Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects.We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives. Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP) and DIVERSITAS, the TRY database (TRY-not an acronym, rather a statement of sentiment; https ://www.try-db.org; Kattge et al., 2011) was proposed with the explicit assignment to improve the availability and accessibility of plant trait data for ecology and earth system sciences. The Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry (MPI-BGC) offered to host the database and the different groups joined forces for this community-driven program. Two factors were key to the success of TRY: the support and trust of leaders in the field of functional plant ecology submitting large databases and the long-term funding by the Max Planck Society, the MPI-BGC and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, which has enabled the continuous development of the TRY database.
Aim Numerous studies have reported changes in first flowering day (FFD‐changes) in response to changes in climate. However, regarding the direction (advances versus delays) and the intensity (number of days/decade) of FFD‐changes, species show differences even when observed in the same location. Here, we examine the extent to which plant traits can explain observed differences in the response of flowering phenology in trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses. Location Eighteen sites distributed over the Northern Hemisphere. Methods We compiled data from the literature on FFD‐changes over recent decades for 562 species (648 observations). We related FFD‐changes to predictor variables associated with (a) changes in climate, (b) local site conditions and (c) traits. Results Of all FDD‐changes, 80.4% were FFD‐advances, 69.9% not exceeding 5 days/decade, and 10.5% exceeding 5 days/decade, whereas 19.6% reported delays. The intensity of FFD‐advances could be explained by several predictor variables from all three groups (a–c). The importance of these variables differed between the growth forms. Overall, decreasing precipitation was more important than increasing temperature in explaining FFD‐advances. FFD‐advances were strongest in polar tundra and in dry and warm habitats. Traits related to competition and growth rate, like plant height, specific leaf area and leaf dry matter content, had substantial explanatory power in the models. Traits had the highest overall importance in trees and grasses. In herbs they were of equal importance with changes in climate. In shrubs, variables related to site conditions best explained the intensity of FFD‐advances. Main conclusions Plant traits are important to understand species‐specific and growth form‐specific differences in phenological responses to climatic changes. Hence, in future observations and predictions of plant phenology, traits should be taken into consideration, especially those related to competition and growth rate, as they improve our understanding of adaptations leading to phenological changes.
With environmental factors being spatially structured, plant traits that are related to these factors should exhibit a corresponding spatial pattern. We analyzed the distribution pattern of seed mass in Germany. We calculated the median seed mass for 10′ longitude by 6′ latitude grid cells across Germany using the trait databases BIOLFLOR and the plant distribution database FLORKART. To explain these distribution patterns of median seed mass, we applied multiple regression analyses on twelve selected environmental variables, accounting for spatial autocorrelation. To deal with collinearities of the predictors, we used hierarchical partitioning to analyze the independent and joint explanatory power of the environmental variables. To test whether statistical relationships are due to hidden correlations between seed mass and plant growth form, we conducted seperate analyses for annual, perennial herbs, shrubs and trees. Low median seed mass was found in the lowlands and river valleys whereas high median seed mass was typical for the rich loess regions and the calcareous mountain ranges. Seed mass exhibited a strong positive correlation with soil pH (62% of variance explained) and a negative correlation with soil moisture (25%). Light was less important as a predictor of seed mass. Within the growth forms we observed similar distribution and correlation patterns pointing to a direct link between seed mass and the environmental variables soil pH and moisture. We argue that this striking relationship with soil pH is caused by the high stress from competition on fertile calcareous sites. The negative moisture effect may be due to drought stress. Both relationships are particulary interesting for the prediction of ecosystem responses to climate and land use changes.
Fire is a primary driver of boreal forest dynamics. Intensifying fire regimes due to climate change may cause a shift in boreal forest composition toward reduced dominance of conifers and greater abundance of deciduous hardwoods, with potential biogeochemical and biophysical feedbacks to regional and global climate. This shift has already been observed in some North American boreal forests and has been attributed to changes in site conditions. However, it is unknown if the mechanisms controlling fire-induced changes in deciduous hardwood cover are similar among different boreal forests, which differ in the ecological traits of the dominant tree species. To better understand the consequences of intensifying fire regimes in boreal forests, we studied postfire regeneration in five burns in the Central Siberian dark taiga, a vast but poorly studied boreal region. We combined field measurements, dendrochronological analysis, and seed-source maps derived from high-resolution satellite images to quantify the importance of site conditions (e.g., organic layer depth) vs. seed availability in shaping postfire regeneration. We show that dispersal limitation of evergreen conifers was the main factor determining postfire regeneration composition and density. Site conditions had significant but weaker effects. We used information on postfire regeneration to develop a classification scheme for successional pathways, representing the dominance of deciduous hardwoods vs. evergreen conifers at different successional stages. We estimated the spatial distribution of different successional pathways under alternative fire regime scenarios. Under intensified fire regimes, dispersal limitation of evergreen conifers is predicted to become more severe, primarily due to reduced abundance of surviving seed sources within burned areas. Increased dispersal limitation of evergreen conifers, in turn, is predicted to increase the prevalence of successional pathways dominated by deciduous hardwoods. The likely fire-induced shift toward greater deciduous hardwood cover may affect climate-vegetation feedbacks via surface albedo, Bowen ratio, and carbon cycling.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.