Competition influences tree growth, but not mortality, across environmental gradients in Amazonia and tropical Africa

Rozendaal, Danaë M. A.; Phillips, Oliver L.; Lewis, Simon L.; Affum‐Baffoe, Kofi; Álvarez-Dávila, Esteban; Andrade, Ana; Aragão, Luiz E. O. C.; Araujo‐Murakami, Alejandro; Baker, Timothy R.; Bánki, Olaf; Brienen, Roel; Camargo, José Luís; Comiskey, J. A.; Kamdem, Marie Noël Djuikouo; Fauset, Sophie; Feldpausch, Ted R.; Killeen, Timothy J.; Laurance, William F.; Laurance, Susan G.; Lovejoy, Thomas Ε.; Malhi, Yadvinder; Marimon, Beatriz Schwantes; Marimon, Ben‐Hur; Marshall, Andrew R.; Neill, David; Vargas, Percy Núñez; Pitman, Nigel C. A.; Poorter, Lourens; Reitsma, J.; Silveira, Marcos; Sonké, Bonaventure; Sunderland, Terry; Taedoumg, Hermann; Steege, Hans ter; Terborgh, John; Umetsu, Ricardo Keichi; Heijden, Geertje M. F. van der; Torre, Emilio Vilanova; Vos, Vincent; White, Lee; Willcock, Simon; Zemagho, Lise; Vanderwel, Mark C.

doi:10.1002/ecy.3052

Cited by 73 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 55 publications

(93 reference statements)

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“…Within our study the majority of the variation in mean annual growth rates could not be explained by the variations in the traits we measured. This may be because other unmeasured factors, such as competition with other trees (Rozendaal et al ., 2020), play a significant role. It may also be related to other key limitations of our analysis, for example, the need to average growth over multiple years, during which some of our study trees may have undergone a shift in light environment or trait values.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within our study the majority of the variation in mean annual growth rates could not be explained by the variations in the traits we measured. This may be because other unmeasured factors, such as competition with other trees (Rozendaal et al, 2020), play a significant role. It may also be related to other key limitations of our analysis, for example, the need to average growth over multiple years, during which some of our study trees may Results from the mixed-effect models which were used to investigate the relationships between the mean growth rates, maximum wet season (Jan-Mar) growth rates, and minimum dry season (Jul-Sept) growth rates as functions of the relevant fixed effects from the path models.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Plant traits controlling growth change in response to a drier climate

et al. 2020

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Plant traits are increasingly being used to improve prediction of plant function, including plant demography. However, the capability of plant traits to predict demographic rates remains uncertain, particularly in the context of trees experiencing a changing climate. 2. Here we present data combining 17 plant traits associated with plant structure, metabolism and hydraulic status with measurements of long-term mean, maximum and relative growth rates for 176 trees from the world's longest running tropical forest drought experiment. 3. We demonstrate that plant traits can predict mean annual tree growth rates with moderate explanatory power. However, only combinations of traits associated more directly with plant functional processes, rather than more commonly employed traits like wood density or leaf mass per area, yield the power to predict growth. Critically we observe a shift from growth being controlled by traits related to carbon cycling (assimilation and respiration) in well-watered trees, to traits relating to plant hydraulic stress in drought-stressed trees. 4. We also demonstrate that even with a very comprehensive set of plant traits and growth data on large numbers of tropical trees, considerable uncertainty remains in directly interpreting the mechanisms through which traits influence performance in tropical forests.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within our study the majority of the variation in mean annual growth rates could not be explained by the variations in the traits we measured. This may be because other unmeasured factors, such as competition with other trees (Rozendaal et al, 2020), play a significant role. It may also be related to other key limitations of our analysis, for example, the need to average growth over multiple years, during which some of our study trees may Results from the mixed-effect models which were used to investigate the relationships between the mean growth rates, maximum wet season (Jan-Mar) growth rates, and minimum dry season (Jul-Sept) growth rates as functions of the relevant fixed effects from the path models.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant traits controlling growth change in response to a drier climate

et al. 2020

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“…This is consistent with the idea that competitive exclusion is most commonly observed for small trees (Das et al., 2016; Uriarte et al., 2004). Observations from 151 tropical forest plots have suggested that competition does not influence the mortality rate of trees larger than 10 cm DBH in both Amazonia and tropical Africa (Rozendaal et al., 2020). As trees increase in size, the effect of the competition is decreasing and other mortality drivers such as variation in environmental factors (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The U‐shaped pattern of size‐dependent mortality and its correlated factors in a subtropical monsoon evergreen forest

