less known how plant community traits and functions (PCTF) affect biomass allocation, particularly in alpine grassland ecosystems. In this study, community-weighted means (CWM) were calculated at the community level using five leaf functional traits, and the relationships between PCTF and biomass trade-offs were explored using correlation analysis, variation partitioning analysis and structural equation modeling. We found that the trade-off values were greater than zero in both alpine meadow (AM) and alpine steppe (AS) across the Tibetan Plateau, with different values of 0.203 and 0.088 for AM and AS, respectively. Moreover, the critical factors determining biomass allocation in AS were species richness (SR; scored at 0.69) and leaf dry matter content of CWM (CWMLDMC’, scored at 0.42), while in AM, the key factors were leaf dry matter content (CWMLDMC’, scored at 0.48) and leaf carbon content of CWM (CWMLC’, scored at -0.45). In particular, both CWMLDMC and SR in AS, as well as CWMLDMC and CWMLC in AM were primarily regulated by precipitation. In summary, precipitation tends to drive biomass allocation in alpine grasslands through its effects on PCTF, hence highlighting the importance of PCTF in regulating plant biomass allocation strategies along precipitation gradients.
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Environmental factors determining the forest-grassland variation in the Espinhaço Range Biosphere Reserve—Brazil
Thaís Ribeiro Costa, Cristiane Coelho de Moura, Leovandes Soares da Silva, Anne Priscila Dias Gonzaga, André Rodrigo Rech, Evandro Luiz Mendonça Machado
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (5): 0.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac089
Abstract116)      PDF (1618KB)(39)       Save
Knowledge concerning the processes involved in defining the boundaries between rainforests (fire-sensitive) and open formations (fire-tolerant) is essential to safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem services, especially under climate change and increased anthropogenic pressure. Here, we investigated the main environmental factors involved in the co-occurrence of forest islands and humid grasslands located in a protected area in the Espinhaço Biosphere Reserve, southeastern Brazil. We used permanent plots to collect the soil variables (moisture and chemical properties) in the forest islands. For sampling in wet grasslands, we installed four lines of 30 m from the edge of the islands in different directions. Subsequently, we delimited three points on each line10 m apart, totaling 12 points per area. We also surveyed the vegetation cover before and after prescribed burns. The environmental variables were subjected to tests of means and principal component analysis. We observed higher values of potassium, sum of bases, cation exchange capacity and organic matter in soils from forest islands than in wet grasslands. Therefore, the boundaries’ definition between the two vegetation types appeared to be primarily related to soil fertility and moisture gradients. After prescribed burning of the areas, no regeneration of arboreal individuals was detected near the edges of the islands. Therefore, our results suggest that forest islands are unable to expand due to well-defined edapho-climatic conditions. Thus, these environments should be a target focus for designing public conservation policies because they increase the complexity of the landscape of Campos Rupestres vegetation (mountain rocky grasslands).
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Functional and phylogenetic similarities of co-occurring invaders affect the growth of an invasive forb
Jie Ren, Pengdong Chen, Changchao Shen, Zhibin Tao, Wei Huang
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (5): 0.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtad007
Abstract114)      PDF (723KB)(49)       Save
Expansion of global trade and acceleration of climate change dramatically promote plant invasions. As a result, a large number of habitats harbor multiple invasive plant species. However, patterns of invasive interactions and the drivers mediating their interactions remain unclear. In this greenhouse, potted plant study, we tested the impacts of 18 invasive plant species on the growth of target invader Erigeron canadensis which is dominant in central China. Neighboring invasive species belong to three functional groups (grass, forb and legume) and have different levels of relatedness to E. canadensis. Growth of E. canadensis’ strongly depended on the identity of neighboring invaders. Some neighboring invasive species suppressed growth of E. canadensis, others had no effect, while some promoted growth of E. canadensis. Through analyses of functional and phylogenetic similarities between the target species and neighboring invaders, we showed that two factors probably play roles in determining the relative responses of E. canadensis. Generally, E. canadensis responded negatively to invasive grasses and forbs, while it responded positively to invasive legumes. Furthermore, the negative responses to neighboring invasive grasses and forbs increased with increasing phylogenetic distance between the neighbors and E. canadensis. In contrast, the positive responses to invasive legumes did not depend on phylogenetic distance from E. canadensis. Our results suggest that successful invasion of E. canadensis probably depends on the identity of co-occurring invasive plant species. Interactions between E. canadensis and other invasive species should help managers select management priorities.
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Typical ephemeral plant—Erodium oxyrhinchum: growth response to snow change in temperate desert, Northwest China
Jin-Fei Yin, Xiao-Bing Zhou, Nan Wu, Yuanming Zhang
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (4): 0-rtac079.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac079
Abstract92)      PDF (1246KB)(43)       Save
Snow-cover changes in temperate desert ecosystems influence plant diversity, richness and distribution. The growth and distribution of herbaceous plants in these ecosystems are closely related to snow-cover depth, the most important water resource during the growth period due to water shortage during the dry season. However, the response to snow-cover change in winter remains unclear. The present investigation was undertaken to examine the influence of snow-cover change on the root growth of herbaceous species. The growth of desert typical ephemeral species, Erodium oxyrhinchum, was examined in Gurbantunggut Desert with four snow-cover depth treatments in winter. The four treatments were snow removal (-S), ambient snow, double snow (+S) and triple snow (+2S). The snow depth addition increased the abundance and growth rate of herbaceous plants. It also enhanced the biomass (including total and individual biomass) of these plants. The leaf area of E. oxyrhinchum increased significantly with snow addition, and the leaf dry matter content had an opposite trend. The study showed that the aboveground section of the plant was more sensitive to snow change than the underground. Snow change also influenced the root morphology. Snow removal resulted in the emergence of more lateral roots, whereas snow addition promoted the elongation of the main root for water and nutrient absorption. These results explain how changes in winter snow-cover depth alter plant growth, community structure and ecosystem function during the growing period in temperate desert ecosystems.
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Observer error in grassland vegetation surveys: effects on species diversity metrics and species-abundance relationships
Lloyd W. Morrison, Sherry A. Leis, Michael D. DeBacker
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (4): 0-rtad002.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtad002
Abstract89)      PDF (568KB)(51)       Save
We investigated the effect of observer error on four commonly used species diversity measures: species richness, Shannon-Weiner diversity, Shannon-Weiner evenness and Simpson's index of diversity. We also evaluated how observer error affects inferences derived from multivariate analyses of species-abundance relationships as determined by non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS) ordination. Grassland vegetation was sampled by three different botanists at two national park units in Missouri and Kansas, USA. The same plots were sampled by two of the botanists, who compiled lists of species composition and estimated foliar cover. Differences in the data records were then compared. Pseudoturnover (i.e. apparent turnover due to observer error) ranged from 17.1% to 22.1%, and differences in cover class estimation ranged from 21.5% to 30.5%. The percentage difference in species diversity measures between pairs of observers depended on how data were summarized, but were always <20%, and often <10%. Based on these results, species diversity metrics are affected to a relatively smaller extent by observer error than turnover indices. Turnover indices, however, contain more information because they track individual species, whereas species are interchangeable in most species diversity indices. Thus, less of the error is identified because of how species diversity indices are calculated. NMS ordinations revealed that while the characterizations of some plots by different observers were similar, differences between observers' records for other plots resulted in greater separation in ordination space. Points representing one observer's records were often shifted in ordination space in the same direction compared with the other observer.
