Feedback and Modularization in a Bayesian Meta–analysis of Tree Traits Affecting Forest Dynamics

Ogle, Kiona; Barber, Jarrett J.; Sartor, Karla

doi:10.1214/13-ba806

Cited by 28 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…The influence of intra-specific variability is likely to be negligible because we quantified tradeoffs based on 23 traits, with many traits describing morphological features (e.g., leaf arrangement) that are expected to be largely fixed for a given species; however, some traits (e.g., SLA) are likely to varying within a species (Ogle et al 2012). However, Albert et al (2010) found that the PCoA solution based on continuous traits exhibiting considerable intra-specific variability remains stable irrespective of whether an analysis was conducted at the species, population, or individual level.…”

Section: Significance Of the Results In Terms Of Data And Methodologimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The two traits leaf type with 3 levels (needle-leaved, scale-like, broadleaved) and leaf deciduousness with 3 levels (evergreen, deciduous, evergreen/deciduous) were combined to one nominal trait with 6 levels (called leaf type) to reduce the strong separating effects of the traits with a low number of levels. SLA was a standardized species specific estimate based on a comprehensive meta-analysis for North America which accounts for phylogeny and intra-specific variability (Ogle et al 2012).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Whole‐plant trait spectra of North American woody plant species reflect fundamental ecological strategies

et al. 2013

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Abstract. The adaptation of plant species to their biotic and abiotic environment is manifested in their traits. Suites of correlated functional traits may reflect fundamental tradeoffs and general plant strategies and hence represent trait spectra along which plant species can vary according to their respective strategies. However, the functional interpretation of these trait spectra requires the inspection of their relation to plant performance. We employed principle coordinate analysis (PCoA) to quantify fundamental whole-plant trait spectra based on 23 traits for 305 North American woody species that span boreal to subtropical climates. We related the major axes of PCoA to five measures of plant performance (i.e., growth rate, and tolerance to drought, shade, water-logging and fire) for all species and separately for gymnosperms and angiosperms. Across all species a unified gymnosperm-angiosperm trait spectrum (wood density, seed mass, rooting habit) is identified, which is correlated with drought tolerance. Apart from this, leaf type and specific leaf area (SLA) strongly separate gymnosperms from angiosperms. For gymnosperms, one trait spectrum emerges (seed mass, rooting habit), which is positively correlated with drought tolerance and inversely with shade tolerance, reflecting a tradeoff between these two strategies due to opposing trait characteristics. Angiosperms are functionally more diverse. The trait spectra related to drought tolerance and shade tolerance are decoupled and three distinct strategies emerge: high drought tolerance (low SLA, dense wood, heavy seeds, taproot), high shade tolerance (high SLA, shallow roots, high toxicity, opposite arranged leaves), and fast growth/stress intolerance (large maximum heights, soft wood, light seeds, high seed spread rate). In summary, our approach reveals that complex suits of traits and potential tradeoffs underlie fundamental performance strategies in forests. Studies relying on small sets of plant traits may not be able to reveal such underlying strategies.

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Section: Significance Of the Results In Terms Of Data And Methodologimentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Whole‐plant trait spectra of North American woody plant species reflect fundamental ecological strategies

et al. 2013

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“…We used quantiles instead of minimum and maximum values to minimize the effect of outliers caused by potential mismatches intersecting species range maps with climate. We collected the five continuous traits [wood density (in gram per cubic centimeter), seed mass (in milligrams), SLA (in square centimeter per gram), plant maximum height (in meters), and tree longevity (in years)] from literature sources (52,53), databases (54)(55)(56) and, in the case of SLA, species-specific estimates corrected for high intraspecific variation (57). We compiled species-specific mean trait values for each of the 250 tree species as described in Stahl et al (58).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting species’ range limits from functional traits for the tree flora of North America

