Leaf traits of dipterocarp species with contrasting distributions across a gradient of nutrient and light availability

Dent, Daisy H.; Burslem, David F. R. P.

doi:10.1080/17550874.2016.1265018

Cited by 16 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 79 publications

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“…The differential expression of plant functional traits influences key ecosystem functions (Cornwell et al, 2008;De Deyn et al, 2008;Fortunel et al, 2009;Finegan et al, 2015). Trait expression varies across landscapes as a result of anthropogenic disturbance, soil characteristics, and other abiotic factors such as climate (Ordoñez et al, 2009;Baraloto et al, 2012;Fortunel et al, 2014a;Dent & Burslem, 2016). Fertile soils are associated with traits conferring rapid nutrient acquisition and use, which support fast growth rates, whereas nutrient-poor soils are often associated with conservative strategies for the maintenance of long-lived tissues (Aerts & Chapin, 2000;Ordoñez et al, 2009;Jager et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Logging and soil nutrients independently explain plant trait expression in tropical forests

et al. 2018

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Summary Plant functional traits regulate ecosystem functions but little is known about how co‐occurring gradients of land use and edaphic conditions influence their expression. We test how gradients of logging disturbance and soil properties relate to community‐weighted mean traits in logged and old‐growth tropical forests in Borneo. We studied 32 physical, chemical and physiological traits from 284 tree species in eight 1 ha plots and measured long‐term soil nutrient supplies and plant‐available nutrients. Logged plots had greater values for traits that drive carbon capture and growth, whilst old‐growth forests had greater values for structural and persistence traits. Although disturbance was the primary driver of trait expression, soil nutrients explained a statistically independent axis of variation linked to leaf size and nutrient concentration. Soil characteristics influenced trait expression via nutrient availability, nutrient pools, and pH. Our finding, that traits have dissimilar responses to land use and soil resource availability, provides robust evidence for the need to consider the abiotic context of logging when predicting plant functional diversity across human‐modified tropical forests. The detection of two independent axes was facilitated by the measurement of many more functional traits than have been examined in previous studies.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Logging and soil nutrients independently explain plant trait expression in tropical forests

et al. 2018

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“…The fast–slow trade‐off among species was strongly associated with habitat variation across the plot. The lower slopes on more fertile soils were more likely to be occupied by species associated with the less conservative strategies (lower WD, higher RGR, higher mortality), as reported for Lambir (Russo et al ., ), and similar forests in NE Borneo (Dent & Burslem, ). However, this association with the habitat did not necessarily imply that more fertile habitats always had higher mortality rates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Crown damage and the mortality of tropical trees

et al. 2018

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What causes individual tree death in tropical forests remains a major gap in our understanding of the biology of tropical trees and leads to significant uncertainty in predicting global carbon cycle dynamics. We measured individual characteristics (diameter at breast height, wood density, growth rate, crown illumination and crown form) and environmental conditions (soil fertility and habitat suitability) for 26 425 trees ≥ 10 cm diameter at breast height belonging to 416 species in a 52-ha plot in Lambir Hills National Park, Malaysia. We used structural equation models to investigate the relationships among the different factors and tree mortality. Crown form (a proxy for mechanical damage and other stresses) and prior growth were the two most important factors related to mortality. The effect of all variables on mortality (except habitat suitability) was substantially greater than expected by chance. Tree death is the result of interactions between factors, including direct and indirect effects. Crown form/damage and prior growth mediated most of the effect of tree size, wood density, fertility and habitat suitability on mortality. Large-scale assessment of crown form or status may result in improved prediction of individual tree death at the landscape scale.

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“…c), likely reflecting the large range of shade‐tolerance niches created when combining extremely tall canopies with fast turnover rates (Coomes et al . ; Dent & Burslem ). Moving uphill resulted in a steady decline in tree diversity (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Topography shapes the structure, composition and function of tropical forest landscapes

et al. 2018

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Topography is a key driver of tropical forest structure and composition, as it constrains local nutrient and hydraulic conditions within which trees grow. Yet, we do not fully understand how changes in forest physiognomy driven by topography impact other emergent properties of forests, such as their aboveground carbon density (ACD). Working in Borneo - at a site where 70-m-tall forests in alluvial valleys rapidly transition to stunted heath forests on nutrient-depleted dip slopes - we combined field data with airborne laser scanning and hyperspectral imaging to characterise how topography shapes the vertical structure, wood density, diversity and ACD of nearly 15 km of old-growth forest. We found that subtle differences in elevation - which control soil chemistry and hydrology - profoundly influenced the structure, composition and diversity of the canopy. Capturing these processes was critical to explaining landscape-scale heterogeneity in ACD, highlighting how emerging remote sensing technologies can provide new insights into long-standing ecological questions.

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Leaf traits of dipterocarp species with contrasting distributions across a gradient of nutrient and light availability

Abstract: Background: Tree species composition at the landscape scale is often tightly associated with

Cited by 16 publications

References 79 publications

Logging and soil nutrients independently explain plant trait expression in tropical forests

Logging and soil nutrients independently explain plant trait expression in tropical forests

Crown damage and the mortality of tropical trees

Topography shapes the structure, composition and function of tropical forest landscapes

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