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Coculturing rice with aquatic animals promotes ecological intensification of paddy ecosystem
Zi-Jun Ji, Lu-Feng Zhao, Tao-Jie Zhang, Ran-Xin Dai, Jian-Jun Tang, Liang-Liang Hu, Xin Chen
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (6): 0-rtad014.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtad014
Abstract84)      PDF (370KB)(108)       Save
Species coculture can increase agro-biodiversity and therefore constitutes an ecological intensification measure for agriculture. Rice-aquatic animal coculture, one type of species coculture, has been practiced and researched widely. Here, we review recent studies and present results of a quantitative analysis of literature on rice-aquatic animal coculture systems. We address three questions: (i) can rice yield and soil fertility be maintained or increased with less chemical input through rice-aquatic animal coculture? (ii) how do aquatic animals benefit the paddy ecosystem? (iii) how can coculture be implemented for ecological intensification? Meta-analysis based on published papers showed that rice-aquatic animal cocultures increased rice yield, soil organic carbon and total nitrogen and decreased insect pests and weeds compared with rice monocultures. Studies also showed that rice-aquatic animal cocultures reduced pesticide and fertilizer application compared with rice monocultures. Rice plants provide a beneficial environment for aquatic animals, leading to high animal activities in the field. Aquatic animals, in turn, help remove rice pests and act as ecological engineers that affect soil conditions, which favor the growth of rice plants. Aquatic animals promote nutrient cycling and the complementary use of nutrients between rice and aquatic animals, which enhances nutrient-use efficiency in the coculture. To generate beneficial outcomes, how to develop compatible partnerships between rice and aquatic animals, and compatible culturing strategies for coculture systems are the key points. Investigating which traits of aquatic animals and rice varieties could best match to create productive and sustainable coculture systems could be one of the future focuses.
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Altitudinal variations of the rate and temperature sensitivity of soil nitrogen mineralization on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
Xikang Hou, Dan Kou, Mitsuru Hirota, Tong Guo, Tao Lang
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (5): 0.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtad005
Abstract84)      PDF (816KB)(46)       Save
Changes in soil nitrogen mineralization can impact nutrient availability, and further affect plant growth. It is unclear, however, how temperature elevation in alpine grassland will affect soil net N mineralization rate (Nmin) across altitudes. At six altitudes (3200-4200 m with an interval of 200 m) along a slope in Lenglong mountain in the northern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, we performed an in situ soil incubation experiment by using the resin-core method to assess altitudinal variations of Nmin. Meanwhile, we evaluated the effects of temperature elevation on Nmin and its temperature sensitivity (Q10) through a soil downward transplantation experiment based on three reference baseline altitudes (3800, 4000 and 4200 m). The results showed that high altitudes generally led to low values of Nmin. Structural equation modeling analysis revealed that Nmin along the altitude was mainly controlled by soil temperature. Increased temperature caused by the altitude transplantation significantly elevated Nmin for all of the three reference altitudes. The value of Q10 was 3.4 for soil samples transplanted from the reference altitude of 4200 m, which was about twice that of the lower reference altitudes of 4000 and 3800 m.
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Frequency-dependent seedling predation by rodents: growth and survival of Quercus wutaishanica in two habitats
Jinfeng Zhang, Jingru Ge, Xingfu Yan, Buddhi Dayananda, Yonghong Luo, Junqing Li
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (3): 0-rtac086.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac086
Abstract79)      PDF (837KB)(79)       Save
Rodents attack oak (Quercus wutaishanica) seeds based on their sizes and frequencies before germination. However, the predation of oak seeds post-germination (seedling cotyledons) is not well studied. Here, we not only tested the preference of rodents for Q. wutaishanica seedling cotyledons based on the frequency of large- versus small-seeded (FLS), but also evaluated the effects of predation on seedlings growth and survival in different habitats. We transplanted seedlings with the FLS set as 9:1, 7:3, 5:5, 3:7 and 1:9, respectively, in the forest gap and under the canopy in the Liupan Mountains National Nature Reserve in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Northwest China. The results showed that: (i) in 1-7 days after transplanting seedlings, rodents prefer the cotyledon of large-seeded seedings while small-seeded seedlings were preferred in 8-60 days, and the positive frequency-dependent predation was observed. (ii) The cotyledons were preyed on, the apical buds were bitted off, and the whole seedlings were uprooted, which mostly occurred under the forest canopy. At the end of a growing season, the survival rate of seedlings in the forest gaps was more than twice that under forest canopies. (iii) If cotyledons were preyed on, the growth of Q. wutaishanica seedlings would not be affected, but the seedlings growth was severely inhibited when the apical bud was bitten off. These results not only provide new insights into the coexistence between rodents and seedlings of different phenotypes, but also reveal the ecological characteristics of deciduous Quercus regeneration.
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Community-level predictions in a megadiverse hotspot:comparison of stacked species distribution models to forest inventory data
Victor Pereira Zwiener, Valéria Andressa Alves
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (3): 0-rtac099.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac099
Abstract76)      PDF (1220KB)(104)       Save
Given the current scenario of climate change and anthropogenic impacts, spatial predictions of biodiversity are fundamental to support conservation and restoration actions. Here, we compared different stacked species distribution models (S-SDMs) to forest inventories to assess if S-SDMs capture emerging properties and geographic patterns of species richness and composition of local communities in a biodiversity hotspot. We generated SDMs for 1499 tree species sampled in 151 sites across the Atlantic Forest. We applied four model stacking approaches to reconstruct the plant communities: binary SDMs (bS-SDMs), binary SDMs cropped by minimum convex polygons (bS-SDMs-CROP), stacked SDMs constrained by the observed species richness (cS-SDMs) and minimum convex polygons of species occurrences (MCPs). We compared the stacking methods with local communities in terms of species richness, composition, community prediction metrics and components of beta diversity—nestedness and turnover. S-SDMs captured general patterns, with bS-SDMs-CROP being the most parsimonious approach. Species composition differed between local communities and all stacking methods, in which bS-SDMs, bS-SDMs-CROP and MCPs followed a nested pattern, whereas species turnover was most important in cS-SDMs. S-SDMs varied in terms of performance, omission and commission errors, leading to a misprediction of some vulnerable, endangered and critically endangered species. Despite differing from forest inventory data, S-SDMs captured part of the variation from local communities, representing the potential species pool. Our results support the use of S-SDMs to endorse biodiversity synthesis and conservation planning at coarse scales and warn of potential misprediction at local scales in megadiverse regions.
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Relative stable interannual variation in plant-plant pollen transfer rather than the plant-pollinator network of a subalpine meadow
Qiang Fang, Shiyun Guo, Tao Zhang, Xiaoxin Tang
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (3): 0-rtac094.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac094
Abstract76)      PDF (1683KB)(72)       Save
Previous studies have shown that plant-pollinator mutualistic interactions experience highly interannual variation. Given that pollinators often move across multiple plant species, the plant-plant interactions that take place via heterospecific pollen (HP) transfer may also vary temporally, which could have important implications for floral evolution and community assembly. Here, we evaluated the interannual variation in plant-pollinator networks and plant-plant heterospecific pollen transfer (HPT) networks of a subalpine meadow community in Southwest China for three consecutive years. The interactions largely varied among years for both network types. The composition of donor-species HP deposited on the plants varied less than did the visit composition of the pollinators, suggesting that HP could be transferred from identical donor species to recipient species through different shared pollinators among years. The plant species were at more similar positions in the HPT network than they were in the plant-pollinator network across years. Moreover, the more generalized plant species in the plant-pollinator network tended to export their pollen grains and more strongly influence HPT. We evaluated the relatively stable structure of the HPT network compared with the plant-pollinator network, which represents an important step in the integration of plant-pollinator and plant-plant interactions.