Stahl

Reu

Wirth

2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

111

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Using functional traits to explain species' range limits is a promising approach in functional biogeography. It replaces the idiosyncrasy of species-specific climate ranges with a generic trait-based predictive framework. In addition, it has the potential to shed light on specific filter mechanisms creating large-scale vegetation patterns. However, its application to a continental flora, spanning large climate gradients, has been hampered by a lack of trait data. Here, we explore whether five key plant functional traits (seed mass, wood density, specific leaf area (SLA), maximum height, and longevity of a tree)-indicative of life history, mechanical, and physiological adaptations-explain the climate ranges of 250 North American tree species distributed from the boreal to the subtropics. Although the relationship between traits and the median climate across a species range is weak, quantile regressions revealed strong effects on range limits. Wood density and seed mass were strongly related to the lower but not upper temperature range limits of species. Maximum height affects the species range limits in both dry and humid climates, whereas SLA and longevity do not show clear relationships. These results allow the definition and delineation of climatic "no-go areas" for North American tree species based on key traits. As some of these key traits serve as important parameters in recent vegetation models, the implementation of trait-based climatic constraints has the potential to predict both range shifts and ecosystem consequences on a more functional basis. Moreover, for future trait-based vegetation models our results provide a benchmark for model evaluation.climate niche | plant geography | bioclimatic envelope I n 1895 the Danish plant ecologist Eugen Warming defined for the first time the objectives of a functional plant biogeography, when he expressed the need "to investigate the problems concerning the economy of plants, the demands that they make on their environment, and the means that they use to use the surrounding conditions. . .." He already envisioned how to tackle this: "This subject leads us into deep morphological, anatomical, and physiological investigations; [. . .] it is very difficult, yet very alluring; but only in few cases can its problems be satisfactorily solved at the present time" (1).Since Warming's days plant science has progressed beyond the study of just a "few cases." For more than a century now, botanists and plant ecologists have collected data on morphological, anatomical, and physiological traits (2, 3), and have mapped the distributions of tens of thousands of plant species (e.g., Global Biodiversity Information Facility, www.gbif.org). In addition, climatologists and soil scientists have provided us with highresolution global maps of the plant's surrounding condition. With this it has now become feasible to analyze the functional underpinnings of plant distributions for entire regional floras across large-scale environmental gradients (4). It is well established that on regio...

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“…Wood density sample means, standard errors, samples sizes, associated covariates and details of the study location were entered into the TreeTraits data base (Kattge et al 2011;Ogle, Barber & Sartor 2013). When available, covariates extracted from published studies included wood moisture content (%), moisture content type (i.e.…”

Section: Wood Density Data Basementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Alternatively, Flores & Coomes (2011) described a hierarchical Bayesian (HB) model that incorporates phylogenies using branch lengths to define covariance matrices, which they employed to obtain species-specific WD estimates for hundreds of species. We significantly build-upon Chamberlain et al (2012) and Flores & Coomes (2011) by employing a new model-based HB meta-analysis approach that has been recently described (Ogle, Barber & Sartor 2013); the approach employs a flexible, probabilistic framework for incorporating species relationships, addressing within study non-independence, accommodating incomplete reporting and quantifying the effects of important covariates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A model‐based meta‐analysis for estimating species‐specific wood density and identifying potential sources of variation

et al. 2013

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Summary1. Plant functional traits are important determinants of survival and fitness, and wood density (WD) is a key trait linked to mechanical stability, growth rates and drought-and shade-tolerance strategies. Thus, rigorous WD estimates are necessary to identify factors affecting tree performance. 2. We obtained 1766 records of WD from the literature for 141 tree species in the United States. We implemented a hierarchical Bayesian (HB) meta-analysis that incorporated sample size, variance, covariate (e.g. moisture content and latewood proportion) and methodological information to obtain standardized estimates of WD for 305 U.S. tree species. The HB framework allowed 'borrowing of strength' between species such that WD estimates for data-poor species were informed by data-rich species via taxonomic or phylogenetic relationships. 3. After accounting for important covariates and sampling effects, evaluation of the residual variation revealed the potential importance of environmental factors and evolutionary history. Differential variation in WD between species within genera and between genera within orders suggested that WD is relatively conserved in some genera and orders, but not in others. WD also varied between studies (or sites) indicating the potential influence of edaphic, topographic, or population factors on intraspecific variation in WD. 4. Synthesis. Our hierarchical Bayesian approach overcomes many of the limitations of traditional meta-analyses, and the incorporation of phylogenetic or taxonomic information facilitates estimates of trait values for data-poor species. We provide relatively well-constrained WD estimates for 305 tree species, which may be useful for tree growth and forest models, and the uncertainties associated with the estimates may inform future sampling campaigns.

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Feedback and Modularization in a Bayesian Meta–analysis of Tree Traits Affecting Forest Dynamics

Cited by 28 publications

References 56 publications

Whole‐plant trait spectra of North American woody plant species reflect fundamental ecological strategies

Whole‐plant trait spectra of North American woody plant species reflect fundamental ecological strategies

Predicting species’ range limits from functional traits for the tree flora of North America

A model‐based meta‐analysis for estimating species‐specific wood density and identifying potential sources of variation

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