Qiao

Wang

et al. 2021

Journal of Ecology

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Tree mortality is an important ecological process influencing multiple functions of forest ecosystems. Previous studies have shown two basic size–mortality patterns, including a competition‐driven declining and a disturbance‐driven increasing mortality rate with tree size. Subtropical forests, which have a high species diversity and subject to frequent monsoon disturbances, are widely distributed in eastern Asia. However, the tree size–mortality pattern in the mature subtropical forests remains unclear. Here we analysed patterns of size‐dependent mortality from tree species to forest community using a 5‐year inventory data from 117 species and 163,612 individuals in a 20‐ha forest dynamic plot in a mature subtropical monsoon evergreen forest in eastern China. To explain the spatial variability in mortality patterns, two major biotic drivers (competition and tree size) and multiple local‐scale environmental factors were further analysed. Our results showed that tree size was the best predictor of tree mortality at the scales of both species and community. A species‐level analysis identified four size–mortality patterns that are shaped by species‐specific attributes such as maximum size and life form. For 27 out of 92 species that comprised 59% of tree individuals, the relationship between size and mortality exhibited a U‐shaped pattern of a first decline followed by an increase. An overall community‐scale size‐dependent mortality also showed a U‐shaped pattern. Tree mortality was also influenced by the competition and environmental conditions, but the relative importance varied widely across tree sizes and species. The competition showed significant correlations with the mortality of small trees while the effect of environmental conditions on mortality was strongest for large trees. A principal component analysis showed that a combination of biotic and abiotic factors explained 42.3% of the spatial variation in mortality at large sizes. Synthesis. Our results reveal four identifiable size‐dependent mortality patterns that differ across diverse species, jointly leading to a U‐shaped size–mortality pattern at the community level. This finding calls for the need to establish the details of every potential size–mortality pattern with consideration of the different effects of biotic and abiotic factors on tree mortality of specific size.

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“…lower longevity/survival). Although these traits suggest higher productivity, they also imply a lower tolerance of competition and low competitive effect on neighbours (Kunstler et al., 2016; Reich, 2014; Rozendaal et al., 2020; Rüger et al., 2020; Wright et al., 2010). Notably, while non‐fixing trees are on average ~2 m taller than N‐fixers across our plots, we also find that their mean height increases with increasing N‐fixer RA.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…What is less clear is how the effects of N‐fixers on forest biomass dynamics depend on the distribution of non‐fixer functional traits that underpin competitive performance (e.g. height, growth rate, wood density; Kunstler et al., 2016; Rozendaal et al., 2020). Furthermore, little is known about the influence of tree size and density‐dependency on such effects—information critical to realistic representation of tropical forest stand dynamics in ecosystem models (Condit et al., 2006; Fisher et al., 2018; McDowell & Xu, 2017; Purves & Pacala, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negative trait‐based association between abundance of nitrogen‐fixing trees and long‐term tropical forest biomass accumulation

2020

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Plant functional traits are thought to drive biomass production and biogeochemical cycling in tropical forests, but it remains unclear how nitrogen (N)‐fixing legumes influence the functional traits of neighbouring trees and forest‐wide biomass dynamics. Further, the degree to which effects of N‐fixers are density‐dependent and may depend on stem size and spatial scale remains largely unknown. Here, we examine 30 years of stem demography data for ~20,000 trees in a lowland tropical forest in Trinidad that span a wide range of functional traits thought to drive above‐ground biomass (AGB) dynamics. These forests show positive but decreasing long‐term net AGB accumulation resulting from constant average productivity but increasing mortality of non‐fixing trees over time. We find that high abundance of N‐fixing trees is associated with compositional shifts in non‐fixer functional traits that confer lower competitive performance and biomass accumulation. Across tree size classes, most interactions between N‐fixers and non‐fixers were negative, density‐dependent, and strongest at smaller spatial scales. Synthesis. Overall, our findings suggest that local trait‐based interactions between N‐fixing and non‐fixing trees can influence long‐term carbon accumulation in tropical forests.

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Competition influences tree growth, but not mortality, across environmental gradients in Amazonia and tropical Africa

Abstract: 2020. Competition influences tree growth, but not mortality, across environmental gradients in Amazonia and tropical Africa. Ecology 101(7): e03052.

Cited by 73 publications

References 55 publications

Plant traits controlling growth change in response to a drier climate

Plant traits controlling growth change in response to a drier climate

The U‐shaped pattern of size‐dependent mortality and its correlated factors in a subtropical monsoon evergreen forest

Negative trait‐based association between abundance of nitrogen‐fixing trees and long‐term tropical forest biomass accumulation

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