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Divergent leaf nutrient-use strategies of coexistent evergreen and deciduous trees in a subtropical forest
Xiaoping Chen, Xingui Le, Karl J. Niklas, Dandan Hu, Quanlin Zhong, Dongliang Cheng
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (4): 0-rtac093.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac093
Abstract75)      PDF (1212KB)(65)       Save
Evergreen and deciduous species coexist in the subtropical forests in southeastern China. It has been suggested that phosphorus (P) is the main limiting nutrient in subtropical forests, and that evergreen and deciduous species adopt different carbon capture strategies to deal with this limitation. However, these hypotheses have not been examined empirically to a sufficient degree. In order to fill this knowledge gap, we measured leaf photosynthetic and respiration rates, and nutrient traits related to P-, nitrogen (N)- and carbon (C)-use efficiencies and resorption using 75 woody species (44 evergreen and 31 deciduous species) sampled in a subtropical forest. The photosynthetic N-use efficiency (PNUE), respiration rate per unit N and P (Rd,N and Rd,P, respectively) of the deciduous species were all significantly higher than those of evergreen species, but not in the case of photosynthetic P-use efficiency. These results indicate that, for any given leaf P, evergreen species manifest higher carbon-use efficiency (CUE) than deciduous species, a speculation that is empirically confirmed. In addition, no significant differences were observed between deciduous and evergreen species for nitrogen resorption efficiency, phosphorus resorption efficiency or N:P ratios. These results indicate that evergreen species coexist with deciduous species and maintain dominance in P-limited subtropical forests by maintaining CUE. Our results also indicate that it is important to compare the PNUE of deciduous species with evergreen species in other biomes. These observations provide insights into modeling community dynamics in subtropical forests, particularly in light of future climate change.
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Asian tropical forests assimilating carbon under dry conditions: water stress or light benefits?
Lian-Yan Yang, Rui Yu, Jin Wu, Yongjiang Zhang, Yoshiko Kosugi, Natalia Restrepo-Coupe, Afredo Huete, Jie Zhang, Yu-Hai Liu, Xiang Zhang, Wen-Jie Liu, Jun-Fu Zhao, Jiye Zeng, Qing-Hai Song, Ya-Jun Chen, Liang Song, Zheng-Hong Tan
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (3): 0-rtac106.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac106
Abstract75)      PDF (3169KB)(107)       Save
Tropical forests are characterized by vast biomass, complex structures and mega-biodiversity. However, the adaptation processes of these forests to seasonal water availability are less understood, especially those located in the monsoonal and mountainous regions of tropical Southeast Asia. This study used four representative tropical forests spanning from 2° N to 22° N in continental Southeast Asia to address dry-condition photosynthesis at the seasonal scale. We first provided novel and reliable estimations of ecosystem photosynthesis (gross primary production; GPP) seasonality at all four sites. As expected, both evergreen and deciduous seasonal forests exhibited higher GPPs during the rainy season than during the dry season. A bimodal pattern corresponding to solar radiation occurred in the GPP of the perhumid forest. The surface conductance (Gs) was consistently lower both in the dry season and during dry spells (DSPs) than during the wet season and non-dry spells. However, this did not prevent GPP from increasing alongside increasing irradiance in the perhumid forest, suggesting that other ecosystem physiological properties, for example, the light-saturated photosynthetic rate, must have increased, thus surpassing the effect of Gs reduction. Thus, perhumid forests could be defined as light-demanding ecosystems with regard to their seasonal dynamics. Seasonal forests are water-stressed ecosystems in the dry season, as shown by the reductions in GPP, Gs and related ecosystem physiological properties. At all four forest sites, we observed a lack of consistent adaptive strategy to fit the water seasonality due to the diversity in leaf phenology, soil nutrient availability, root depth and other potential factors.
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Dominant species play a leading role in shaping community stability in the northern Tibetan grasslands
Ge Hou, Peili Shi, Tiancai Zhou, Jian Sun, Ning Zong, Minghua Song, Xianzhou Zhang
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (3): 0-rtac110.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac110
Abstract75)      PDF (817KB)(92)       Save
Dominant species may strongly influence biotic conditions and interact with other species, and thus are important drivers of community dynamics and ecosystem functioning, particularly in the stressed environment of alpine grasslands. However, the effects of dominant species on the community stability of different ecosystems remain poorly understood. We examined the mechanisms underlying temporal stability (2014-2020 year) of aboveground productivity and community stability in four alpine grasslands (alpine meadow, alpine meadow steppe, alpine steppe and alpine desert steppe) of the northern Tibetan with different species composition and dominance. Our results showed that community stability was significantly higher in the alpine meadow than in the other three types of grasslands. This difference was mainly attributed to the higher compensatory effect and selection effect in the alpine meadows. Furthermore, dominant species strongly affected community stability by increasing dominant species stability and species asynchrony. However, species richness had little effect on community stability. Our findings demonstrate that dominant species, as foundation species, may play leading roles in shaping community stability in the alpine grasslands, highlighting the importance of conserving dominant species for stable ecosystem functioning in these fragile ecosystems under increasing environmental fluctuations.
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Floral traits and pollination biology of Epimedium chlorandrum Stearn (Berberidaceae)
Yi-Fan Qian, Wen Du, Lan-Ying Chen, Qiu-Mei Quan, Yun-Xiang Li
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (4): 0-rtad003.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtad003
Abstract74)      PDF (762KB)(30)       Save
The evolution and expression of floral traits are responsive to selection pressure from biotic and abiotic factors. Although floral traits significantly vary among environments, the flower remains unchanged. We aimed to understand the adaptation of Epimedium chlorandrum of floral traits to a frequently nocturnally rainy and wet environments and the roles of floral traits in pollination and reproduction. We observed flowering phenology, measured floral characteristics including the number of pollen grains and ovules per flower, measured pollen viability and stigma receptivity, tested the volume and sugar concentration of nectar and conducted flower-visit observations in this species. Different pollination treatments were performed to characterize the breeding system. The inner sepals and highly curved longer spurs of E. chlorandrum jointly formed an umbrella that shielded the anthers and stigma from rain wash and prevented nectar dilution. Epimedium chlorandrum was visited by six species, while Bombus trifasciatus was the only effective pollinator and fed on the nectar. One flower secreted approximately 17.06 µL of nectar with a 29.19 g/100 mL sugar concentration, and the pollination efficiency of B. trifasciatus was positively associated with the nectar sugar concentration. The self- and open-pollination treatments resulted in fewer fertile seeds than the cross-pollination treatment. In contrast, the autonomous self- pollination treatment failed to yield fertile seeds. In summary, pollen limitation caused by harsh weather and pollinator shortage occurred during the pollination process of E. chlorandrum, which was partially alleviated by self-compatibility.
