Journal of Plant Ecology ›› 2025, Vol. 18 ›› Issue (3): 1-15.DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtaf038

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亚热带森林演替过程中物种多样性通过功能优势度影响地上生物量

  

  • 收稿日期:2024-09-14 接受日期:2025-03-20 出版日期:2025-06-01 发布日期:2025-06-28

Taxonomic diversity predicts aboveground biomass mainly through functional dominance across subtropical forest succession

Chun-Feng Gu1, De-Yi Yin1, Marc W. Cadotte2,3, Hui Liu1, and Qing Ye1,4,*   

  1. 1Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Plant Conservation and Utilization in Southern China, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
    2Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto-Scarborough, Toronto M1C 1A4, ON, Canada
    3Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 3B2, ON, Canada
    4College of Life Sciences, Gannan Normal University, Ganzhou 341000, China

    *Corresponding author. E-mail: qye@scbg.ac.cn
  • Received:2024-09-14 Accepted:2025-03-20 Online:2025-06-01 Published:2025-06-28
  • Supported by:
    This work is fnancially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U23A20156) and South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences (QNXM-202303).

摘要: 深入理解多样性与生物量的关系有助于揭示生态系统功能和服务形成的关键机制。大量控制实验结果表明,植物地上生物量受功能多样性和功能优势性共同影响,且随着时间推移,功能多样性的作用逐渐增强。然而,在自然林演替进程中,二者对地上生物量的相对贡献尚不明确。本研究以中国亚热带早期、中期和晚期演替阶段的森林为研究对象,基于2010至2020年间森林固定样地的监测数据,探讨不同演替阶段物种多样性如何通过功能多样性(生态位互补假说)和功能优势度(质量比假说)进而影响地上生物量。结果表明,随着森林演替进程的推进,树木地上生物量逐渐增加,并在演替中期达到峰值。物种多样性主要通过群落功能性状间接影响地上生物量,其直接效应较弱。在森林演替过程中,功能优势度始终是预测地上生物量的关键因子,其作用强于功能多样性:在演替早期,具有快速叶经济谱性状的树种占优势,对地上生物量产生负向影响,而在演替晚期,高大树种的优势度则对地上生物量产生正向作用。进一步分析发现,尽管功能多样性对地上生物量的正向作用在演替过程中逐渐增强,其影响主要通过调节群落的功能优势度来实现。上述结果表明,森林演替过程中质量比假说是解释多样性和地上生物量关系的主要机制,意味着在森林管理与生态恢复过程中,需合理配置具有关键功能性状的优势树种以提升生态系统功能。

关键词: 多样性-生物量关系, 森林演替, 物种多样性, 功能多样性, 功能优势度, 质量比假说

Abstract: Studies on diversity–biomass relationships (DBRs) provide insights into the mechanisms underlying ecosystem functioning and services. While manipulative experiments indicate that both functional diversity and functional dominance influence biomass, with functional diversity often becoming the stronger predictor over time, their relative contributions during natural forest succession remain unclear. Here, we analysed tree data from 2010 to 2020 across early, middle and late-successional forests in subtropical China to investigate how the effect of taxonomic diversity on aboveground biomass (AGB) is related to shifts in the roles of functional diversity and functional dominance of five functional traits, corresponding to the complementarity and biomass ratio hypothesis. Our results showed that mean AGB increased with succession, reaching its highest at the middle stage. Taxonomic diversity influenced AGB primarily through its impact on functional properties rather than directly. From early to late-successional stages, functional dominance consistently emerged as the stronger predictor of AGB compared to functional diversity. Specifically, in earlier stages, the dominance of species with fast leaf economic traits directly and negatively impacted AGB, whereas, in the late stage, the dominance of tall species had a direct positive impact. Although functional diversity contributed increasingly to AGB in a positive manner during succession, its effect was primarily indirect, largely mediated through functional dominance. Overall, our findings support the biomass ratio hypothesis as the primary mechanism underlying DBRs throughout succession. This highlights the importance of functional dominance in driving forest biomass production and emphasizes the need to consider dominant species’ traits in forest management and restoration strategies.

Key words: diversity–biomass relationship, forest succession, taxonomic diversity, functional diversity, functional dominance, biomass ratio hypothesis