High intraspecific trait variation results in a resource allocation spectrum of a subtropical pine across an elevational gradient

O'Sullivan, Kirsten S. W.; Vilà‐Cabrera, Albert; Chen, Jan‐Chang; Greenwood, Sarah; Chang, Chi-Hua; Jump, Alistair S.

doi:10.1111/jbi.14336

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 134 publications

(229 reference statements)

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“…The variation of intraspecific traits in K. mollis individuals at different elevations may be considered as ecological strategies to adapt to different climate constraints (Díaz et al, 2016; O'Sullivan et al, 2022). In contrast with species richness‐driven variation in intraspecific traits at global scale (Siefert et al, 2015), trait variations in K. mollis in association with PET indicate that the relationship between plants and environmental conditions was likely contingent on water dynamics, supporting the leaf energy balance hypothesis (Campbell & Norman, 1998).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional traits of a plant species fingerprint ecosystem productivity along broad elevational gradients in the Himalayas

et al. 2022

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It is a challenge to scale‐up from simplified proxies to ecosystem functioning since the inherent complexity of natural ecosystems hinders such an approach. One way to address this complexity is to track ecosystem processes through the lens of plant functional traits. Elevational gradients with diverse biotic and abiotic conditions offer ideal settings for inferring functional trait responses to environmental gradients globally. However, most studies have focused on differences in mean trait values among species, and little is known on how intraspecific traits vary along wide elevational gradients and how this variability reflects ecosystem productivity. We measured functional traits of the sub‐shrub Koenigia mollis (Basionym: Polygonum molle; a widespread species) in 11 populations along a wide elevational gradient (1515–4216 m) considering from subtropical forest to alpine treeline in the central Himalayas. After measuring different traits (plant height, specific leaf area, leaf area, length of flowering branches, leaf carbon isotope (δ13C), leaf carbon and leaf nitrogen concentrations), we investigated drivers on changes of these traits and also characterized their relationships with elevation, climate and ecosystem productivity. All trait values decreased with increasing elevation, except for δ13C that increased upwards. Likewise, most traits showed strong positive relationships with potential evapotranspiration, while δ13C exhibited a negative relationship. In this context, elevation‐dependent water–energy dynamics is the primary driver of trait variations. Furthermore, six key traits (plant height, length of flowering branch, specific leaf area, leaf carbon, leaf nitrogen and leaf δ13C) explained 90.45% of the variance in ecosystem productivity. Our study evidences how elevation‐dependent climate variations affect ecosystem processes and functions. Intraspecific variability in leaf functional traits is strongly driven by changes in water–energy dynamics, and reflects changes in ecosystem productivity over elevation. K. mollis, with one of the widest elevational gradients known to date, could be a model species to infer functional trait responses to environmental gradients globally. As inferred from K. mollis, the water–energy dynamics can be a hydrothermal variable to understand the formation of vegetation boundaries, such as alpine treeline. This study sheds new insight on how plants modify their basic ecological strategies to cope with changing environments. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional traits of a plant species fingerprint ecosystem productivity along broad elevational gradients in the Himalayas

et al. 2022

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“…Most mechanistic models use hydroclimatic variability to estimate exposure, but the spatial resolution of this data is usually limited and microenvironmental variability is seldom considered, particularly regarding soil attributes (Table S2). Representing within‐species variability in traits is also rare (Table S2), despite the growing understanding of trait variation along environmental gradients (O'Sullivan et al ., 2022) and the fact that some models explicitly account for local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity (e.g. Garzón et al ., 2019).…”

Section: Implications For Modelling Range Shiftsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accounting for trait variability and coordination in predictions of drought‐induced range shifts in woody plants

Martínez‐Vilalta,

García‐Valdés,

Jump

et al. 2023

New Phytologist

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SummaryFunctional traits offer a promising avenue to improve predictions of species range shifts under climate change, which will entail warmer and often drier conditions. Although the conceptual foundation linking traits with plant performance and range shifts appears solid, the predictive ability of individual traits remains generally low. In this review, we address this apparent paradox, emphasizing examples of woody plants and traits associated with drought responses at the species' rear edge. Low predictive ability reflects the fact not only that range dynamics tend to be complex and multifactorial, as well as uncertainty in the identification of relevant traits and limited data availability, but also that trait effects are scale‐ and context‐dependent. The latter results from the complex interactions among traits (e.g. compensatory effects) and between them and the environment (e.g. exposure), which ultimately determine persistence and colonization capacity. To confront this complexity, a more balanced coverage of the main functional dimensions involved (stress tolerance, resource use, regeneration and dispersal) is needed, and modelling approaches must be developed that explicitly account for: trait coordination in a hierarchical context; trait variability in space and time and its relationship with exposure; and the effect of biotic interactions in an ecological community context.

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“…Indeed, the topic of intraspecific leaf trait variation has received much attention in recent years (Albert et al 2010, Messier et al 2010, Violle et al 2012). The link between intraspecific leaf trait variation and tree growth has been described in the context of the ability of a species to adjust its leaf traits to environmental gradients (Hikosaka et al 2021, Kühn et al 2021, O'Sullivan et al 2022). Furthermore, leaf trait adjustments on smaller scales might be also relevant, albeit as responses to different factors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leaf trait variation within individuals mediates the relationship between tree species richness and productivity

Proß,

Haider,

Auge

et al. 2023

Oikos

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In forest ecosystems, many ecosystem functions such as tree growth are affected by tree species richness. This biodiversity–productivity relationship (BPR) is mediated by leaf traits, which themselves are known to be influenced by tree species richness; at the same time, as the primary organs of light capture, they are an important factor for tree growth. However, how tree growth is influenced by a tree's ability to phenotypically adjust its leaf traits to the within‐individual light gradient has largely been unexplored. Furthermore, it is not known how such impacts of within‐tree leaf trait variation on individual tree growth sums up to productivity at the community scale. In this study we tested how tree species richness, a tree's mean leaf traits, within‐tree leaf trait variation and the light extinction coefficient within a tree crown influence tree growth. We measured these variables in the temperate forest plantation of the Kreinitz biodiversity experiment. We found that the relationship between tree species richness and tree growth is mediated via the leaf trait variation of the individual trees, which in turn was modified by light availability. In particular, trees in monocultures show a higher within‐individual leaf trait variation, which partly compensates for the lack in among‐species leaf trait variation, and thus affects the BPR. It seems that tree richness operates both through increased acquisitive trait values and within‐individual leaf trait variation, two processes that cancelled out each other and resulted in the absence of a significant effect of tree richness on productivity in our study. In conclusion, to understand the BPR, it is important to study the underlying processes and to know which ones reinforce or oppose each other. In particular, our study highlights the importance of including within‐individual leaf trait variation in ecological research as one important moderator in the BPR.

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High intraspecific trait variation results in a resource allocation spectrum of a subtropical pine across an elevational gradient

Cited by 4 publications

References 134 publications

Functional traits of a plant species fingerprint ecosystem productivity along broad elevational gradients in the Himalayas

Functional traits of a plant species fingerprint ecosystem productivity along broad elevational gradients in the Himalayas

Accounting for trait variability and coordination in predictions of drought‐induced range shifts in woody plants

Leaf trait variation within individuals mediates the relationship between tree species richness and productivity

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