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Leaf traits of clonal grasses responding to the ratios of ammonium to nitrate in a semi-arid grassland: leaf order matters
Ruoxuan Liu, Jungang Chen, Zhengru Ren, Xu Chen, Haining Lu, Yuqiu Zhang, Yunhai Zhang
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (4): 0-rtac108.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac108
Abstract73)      PDF (1846KB)(60)       Save
Leaf is the main organ of photosynthesis. Leaf phenotypic plasticity largely determines the adaptation of plants to enriched nitrogen (N) environments. However, it remains unclear whether the optimal number (proportion) of leaves representing the leaf traits of the whole plant is similar between ambient and N-enriched conditions. Moreover, whether alteration in ammonium (NH4+-N) to nitrate (NO3--N) ratios in atmospheric N deposition will alter the optimal leaf number is unexplored. By adding three NH4+-N/NO3--N ratios in a temperate grassland of northern China since 2014, three traits (leaf area, thickness and chlorophyll content) of two dominant clonal grasses, Leymus chinensis and Agropyron cristatum, were measured in August 2020. Results showed that under ambient conditions, the mean leaf area, thickness and chlorophyll content values of two fully expanded leaves were similar to these of all leaves at the plant level, except for the leaf area of L. chinensis, which needed five leaves (78.82% of leaves in the plant). The ratios of NH4+-N/NO3--N increased the number of required sampled leaves and significantly changed the mean value of leaf traits and the maximum value along leaf order. Moreover, the ratios of NH4+-N/NO3--N altered the trade-off among the three leaf traits, which is dependent on leaf order, by increasing leaf area and decreasing leaf thickness. Therefore, our study suggests that to better indicate the leaf traits’ value of the whole plant under N-enriched conditions, measuring all fully expanded leaves or providing a suitable scaling-up parameter is needed.
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Variations in pollinator-mediated selection of floral traits across flowering times
Yong-Peng Cha, Jie Zhang, Yin-Mei Ma, Zhao-Li Tong, Yun Wu, Lun Luo, Qing-Jun Li
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (6): 0-rtad024.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtad024
Abstract73)      PDF (875KB)(58)       Save
Spatiotemporal variations in plant-pollinator interactions drive floral evolution and shape the diversity of flowers in angiosperms. However, the potential role of plant-pollinator interactions in driving floral differentiation across flowering times within a population has not been documented. In this study, we aimed to quantify the variations in pollinator-mediated selection of floral traits across different flowering times of Primula sikkimensis (an entomophilous plant) in two natural populations. The results demonstrated that plants were shorter and produced fewer flowers with larger sizes in the early flowering time than in the late flowering time. In early flowering time, pollinator types were fewer and visitation frequency was lower than in late flowering time, resulting in lower female fitness. Pollinator-mediated selection of floral traits varied with flowering time, and more floral traits received pollinator-mediated selection during early flowering time. These results highlight that temporal variation in plant-pollinator interactions may have a potential role in driving floral diversification within the population.
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Prediction of potential suitable areas for Broussonetia papyrifera in China using the MaxEnt model and CIMP6 data
Meiquan Wang, Qingwei Guan
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (4): 0-rtad006.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtad006
Abstract72)      PDF (1870KB)(41)       Save
Broussonetia papyrifera is an important native tree species in China with strong adaptability, wide distribution and economic importance. Climate change is considered as the main threat to ecological processes and global biodiversity. Predicting the potential geographical distribution of B. papyrifera in future climate change scenarios will provide a scientific basis for ecological restoration in China. Principal component analysis and Pearson correlation analysis were conducted to select the environmental variables. The distribution and changes in the potential suitable area for B. papyrifera were predicted using the maximum entropy model and the CIMP6 dataset from 2041 to 2060. The current highly suitable areas for B. papyrifera were mainly located in Guangdong (5.60 × 104 km2), Guangxi (4.39 × 104 km2), Taiwan (2.54 × 104 km2) and Hainan (2.17 × 104 km2). The mean temperature of the coldest quarter (11.54-27.11 °C), precipitation of the driest quarter (51.48-818.40 mm) and precipitation of the wettest quarter (665.51-2302.60 mm) were the main factors limiting the suitable areas for B. papyrifera. The multi-modal average of the highly and the total suitable areas for B. papyrifera were 111.42 × 104 and 349.11 × 104 km2 in the SSP5-8.5 scenario, while those in the SSP1-2.6 scenario were 87.50 × 104 and 328.29 × 104 km2, respectively. The gained suitable areas for B. papyrifera will expand to the western and northern China in the future scenarios. The multi-model averaging results showed that the potential available planting area was 212.66 × 104 and 229.32 × 104 km2 in the SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios, respectively, when the suitable area within the farmland range was excluded.
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Aboveground net primary productivity was not limited by phosphorus in a temperate typical steppe in Inner Mongolia
Yumeng Guo, Meng Zhou, Jun Sheng, Yujia Yuan, Guangyuan Yuan, Wen-Hao Zhang, Wenming Bai
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (4): 0-rtac085.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac085
Abstract72)      PDF (1904KB)(36)       Save
Phosphorus (P) is an essential element for plant growth, however, whether the aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) of typical steppe was limited by P remains obscure. To detect the effects of P addition on primary productivity and aboveground biomass of different plant functional groups both under ambient and N addition conditions, ANPP and aboveground biomass of grasses and forbs were measured from 2016 to 2020 on a 16-year N and P addition experiment platform in a temperate typical steppe in Inner Mongolia. The soil available N and P concentrations were also determined to test the relationship between ANPP and the availability of soil nutrients. We found that P addition under ambient condition had no significant effect on ANPP and the aboveground biomass of grasses and forbs. However, under N addition, P addition significantly increased ANPP and the aboveground biomass of forbs. Furthermore, soil available N and P concentrations were increased significantly by N and P addition, respectively. Moreover, there was no significant correlation between ANPP and soil available P concentration, while ANPP was positively correlated with soil available N concentration. These results suggest that P is not the key factor limiting the primary productivity of the temperate typical steppe in Inner Mongolia. However, under N addition, P addition can promote ANPP and alter the community composition. These findings provide valuable information for the management of the temperate typical steppe.
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Ecological intensification of agriculture through biodiversity management: introduction
Bernhard Schmid, Christian Schöb
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (6): 0-rtad018.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtad018
Abstract68)      PDF (195KB)(88)       Save
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Temporal change in community temporal stability in response to mowing and nutrient enrichment: evidence from a 15-year grassland experiment
Heng Li, Jiajia Zhang, Jingyi Ru, Jian Song, Zhensheng Chi, Yujin Zheng, Lin Jiang, Shiqiang Wan
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (4): 0-rtac098.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac098
Abstract67)      PDF (1165KB)(73)       Save
Land use and nutrient enrichment can substantially affect biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. However, whether and how the responses of community temporal stability to land use and nutrient enrichment change with time remain poorly understood. As part of a 15-year (2005-2019) field experiment, this study was conducted to explore the effects of mowing, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) additions on community temporal stability in a temperate steppe on the Mongolian Plateau. Over the 15 years, N and P additions decreased community temporal stability by reducing the population stability, especially the shrub and semi-shrub stability. However, mowing increased community temporal stability in the early stage (2005-2009) only. Nitrogen addition suppressed community temporal stability in the early and late (2015-2019) stages, whereas enhanced it in the intermediate stage (2010-2014). Phosphorus addition decreased community temporal stability marginally in the early stage and significantly in the late stage. The fluctuations of N-induced changes in community temporal stability are mainly explained by its diverse effects on species asynchrony and population stability over time. Our findings highlight the important role of plant functional groups and species asynchrony in regulating community temporal stability, suggesting that more long-term studies are needed to accurately forecast ecosystem response patterns in the context of global change.
