Management alters interspecific leaf trait relationships and trait‐based species rankings in permanent meadows

Abstract

Question Plant functional traits have the potential to characterize species ecological strategies and predict ecosystem responses to environmental changes. (1) Do trait responses to land‐use intensification alter trait‐based species rankings, and (2) does land‐use intensification alter relationships among interrelated leaf traits? Location Solling Mountains, Central Germany (Grassland management experiment, GrassMan). Methods Over the course of 2 yr with differing weather conditions, we analysed the specific leaf area (SLA) of eight grassland species and related it to leaf nitrogen per mass (Nmass) or area (Narea) in an old‐growth grassland with two fertilization levels (none vs NPK fertilization, 180‐30‐100 kg·ha−1·yr−1) and two cutting frequencies (one vs three cuts per season). Results NPK fertilization led to an expected increase in SLA, Nmass and Narea, while the effect of altered cutting frequency on leaf traits was more species‐specific. Species‐specific responses to management significantly altered trait‐based species rankings. A significant SLA–Nmass relationship occurred in unfertilized plots, whereas the SLA–Narea relationship was stronger in fertilized plots. This was mostly caused by a decrease in the among‐species variation in Nmass upon fertilization. Conclusions Although our results reflect only short‐term community responses, they indicate that trait‐based species ranking and the relationships between plant functional traits are not always consistent across different management regimes. Hence, trait values used to characterize species and communities should never be discussed without consideration of the set of environmental conditions under which they were measured.

Variation in plant functional traits is best explained by the species identity: Stability of trait‐based species ranking across meadow management regimes

“…It therefore appears that soil fertility restricts the generality of results obtained by traits, but the change was consistent over the species and except StDMC, the ranking stability among all pairs of treatments was comparable. On average, values of LDMC decreased and values of SLA increased in fertilized conditions, which is consistent with other studies (Pakeman, ; Rose et al, ). StDMC was decreased in fertilized conditions, but its ranking was affected rather by mowing.…”

“…The most species‐specific traits (having the largest proportion of variability explained by species identity and the most stable ranking) were the height, StDMC and SLA, even though these are known to be sensitive to soil edaphic conditions (Pakeman, ; Rose et al, ). Similarly, in our case, mainly fertilization changed these traits.…”

“…The largest part of the variation in functional traits is explained by plant species identity. The ITV is not negligible, but the averaging of trait values based on sufficient number of measured individuals buffers it and trait‐based species ranking tends to be stable, conserving the between‐species functional distances (Burton et al, ; Garnier et al, ; Roche et al, ; Rose et al, ). The description of functional composition based on the database trait values reflects general trends in a meaningful way, but at the same time, it misses a non‐negligible part of functional composition variation.…”

“…Land use factors like mowing and fertilization determine the disturbance regime and soil fertility (Kotas et al, 2017), which are the key conditions for plant growth and thus for ITV. For instance, fertilization increases the specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf nitrogen content (LNC) and decreases leaf dry matter content (LDMC), while mowing decreases the height of plant individuals in consecutive years (de Bello et al, 2012;Pakeman, 2013;Pontes, Soussana, Louault, Andueza, & Carrére, 2007;Rose, Rubarth, Hertel, & Leuschner, 2013). These effects can be the result of either direct response of plants or they can also be driven by altered plant to plant interactions in response to land use induced changes in species composition (Díaz et al, 2007;Kotas et al, 2017;Le Bagousse-Pinguet et al, 2015;Lepš, 1999Lepš, , 2014.…”

Effects of nitrogen addition on leaf traits of common species in natural Pinus tabuliformis forests in Taiyue Mountain, Shanxi Province, China

“…改变 (Pontes et al, 2007;黄菊莹等, 2009;Ordoñez et al, 2009;Rose et al, 2013;王常顺和汪诗平, 2015 (Royer, 2009;陈莹婷和许振柱, 2014)。之后, 关于植物的资源权衡关系及全球尺度上植物叶片性 状随环境的变化规律的研究大量涌现 (Reich et al, 2003;Freschet et al, 2010;Laughlin, 2011;Osnas et al, 2013 At, 大火草; Cb, 沙梾; Cc, 羊须草; Cm, 毛榛; Dm, 龙常草; Lm, 金银忍冬; Po, 玉竹; Pt-cy, 油松(当年生叶); Pt-fy, 油松(往年生叶); Qm, 蒙古栎; Ss, 绣线菊。CK, 氮添加浓度为0 kg·hm -2 ·a -1 ; LN, 氮添加浓度为50 kg·hm -2 ·a -1 ; MN, 氮添加浓度为100 kg·hm -2 ·a -1 ; HN, 氮添加浓度为150 kg·hm -2 ·a -1 。不同小写字母表示氮添加处理间在p < 0.05水平上差异显著。 Fig. 1 Effects of nitrogen addition on leaf thickness (LT, A)、 leaf area (LA, B)、 specific leaf area (SLA, C)、 chlorophyll content (CC, D) and leaf dry matter content (LDMC, E)(mean ± SE, n = 3 CK, 氮添加浓度为0 kg·hm -2 ·a -1 ; LN, 氮添加浓度为50 kg·hm -2 ·a -1 ; MN, 氮添加浓度为100 kg·hm -2 ·a -1 ; HN, 氮添加浓度为150 kg·hm -2 ·a -1 。 不同小写字 母(a, b, c)和大写字母(A, B, C)分别表示不同氮添加水平下叶片性状在p < 0.05水平和p < 0.01水平上差异显著。差异显著的数据用加粗字体显示。 CK, 0 kg·hm -2 ·a -1 nitrogen; LN, 50 kg·hm -2 ·a -1 nitrogen; MN, 100 kg·hm -2 ·a -1 nitrogen; HN, 150 kg·hm -2 ·a -1 nitrogen.…”