From tropics to tundra: Global convergence in plant functioning

Reich, Peter B.; Walters, Michael B.; Ellsworth, David S.

doi:10.1073/pnas.94.25.13730

Cited by 2,130 publications

(2,331 citation statements)

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“…Higher terpene contents are compatible with a fast return strategy of "leaf economics spectrum" based on a higher photosynthetic capacity, higher nutrient content, lower LMA, and faster return on investment in foliage (Wright et al, 2004). These traits help to explain the success of invasive plant species (Pattison et al, 1998;Baruch and Goldstein, 1999;Funk and Vitousek, 2007) since they can contribute to faster growth rates for invaders and confer a competitive advantage over native species (Reich et al, 1997;Blumenthal and Hufbauer, 2007). have observed these faster returns from their investments in nutrients and dry mass in leaves, and these higher contents of most nutrients in these alien species in Oahu (Hawaii).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Higher Allocation to Low Cost Chemical Defenses in Invasive Species of Hawaii

et al. 2010

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The capacity to produce carbon-based secondary compounds (CBSC), such as phenolics (including tannins) and terpenes as defensive compounds against herbivores or against neighboring competing plants can be involved in the competition between alien and native plant species. Since the Hawaiian Islands are especially vulnerable to invasions by alien species, we compared total phenolic (TP), total tannin (Tta), and total terpene (TT) leaf contents of alien and native plants on Oahu Island (Hawaii). We analyzed 35 native and 38 alien woody plant species randomly chosen among representative current Hawaiian flora. None of these CBSC exhibited phylogenetic fingerprinting. Alien species had similar leaf TP and leaf Tta contents, and 135% higher leaf TT contents compared with native species. Alien plants had 80% higher leaf TT:N leaf content ratio than native plants. The results suggest that apart from greater growth rate and greater nutrient use, alien success in Oahu also may be linked to greater contents of low cost chemical defenses, such as terpenes, as expected in faster-growing species in resource rich regions. The higher TT contents in aliens may counterbalance their lower investment in leaf structural defenses and their higher leaf nutritional quality. The higher TT provides higher effectiveness in deterring the generalist herbivores of the introduced range, where specialist herbivores are absent. In addition, higher TT contents may favor aliens conferring higher protection against abiotic and biotic stressors. The higher terpene accumulation was independent of the alien species origin, which indicates that being alien either selects for higher terpene contents post-invasion, or that species with high terpene contents are pre-adapted to invasiveness. Although less likely, an originally lower terpene accumulation in Hawaiian than in continental plants that avoids the increased attraction of specialist enemies associated to terpenes may not be discarded.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Higher Allocation to Low Cost Chemical Defenses in Invasive Species of Hawaii

et al. 2010

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“…2 and Extended Data Table 1 were robust with respect to the selection of traits and species and representative for vascular plants, we conducted a number of analyses: exclusion of gymnosperms and pteridophytes ('angiosperms only'), exclusion of individual traits, and comparison to a gap-filled dataset representing about 15% of extant vascular plant species worldwide. The trait exclusion tests excluded the following individual traits, one at a time: LMA, N mass and SSD, because analyses indicated that LMA and N mass , although providing information on different aspects of leaf function (see Methods), are both part of the leaf economic spectrum 7,10 , and SSD and plant height both reflect plant size when woody and herbaceous plants are considered together. To test if the results of the multivariate analysis presented in Fig.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2a, 'H-SM' , more strongly associated with PC1 than PC2). The other (upper left to lower right in Fig 2a, 'LMA-N mass ' , more strongly associated with PC2 than PC1) runs from species with cheaply constructed, 'acquisitive' leaves (low-LMA, nitrogen-rich) to species with 'conservative' leaves (high-LMA, nitrogen-poor) that are expected to have longer leaf lifespan and higher survival in the face of abiotic and biotic hazards 7,10,36 . Stem specific density (SSD) and leaf area (LA) also load heavily on the plane and are correlated with both the H-SM and the LMA-N mass dimensions (Fig 2a, Extended Data Table 1).…”

Section: Main Trends Of Variationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The global spectrum of plant form and function

Dı́az

Kattge

Cornelissen

et al. 2015

Nature

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2,292

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Vascular plants are the main entry point for energy and matter into the Earth's terrestrial ecosystems. Their Darwinian struggle for growth, survival and reproduction in very different arenas has resulted in an extremely wide variety of form and function, both across and within habitats. Yet it has long been thought 1-8 that there is a pattern to be found in this remarkable evolutionary radiation-that some trait constellations are viable and successful whereas others are not.Empirical support for a strongly limited set of viable trait combinations has accumulated for traits associated with single plant organs, such as leaves 7,9-12 , stems 13,14 and seeds [15][16][17] . Evidence across plant organs has been rarer, restricted geographically or taxonomically, and often contradictory [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] . How tightly whole-plant form and function are restricted at the global scale remains unresolved.Here we present the first global quantitative picture of essential functional diversity of extant vascular plants. We quantify the volume, shape and boundaries of this functional space via joint consideration of six traits that together capture the essence of plant form and function: adult plant height, stem specific density, leaf size expressed as leaf area, leaf mass per area, leaf nitrogen content per unit mass, and diaspore mass. Our dataset, based on a recently updated communal plant trait database 30 , covers 46,085 vascular plant species from 423 families and to our knowledge spans the widest range of growth-forms and geographical locations to date in published trait analyses, including some of the most extreme plant trait values ever measured in the field (Table 1, Extended Data Fig. 1). On this basis we reveal that the trait space actually occupied is strongly restricted as compared to four alternative null hypotheses. We demonstrate that plant species largely occupy a plane in the six-dimensional trait space. Two key trait dimensions within this plane are the size of whole plants and organs on the one hand, and the construction costs for photosynthetic leaf area, on the other. We subsequently show which sections of the plane are occupied, and how densely, by different growth-forms and major taxonomic groups. The design opportunities and limits indicated by today's global spectrum of plant form and function provide a foundation to achieve a better understanding of the evolutionary trajectory of vascular plants and help frame and test hypotheses as to where and Earth is home to a remarkable diversity of plant forms and life histories, yet comparatively few essential trait combinations have proved evolutionarily viable in today's terrestrial biosphere. By analysing worldwide variation in six major traits critical to growth, survival and reproduction within the largest sample of vascular plant species ever compiled, we found that occupancy of six-dimensional trait space is strongly concentrated, indicating coordination and trade-offs. Threequarters of trait variation is captured in a t...

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“…Detailed development and discussion of the underlying concepts behind the light use efficiency model are described in extensive studies and reviews by Field (1991), Reich et al (1997) and .…”

Section: Light Use Efficiency Based Modeling Of Primary Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%