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Aboveground carbon sequestration rate in alpine forests on the eastern Tibetan Plateau: impacts of future forest management options
Yang Lin, Jiang-Tao Xiao, Yong-Ping Kou, Jia-Xing Zu, Xin-Ran Yu, Yuan-Yuan Li
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (3): 0-rtad001.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtad001
Abstract66)      PDF (1756KB)(79)       Save
Alpine forests in the eastern Tibetan Plateau are important ecological barriers in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. However, due to continuous high-intensity harvesting, a large number of plantings, and the complete harvesting ban measures in recent decades, the forest tree species and age cohorts have become relatively homogenous, and the biodiversity and ecological functions have been reduced. To design effective forest management options to optimize forest structure and increase carbon sequestration capacity, Mao County in Sichuan Province was selected as the study site and six forest management options (harvesting, planting) of different intensities were tested using the LANDIS-II model to simulate and compare the differences in forest aboveground carbon sequestration rate (ACSR) between these options and the current management option over the next 100 years. Our results showed that (i) the different harvesting and planting intensities significantly changed the ACSR compared with the current management options; (ii) different communities responded differently to the management options, with the ACSR differing significantly in cold temperate conifers and temperate conifers but not in broad-leaved trees (P < 0.05); and (iii) a comprehensive consideration of forest management options at the species, community and landscape levels was necessary. Our results suggest that implementing a longer harvesting and planting interval (20 years) at the study site can maximize forest ACSR. This study provides an important reference for evaluating the ability of forest management options to restore forest ecological functions and increase carbon sequestration capacity and for selecting effective forest management programs in the eastern Tibetan Plateau.
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Seven-decade forest succession reveals how species colonization and extinction drive long-term community structure dynamics
Shan Rao, Xin-Yu Miao, Shu-Ya Fan, Yu-Hao Zhao, Chi Xu, Shao-Peng Li
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (5): 0.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtad008
Abstract65)      PDF (1134KB)(36)       Save
Understanding how community phylogenetic and functional structures change over succession has gained increasing attention during the last decades, but the lack of long-term time-series data has limited our understanding of the patterns and mechanisms of these changes. This is especially the case for forest communities. Here, we used an exceptionally long-term data over 68 years to analyze the secondary succession dynamics of a subtropical forest in Southeast China. We found that community phylogenetic and functional structures showed opposite temporal trends. The mean pairwise phylogenetic distance between species increased, but the mean nearest taxon distance decreased over succession, indicating both phylogenetically distantly related and sister species co-occurred in late-successional communities. In contrast, both the mean pairwise functional distance and mean nearest functional distance between species decreased over time, and community functional structure switched from overdispersion to clustering. We further distinguished the contributions of species colonization and extinction to community structural changes. We found that the new colonists were generally more distantly related to each other and to the residents than the local extinct species, resulting in increased phylogenetic overdispersion over succession. In contrast, from a functional perspective, we found that species with more similar traits to the resident species had a greater chance to colonize but a lower chance to go locally extinct, which shifted community functional structure toward clustering. Together, our study highlights the critical role of species colonization and extinction in disentangling assembly mechanisms underlying community phylogenetic and functional structures over long-term succession.
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Effects of floral traits on geitonogamous selfing rates and reproductive success in a protandrous species
Meng Hou, Zhi-Gang Zhao
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (5): 0-rtad011.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtad011
Abstract63)      PDF (1109KB)(25)       Save
Through its role in regulating pollinator behavior, floral display size and nectar gradient within inflorescences may alter the extent of geitonogamy and thus female reproductive success in protandrous species. However, this has seldom been examined. By quantifying selfing rate, seed number and male donor number, we estimated the effects of floral display size, nectar gradient and their interactions on plant reproduction in protandrous Aconitum gymnandrum. At plant level, selfing rate and seed number increased with a larger floral display of both main and lateral inflorescences but reduced with a declining nectar gradient. The effects of floral display of the main inflorescence on selfing rate and seed number were altered by the nectar gradient and floral display of lateral inflorescences as shown by their interactions. Larger floral display of the main inflorescence reduced male donor diversity. At flower level, the selfing rate and the seed number varied among flower positions, in which bottom flowers had lower selfing rate and higher seed number than top flowers. The effects of floral traits on geitonogamous selfing rate and seed number were inconsistent among flower positions. Although low cost of geitonogamous selfing for reproduction was tested by hand-pollination, the selfing rate was negatively correlated with seed number and male donor number in open-pollinated population. Our results suggest the potential role of trade-off between geitonogamy cost and reproductive benefit in evolution of floral traits. The variation of selfing rate and reproductive success among flowers may alter the trade-off and thus complicate evolution of traits.
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Vegetation community dynamics during naturalized developmental restoration of Pinus tabulaeformis plantation in North warm temperate zone
Zhenlu Qiu, Mei Zhang, Kefan Wang, Fuchen Shi
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (4): 0-rtac102.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac102
Abstract62)      PDF (1186KB)(45)       Save
The study is to explore the dynamics of community structure, diversity, interspecific relationships and stability during naturalized developmental vegetation restoration which realized by natural interaction between plantation and native trees without human’s involvement. The naturalized developmental restored forests in Baxianshan National Reserve were divided into three typical stages (i.e. Pinus tabulaeformis forest stage, mixed forest stage and near-natural forest stage) according to the ratio of P. tabulaeformis coverage to arbor layer, and the zonal natural secondary forests for control. According to the data of each wood gauge, we focused on the dynamics of community in terms of structure, diversity and stability. We found that, (i) The composition of dominant populations kept stable since the mixed forests stage and the α-diversity increased with restoration; (ii) The diameter class structure of tree layer exhibited a tendency of bell-shaped type toward inverted J-type, indicating an active regenerating and developmental status; (iii) Niche width of dominant populations such as Juglans mandshurica, Quercus mongolica, Quercus variabilis and Tilia amurensis increased during restoration, while that of Quercus dentata population decreased after playing a pioneer role; (iv) The proportion of negative association and high niche overlapped population pairs (>0.5) both decreased with restoration. In summary, naturalized developmental restoration has promoted the actively developing and regenerating of populations and improved the healthy restoration of plantation community. The status and interrelationships of populations were still being adjusted. The results provide a reference for revealing the dynamic characteristics of vegetation community development in naturalized developmental restoration of plantations.
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Interactive effects of plant density and nitrogen availability on the biomass production and leaf stoichiometry of Arabidopsis thaliana
Zheng-Bing Yan, Di Tian, Han-Yue Huang, Yuan-Feng Sun, Xing-Hui Hou, Wen-Xuan Han, Ya-Long Guo, Jing-Yun Fang
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (3): 0-rtac101.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac101
Abstract62)      PDF (1309KB)(106)       Save
Plant density and nitrogen (N) availability influence plant survival and nutrient use strategies, but the interaction between these two factors for plant growth and the balance of elements remains poorly addressed. Here, we conducted experimental manipulations using Arabidopsis thaliana, with the combination of four levels of plant density and four levels of N addition, and then examined the corresponding changes in plant biomass production (indicated by total plant biomass and biomass partitioning) and nutrient use strategies (indicated by leaf N and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry). The biomass-density relationship was regulated by N availability, with a negative pattern in low N availability but an asymptotic constant final yield pattern at high N availability. Excessive N addition reduced plant growth at low plant density, but this effect was alleviated by increasing plant density. The root to shoot biomass ratio increased with plant density at low N availability, but decreased at high N availability. N availability was more important than plant density in regulating leaf N and P stoichiometry, with the increasing leaf N concentration and decreasing leaf P concentration under increasing N addition, resulting in a negative scaling relationship between these two elemental concentrations. Our results show that N availability and plant density interactively regulate plant biomass production and leaf stoichiometry of A. thaliana, and highlight that the interactive effects of these two factors should be considered when predicting plant growth behaviour under intraspecific competitive environments in the context of nutrient changes.
