Testing for functional significance of traits: Effect of the light environment in tropical tree saplings

Modolo, Guilherme Silva; Santos, Victor Alexandre Hardt Ferreira dos; Ferreira, Marciel José

doi:10.1002/ece3.7499

Cited by 8 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 75 publications

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“…Therefore, our interpretations could be complemented by considering traits measured under fluctuating environmental conditions, such as traits accounting for seasonal adaptation, responses to biotic or abiotic stress, or perturbation, suitable for inferring ecological processes (Volaire et al 2020). It should also be noted that SLA can be unrelated to the species' photosynthetic capacity and growth rates, especially in soils with low fertility, as shown in tropical forest understories (van der Sande et al 2018, Modolo et al 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The leaf economic and plant size spectra of European forest understory vegetation

et al. 2021

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Forest understories play a vital role in ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services. However, the extent to which environmental conditions drive dominant ecological strategies in forest understories at the continental scale remains understudied. Here, we used ~29 500 forest vegetation plots sampled across Europe and classified into 25 forest types to explore the relative role of macroclimate, soil pH and tree canopy cover in driving abundance‐weighted patterns in the leaf economic spectrum (LES) and plant size spectrum (PSS) of forest understories (shrub and herb layers). We calculated LES using specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and PSS using plant height and seed mass of vascular plant species found in the understories. We found that forest understories had more conservative leaf economics in areas with more extreme mean annual temperatures (mainly Fennoscandia and the Mediterranean Basin), more extreme soil pH and under more open canopies. Warm and summer‐dry regions around the Mediterranean Basin and areas of Atlantic Europe also had taller understories with heavier seeds than continental temperate or boreal areas. Understories of broadleaved deciduous forests, such as Fagus forests on non‐acid soils, or ravine forests, more commonly hosted species with acquisitive leaf economics. In contrast, some coniferous forests, such as Pinus, Larix and Picea mire forests, or Pinus sylvestris light taiga and sclerophyllous forests, more commonly hosted species with conservative leaf economics. Our findings highlight the importance of macroclimate and soil factors in driving trait variation of understory communities at the continental scale and the mediator effect of canopy cover on these relationships. We also provide the first maps and analyses of LES and PSS of forest understories across Europe and give evidence that the understories of European forest types are differently positioned along major axes of trait variation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The leaf economic and plant size spectra of European forest understory vegetation

et al. 2021

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A systematic review of leaf and wood traits in the Neotropics: environmental gradients and functionality

de Freitas,

Da Cunha,

Vitória

2024

Trees

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The role of tree crown on the performance of trees at individual and community levels: whole-phenotypic context matters

Klipel,

da Cunha Morales,

Bordin

et al. 2024

Plant Ecol

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Testing for functional significance of traits: Effect of the light environment in tropical tree saplings

Abstract: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Cited by 8 publications

References 75 publications

The leaf economic and plant size spectra of European forest understory vegetation

The leaf economic and plant size spectra of European forest understory vegetation

A systematic review of leaf and wood traits in the Neotropics: environmental gradients and functionality

The role of tree crown on the performance of trees at individual and community levels: whole-phenotypic context matters

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