Relationship between soil properties and leaf functional traits in early secondary succession of tropical montane cloud forest

Abstract

Recognizing soil properties associated with the plant strategy in relation to use and acquisition of resources during early secondary succession (ESS) is an important issue in plant ecology. We analyzed the relationship between 10 leaf functional traits (LFTs) and 17 soil properties including soil nutrients, transformation flows and pH along a plant chronosequence spanning first 40 years of ESS in a tropical mountain cloud forest. To recognize the multivariate variation of soil properties, a principal component analysis (PCA) was performed. The first axis of PCA was mainly associated with soil pH, P, Ca, Mg, K, C:N and N transformation flow, and this first axis was tightly associated with vegetation ages. The community weighted mean of the LFTs was also associated with vegetation ages. In particular, leaf P declined while leaf density, C, C:P and N:P increased with vegetation ages. Our analyses suggest associations between soil properties (the first axis of the PCA) and the LFTs (leaf area, leaf thickness, leaf density, leaf C, leaf C:P and leaf N:P) over the plant chronosequence. A fast acquisition strategy was observed in the younger sites and a resource conservation strategy in the older sites. Our results highlight the possible importance of changes in soil properties along secondary succession on plant functional traits in tropical cloud forest.

Plant Diversity and Soil Nutrients in a Tropical Coastal Secondary Forest: Association Ordination and Sampling Year Differences

“…In the assessment of the integrated soil fertility quality index (SFQI PCA ), principal component analysis (PCA) has been widely used [49]. According to PCA, such variations in the relative significance of a strategy could be mediated by changes in soil conditions [50]. Soil nutrients, such as soil TP, contributed positively to the primary axis of PCA [50].…”

“…According to PCA, such variations in the relative significance of a strategy could be mediated by changes in soil conditions [50]. Soil nutrients, such as soil TP, contributed positively to the primary axis of PCA [50]. On the other hand, Chen et al [49] reported that first PC (PC1) was highly correlated with TN.…”

Leaf trait variability maintains similar leaf exchange rhythms in Hirtella glandulosa Spreng. (Chrysobalanaceae) populations growing on contrasting soil types in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

“…A soil's capacity for water infiltration/retention and nutrient retention will depend on its physical properties: Clayey soils can retain more water and nutrients than sandy soils because they are formed by small particles, with relatively small spaces that increase water adsorption (Brady and Weil 2013;Perkins et al 2013;Neves et al 2016). Certain leaf traits of plants often covary with specific soil properties, and numerous examples of such adjustments have been reported for tropical trees (Moraes et al 2017;Hernández-Vargas et al 2019;Vitória et al 2019).…”

Relative contribution of plant traits and soil properties to the functioning of a temperate forest ecosystem in the Indian Himalayas

“…Plant traits such as shoot traits (shoot N and C, leaf dry matter content) and root traits (root N, root C/N ratio, root dry matter content) can be used to predict soil properties and ecosystem functions in temperate grasslands (Long et al, 2019). Soil properties and plant functional traits are important for regulating the functioning of tropical cloud forests (Hernández-Vargas et al, 2019), while soil heterogeneity and plant functional traits can predict variation in species distribution in subtropical forests (Zhang et al, 2017).…”