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Plant diversity and ecological intensification in crop production systems
Rob W. Brooker, Cathy Hawes, Pietro P. M. Iannetta, Alison J. Karley, Delphine Renard
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (6): 0-rtad015.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtad015
Abstract61)      PDF (650KB)(114)       Save
Ecological intensification (EI) is the enhancement of ecosystem services to complement or substitute for the role of anthropogenic inputs in maintaining or increasing yields. EI has potential to increase farming’s environmental sustainability, e.g. reducing environmentally harmful management activities while sustaining yields. EI is based upon ecological processes which in turn are influenced by biodiversity. We review how biodiversity, particularly vascular plant diversity, can regulate ecosystem processes relevant to EI at multiple spatial scales. At an individual plant genotype level, complementarity in functional traits has a direct impact on productivity. At in-field, population level, mixtures of crop types confer resilience to minimize the risk of pest and disease incidence and spread. Scaling up to the field level, a diversity of non-crop plants (i.e. weeds) provides resources necessary for in-field functional processes, both below ground (carbon inputs, decomposition) and above ground (resource continuity for pollinators and natural enemies). At the landscape scale, mosaics of semi-natural and managed vegetation provide buffers against extreme events through flood and drought risk mitigation, climate amelioration and pest population regulation. Overall this emphasizes the importance of heterogeneity across scales in maintaining ecosystem functions in farmland. Major research challenges highlighted by our review include the need: to better integrate plant functional diversity (from traits to habitat scales) into cropping system design; to quantify the (likely interactive) contribution of plant diversity for effective EI relative to other management options; and to optimize through targeted management the system function benefits of biodiversity for resilient, efficient and productive agroecosystems.
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Kobresia pygmaea meadows as disclimax communities in the same geographic and climatic environments in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China
Li Lin, Guangmin Cao, Xingliang Xu, Fawei Zhang, Junjie Huang, Bo Fan, Bencuo Li, Yikang Li
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (5): 0-rtad010.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtad010
Abstract60)      PDF (1164KB)(11)       Save
Kobresia meadows are the main pastures for animal husbandry on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and may represent alternative steady states associated with different grazing intensities. The ability of other plant communities to succeed these meadows remains unclear. In this study, the historical data of plant communities were analyzed in terms of the soil profile, and the present characteristics were identified by investigating their plant communities. Four types of steady states were identified, corresponding to grazing intensities of >11, 8-11, 5.5-8 and <5.5 sheep/ha. Drought alpine swamp meadows and shrub meadows could succeed to K. pygmaea meadows and K. humilis meadows under overgrazing, and their total biomass and edible biomass (estimated by Gramineae and Cyperaceae) decreased with increasing grazing intensity. The regime shift of the states occurred at a grazing intensity of 8-11 sheep/ha. This value thus represented the threshold of significant change in the production and ecological service function in the Kobresia meadow succession process. In general, increasing grazing intensities can adversely affect the service ability of meadows for livestock production and ecosystem stabilization. Our results revealed the potential degraded succession process of the alpine Kobresia meadow and the succession direction in the restoration process of degraded meadows. Additionally, this study provided a theoretical basis for evaluating the fitness between the livestock bearing capacity and carrying capacity in steady states and academic reference for policy setting pertaining to the utilization of Kobresia meadows in a sustainable development framework.
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Microbial community structure in rice rhizosheaths under drought stress
Zuliang Lei, Yexin Ding, Weifeng Xu, Yingjiao Zhang
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (5): 0-rtad012.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtad012
Abstract60)      PDF (1771KB)(16)       Save
Rhizosheaths can form on the surface of rice (Oryza sativa L.) roots and improve the water-use efficiency of rice under drought stress. The microbes in rhizosheaths can also offer the potential to increase the resilience of rice to future drought. However, little is known about the microbial community in rhizosheath of rice under drought stress. In this study, we compared the root traits, rhizosheath formation and microbial community in the rhizosheath under three irrigation regimes, including well-watered and drought treatments I and II. The irrigation plays important roles in influencing the microbial composition and co-occurrence networks. Drought can promote the accumulation of beneficial microorganisms in rhizosheaths, such as bacteria that are members of the phylum Patescibacteria and the Massilia, Nocardioides, Frateuria and Angustibacter genera and fungi in the genus Talaromyces. However, drought can also induce risk factors for harmful fungi in rice rhizosheaths. Our results suggest that both the rhizosheath and microbes in rhizosheath can offer the potential to improve the resistance of rice to drought. In the future, the isolation and application of beneficial microorganisms in rhizosheaths and scientific planting methods should be studied for the green cultivation of rice.
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Increasing nitrogen addition rates suppressed long-term litter decomposition in a temperate meadow steppe
Pei Zheng, Ruonan Zhao, Liangchao Jiang, Guojiao Yang, Yinliu Wang, Ruzhen Wang, Xingguo Han, Qiushi Ning
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (3): 0-rtac078.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac078
Abstract57)      PDF (1740KB)(66)       Save
Plant litter decomposition is critical for the carbon (C) balance and nutrient turnover in terrestrial ecosystems, and is sensitive to the ongoing anthropogenic biologically nitrogen (N) input. Previous studies evaluating the N effect on litter decomposition relied mostly on short-term experiments (<2 years), which may mask the real N effect on litter decomposition. Therefore, long-lasting experiments are imperative for the overall evaluation of the litter decomposition dynamics under N enrichment. We conducted a relative long-term (4-year) N-addition experiment with N levels ranging from 0 to 50 g N m-2 yr-1 to identify the potential abiotic and biotic factors in regulating the decomposition process of litterfall from the dominant species Leymus chinensis. The results showed a consistent decrease of decomposition rate with increasing N-addition rates, providing strong evidence in support of the inhibitory effect of N addition on decomposition. The N-induced alterations in soil environment (acidification and nutrient stoichiometry), microbial activity (microbial biomass and enzyme activity), changes of litter quality (residual lignin and nutrient content) and plant community (aboveground productivity and species richness) jointly contributed to the lowered decomposition. During the whole decomposition process, the changes of litter quality, including accumulation of lignin and the concentrations of nutrient, were mainly driven by the soil and microbial activity in this N-enriched environment. The findings help clarify how increasing N input rates affect long-term litter decomposition, and advance the mechanistic understanding of the linkages between ecosystem N enrichment and terrestrial C cycling.
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Maximum canopy height is associated with community phylogenetic structure in boreal forests
Ling-Feng Mao, Yu-Ran Dong, Bing-Bing Xing, You-Hua Chen, Jacqueline Dennett, Christopher Bater, John J. Stadt, Scott E. Nielsen
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (4): 0-rtac104.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac104
Abstract55)      PDF (1754KB)(57)       Save
Understanding how maximum canopy height is related to forest community assembly is essential yet largely unexplored. Maximum canopy height is affected by competition and abiotic environmental factors through different ecological processes (e.g. niche differentiation and environmental filtering), as well as historical or stochastic factors. However, little has been done to empirically examine the ecological processes that influence maximum canopy height. We set out to examine the relationship between maximum canopy height and community phylogenic structure. We surveyed maximum canopy heights from a regional dataset of forest plots (466 sites of 50 m × 50 m) from the boreal forest of northeastern Alberta, Canada. We then explored the relationships between maximum canopy height as measured by airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and the phylogenetic structure of seed plants, represented by net relatedness index and nearest taxa index. We found stronger phylogenetic clustering among major evolutionary clades for communities with higher maximum canopy height, which implied that environmental filtering by abiotic factors is a driving factor for boreal forests. However, we also found stronger phylogenetic overdispersion within each clade for communities with higher maximum height, indicating more intense niche differentiation. Our results suggest that communities with higher maximum canopy height may have experienced more intense historical abiotic environmental filtering and recent niche differentiation in boreal forests. These findings will contribute to the monitoring and management of forest biodiversity.
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Native and invasive seedling drought-resistance under elevated temperature in common gorse populations
Mathias Christina, Céline Gire, Mark R. Bakker, Alan Leckie, Jianming Xue, Peter W. Clinton, Zaira Negrin-Perez, José Ramon Arevalo Sierra, Jean-Christophe Domec, Maya Gonzalez
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (3): 0-rtac097.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac097
Abstract55)      PDF (990KB)(51)       Save
The assumption that climatic growing requirements of invasive species are conserved between their native and non-native environment is a key ecological issue in the evaluation of invasion risk. We conducted a growth chamber experiment to compare the effect of water regime and temperature on the growth and mortality of native and invasive populations of common gorse seedlings (Ulex europaeus L.). Seeds were sampled from 20 populations of five areas from both native (continental France and Spain) and non-native areas (New Zealand, Canary and Reunion islands). The seedlings were grown over 36 days in two temperature treatments (ambient and elevated) combined with two water treatments (irrigated or droughted). The elevated temperature (ET) was defined as the highest temperature observed at the niche margin in the different countries. While ET increased seedlings growth, the drought treatment increased mortality rate and limited seedlings growth. Under ET and drought, native populations showed a greater mortality rate (53%) than invasive populations (16%). Invasive seedlings also showed higher above- and belowground development than native ones under these constrained climatic conditions. While phenotypic plasticity did not differ between native and invasive populations, the difference between populations in terms of total dry mass could be related to differences in the climate of origin (precipitation in particular). Assessing the importance of phenotypic changes between populations within invasive species is crucial to identify the margins of their climatic distribution range and to highlight areas where management efforts should be concentrated in order to limit its spread.
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Composition, distribution and environmental drivers of Mongolian rangeland plant communities
Kohei Suzuki, Radnaakhand Tungalag, Amartuvshin Narantsetseg, Tsagaanbandi Tsendeekhuu, Masato Shinoda, Norikazu Yamanaka, Takashi Kamijo
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (3): 0-rtac100.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac100
Abstract54)      PDF (973KB)(77)       Save
In Mongolia, overgrazing and the resulting degradation of rangelands are recognized as serious issues. To address rangeland degradation, we sought to develop a broad-scale vegetation classification of Mongolian rangeland communities focusing on regional characteristics. Moreover, we sought to clarify the spatial distributions of communities and the environmental drivers of the distributions. Between 2012 and 2016, we surveyed vegetation in 278 plots (each 10 m × 10 m) in different regions of Mongolia (43-50° N, 87-119° E) in plots where grazing pressure is low relative to adjacent areas. The data were grouped into vegetation units using a modified two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN). We then explored the regional characteristics of species compositions and community distributions, as well as relationships between distributions and climatic variables. The modified TWINSPAN classified the vegetation data into three cluster groups, each of which corresponds to a particular type of zonal vegetation (i.e. forest steppe, steppe and desert steppe). The aridity index was identified as an important driver of the distributions of all cluster groups, whereas longitude and elevation were important determinants of the distribution of clusters within cluster groups. Western regions, which are characterized by higher elevation and continentality compared with eastern regions, have lower mean temperature and precipitation during the wettest quarter, leading to differences in species composition within cluster groups. Regional differences in species composition reflect differences in phytogeographic origin. Thus, the framework of species composition and distributional patterns in Mongolian rangeland communities was demonstrated in relation to climatic and geographical factors.
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Relative position of seeds driven the seedling growth are mediated by root-leaf traits
Jing Zhu, Xue-Lin Wang, Xing Jin, Lan Jiang, Hong-Yu Lin, Yang Hu, Jin-Fu Liu, Zhong-Sheng He
J Plant Ecol    2024, 17 (2): 0-rtae004.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtae004
Abstract53)      PDF (1347KB)(46)       Save
Variations in plant traits are indicative of plant adaptations to forest environments, and studying their relationships with tree growth provides valuable insights into forest regeneration. The spatial arrangement of plant seeds within the forest litter or soil critically influences the variations of root-leaf traits, thereby affecting the adaptive strategies of emerging seedlings. However, our current understanding of the impacts of individual root-leaf traits on seedling growth in different relative position, and whether these traits together affect growth, remains limited. This study focuses on the dominant tree species, Castanopsis kawakamii, within the Sanming C. kawakamii Nature Reserve of China. The present experiment aimed to examine the variations in root-leaf traits of seedling, focus on the relative positions of seeds within different layers: beneath or above the litter layer, or within the bare soil layer (without litter). Our findings provided evidence supporting a coordinated relationship between root and leaf traits, wherein leaf traits varied in conjunction with root traits in the relative positions of seeds. Specifically, we observed that seedlings exhibited higher values for specific leaf area and average root diameter, while displaying lower root tissue density. The mixed model explained 86.1% of the variation in root-leaf traits, surpassing the variation explained by the relative positions. Furthermore, soil nitrogen acted as a mediator, regulating the relationship between seedling growth and root-leaf traits, specifically leaf dry matter content and root tissue density. Therefore, future studies should consider artificially manipulating tree species diversity based on root-leaf traits characteristics to promote forest recovery.
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Time lag effect on solar radiation of tree sap flux density for different DBH of Larix olgensis
Zixuan Wang, Zhihu Sun, Jinyao Cui
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (3): 0-rtac092.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac092
Abstract49)      PDF (774KB)(57)       Save
To clarify the role of tree characteristics and slope positions in the time lag between tree stem sap flux density (Js) and solar radiation (Rs). Plants of different diameter classes in a Larix olgensis near-mature forest (31 years old) in the hilly area of the Sanjiang Plain were used. The relationships between the time lag Js-Rs and tree characteristics, adjacent tree characteristics and slope positions were evaluated. Though both Js and Rs exhibited diurnal variation, they were not synchronized, thus leading to a time lag between Js and Rs. During the growing season, the change in Js lagged behind the change in Rs by 21.1 ± 6.9 min. Compared with tree height and crown width, the time lag Js-Rs was more dependent on diameter at breast height (DBH). The time lag between Js and Rs showed a linear increase with DBH. Compared with the characteristics of neighboring trees, the time lags Js-Rs were more dependent on their own tree characteristics. A significant relationship was not observed between the time lag Js-Rs and soil volumetric water content. The effects of tree characteristics, adjacent tree characteristics and slope positions on the formation of the time lag Js-Rs were compared. The time lag of Js on Rs was mainly controlled by the tree characteristics (DBH). DBH is an important factor that affects the time lag between Js and Rs under sunny conditions during the growing season of L. olgensis.
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Effects of long-term phosphorus addition on soil ratios of phosphomonoesterase to phosphodiesterase in three tropical forests
Taiki Mori, Senhao Wang, Cong Wang, Ji Chen, Cheng Peng, Mianhai Zheng, Juan Huang, Faming Wang, Zhanfeng Liu, Jiangming Mo, Wei Zhang
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (3): 0-rtac091.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac091
Abstract49)      PDF (390KB)(77)       Save
Soil microorganisms in tropical forests can adapt to phosphorus (P)-poor conditions by changing the activity ratios of different types of phosphatases. We tested whether microorganisms in P-poor tropical forest soils increased the phosphomonoesterase (PME) to phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity ratio, because a one-step enzymatic reaction of monoester P degradation might be more adaptive for microbial P acquisition than a two-step reaction of diester P degradation. A continuous 10-year P addition experiment was performed in three tropical forests. The activities of PME and PDE, and their ratio in soil, were determined under the hypothesis that the P-fertilized plots where P shortage is relieved would have lower PME:PDE ratios than the unfertilized controls. We demonstrated that long-term P addition in tropical forest soil did not alter the PME:PDE ratio in primary and secondary forests, whereas P fertilization elevated the PME:PDE ratio in planted forest. These results were in contrast to previous results. The long-term, large-scale P fertilization in our study may have reduced litter- and/or throughfall-derived PDE, which negated the lowered PME:PDE ratio via exogenous P inputs.
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Life form-dependent nitrogen-phosphorous allocation strategies of leaf and fine root in a temperate natural forest under long-term nitrogen addition
Jiangshan Yu, Zhaopeng Song, Jihua Hou
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (5): 0-rtad013.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtad013
Abstract49)      PDF (1106KB)(17)       Save
Nitrogen deposition has increased rapidly in eastern China, which can affect the stoichiometric characteristics of plants. However, the effects of N addition on the nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) allocation strategies for various plant life forms (e.g. trees, shrubs and herbs) have rarely been studied. In this study, we evaluated the effects of N addition on N and P stoichiometry and their scaling exponents in the leaves and fine roots of the different life form groups. N and P concentrations in the leaves of shrubs and herbs increased under N addition treatments, whereas tree leaves exhibited a more stable response. In contrast, N addition had no significant effect on N and P concentrations in the fine roots of the three plant life forms. N addition enhanced the allocation of more N and P to the leaves than to the fine roots in all three life forms. Furthermore, the N-P allocation scaling exponents of the leaves and fine roots of the trees were equal to 1.0, indicating an isometric pattern. In contrast, the N-P allocation scaling exponents of shrubs and herbs were less than 1.0, indicating an allometric pattern. Although high N availability promoted shrubs and herbs to distribute P to leaves at a higher proportion than N, only slight effects were detected in tree leaves. These changes in N-P allocation patterns indicate that life forms and N addition levels work together to modulate plants allocation strategies. These results suggest the importance of life form categories when evaluating N-P allocation strategies in forest plants.
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The nonlinear change in pollinator assemblages and self-mating syndromes of Primula atrodentata along elevation gradients
Yin-Mei Ma, Yong-Peng Cha, Zhao-Li Tong, Jie Zhang, Qing-Jun Li
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (3): 0-rtac109.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtac109
Abstract48)      PDF (1103KB)(68)       Save
The reproductive strategies of alpine plants are often altered by environmental changes caused by changes in the spatial distribution of the gradient. However, few studies have investigated whether reproductive patterns of the same species vary with elevation. Three natural populations of Primula atrodentata, which are distributed in the eastern Himalayas and have a long flowering period, were selected along the elevation gradients in Shergyla Mountain, Tibet, China. Morph ratio investigation, floral trait measurement, pollinator observation and manipulated pollination experiments were conducted to explore the changes in self-compatibility and floral traits associated with the selfing syndrome along elevation gradients. We found that the breeding system of the S-morph is facultative outcrossing, and that of the L-morph is obligatory outcrossing. We further found that with increasing elevation, the number of pollen and ovules, anther-stigma distance, and inbreeding depression index first increased and then decreased, whereas the seeds per fruit and seed-setting rate under hand self-pollination, pollen limitation and self-incompatibility index tended to decrease first, but then increased. In addition, pollinator diversity and visiting frequency were the highest at the middle elevation (4050 population), which can better explain the nonlinear change in self-fertility with elevation. Our findings provide insights into the evolutionary pattern of self-compatibility in alpine plants along elevational gradients.
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Crop Diversity Experiment: towards a mechanistic understanding of the benefits of species diversity in annual crop systems
Christian Schöb, Nadine Engbersen, Jesús López-Angulo, Anja Schmutz, Laura Stefan
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (6): 0-rtad016.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtad016
Abstract47)      PDF (724KB)(41)       Save
Inspired by grassland biodiversity experiments studying the impact of plant diversity on primary productivity, the Crop Diversity Experiment setup in 2018 aimed at testing whether these biodiversity benefits also hold for annual crop systems and whether crop mixtures also achieved transgressive overyielding, i.e. yield in mixture that was higher than the most productive monoculture. The first 3 years of the experiment demonstrated that crop mixtures do not only increase yield compared with an average monoculture but often also compared with the highest yielding monoculture. The crop diversity effects were stronger under more stressful environmental conditions and were often achieved in mixtures with legume crops. However, we observed transgressive overyielding also under favorable conditions and in mixtures without legumes. With our investigation of the underlying mechanisms of the yield benefits we found both direct complementarities between crop species and indirect effects via other organisms. The former included chemical, spatial and temporal complementarity in Nuptake, complementary root distribution leading to complementary water uptake, as well as spatial and temporal complementarity in light use. Among the indirect mechanisms we identified complementary suppression of weeds and more abundant plant growth-promoting microbes in crop mixtures, apart from complementarity in pest and disease suppression not yet studied in the Crop Diversity Experiment but demonstrated elsewhere. In consequence, the Crop Diversity Experiment supports not only the assumption that the ecological processes identified in biodiversity experiments also hold in crop systems, but that diversification of arable crop systems provides a valuable tool to sustainably produce food.
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Inter- and intraspecific adaptations of pteridophyte leaf traits in limestone and non-limestone forests of monsoon tropical regions of southwest China
Kittisack Phoutthavong, Masatoshi Katabuchi, Akihiro Nakamura, Xiao Cheng, Min Cao
J Plant Ecol    2023, 16 (6): 0-rtad026.   DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtad026
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Plant species often show different taxonomic and functional characteristics between limestone forests (LFs) and non-limestone forests (NLFs) in tropical regions. Pteridophyte species are one of the major components in tropical rainforests; however, the morphological and physiological characteristics of pteridophytes occurring in LFs are poorly understood. We evaluated the differences in seven leaf functional traits between pteridophyte species in LFs and NLFs in southwest China. We measured leaf water content, morphological traits including leaf size, leaf thickness, stomatal length and stomatal density (SD), and physiological traits including stomatal conductance and photosynthetic rate from a total of 25 species. We found that pteridophytes had thicker and smaller leaves with lower SD and stomatal conductance in LFs compared with NLFs, probably reflecting their adaptations in water use strategies. These differences, however, became non-significant when phylogenetic relationships were taken into account, suggesting that phylogenetic conservatism shapes trait differences and ultimately species composition in LFs and NLFs. Some species that were commonly found in both LFs and NLFs exhibited intraspecific variation between forest types, with lower SD in LFs. Our findings suggest that only a handful of pteridophyte species can adapt to their water use strategies in both LFs and NLFs, and thus adaptative radiation is unlikely to occur.
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IF: 2.7
5-year IF: 2.6
Editors-in-Chief
Yuanhe Yang
Bernhard Schmid
CN 10-1172/Q
ISSN 1752-9921(print)
ISSN 1752-993X(online)