The significance of tree-tree interactions for forest ecosystem functioning

Trogisch, Stefan; Liu, Xiaojuan; Rutten, Gemma; Xue, Kai; Bauhus, Jürgen; Brose, Ulrich; Bu, Wensheng; Cesarz, Simone; Chesters, Douglas; Connolly, J.; Cui, Xiaoyong; Eisenhauer, Nico; Guo, Liang‐Dong; Haider, Sylvia; Kunz, Matthias; Liu, Lingli; Ma, Zeqing; Neumann, Steffen; Sang, Weiguo; Schuldt, Andreas; Tang, Zhiyao; Dam, Nicole M. van; Oheimb, Goddert von; Wang, Ming Qiang; Wang, Shaopeng; Weinhold, Alexander; Wirth, Christian; Wubet, Tesfaye; Xu, Xingliang; Yang, Bo; Zhang, Naili; Zhu, Chao; Ma, Keping; Wang, Yanfen; Bruelheide, Helge

doi:10.1016/j.baae.2021.02.003

Cited by 57 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 183 publications

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“…This was also confirmed by species diversity analysis of low-density tree groupings around large trees in Europe, Africa, and North America, which revealed a similar trend in 75% of the studied stands [54]. Large trees have a distinct effect on individuals of both their own and other species; however, a better understanding of treetree interactions, including monumental trees and how they affect key ecosystem functions, is needed [55]. Therefore, in this research, we studied these interactions by analyzing the species composition and spatial distribution of the five nearest neighboring trees (NT) around a large old central tree (CT) of four deciduous (Quercus robur L., C. betulus, T. cordata, and A. platanoides) and one coniferous (Picea abies (L.) H.Karst) species in the best preserved temperate mixed deciduous forest of the European continent [56,57].…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 57%

Species Identity of Large Trees Affects the Composition and the Spatial Structure of Adjacent Trees

Cholewińska

Keczyński

Kusińska

et al. 2021

Forests

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Large trees are keystone structures for the functioning and maintenance of the biological diversity of wooded landscapes. Thus, we need a better understanding of large-tree–other-tree interactions and their effects on the diversity and spatial structure of the surrounding trees. We studied these interactions in the core of the Białowieża Primeval Forest—Europe’s best-preserved temperate forest ecosystem, characterized by high abundance of ancient trees. We measured diameter and bark thickness of the monumental trees of Acer platanoides L., Carpinus betulus L., Picea abies (L.) H. Karst, Quercus robur L., and Tilia cordata Mill., as well as the diameter and distance to the monumental tree of five nearest neighbor trees. The effects of the monumental tree on arrangements of the surrounding trees were studied with the help of linear models. We revealed that the species identity of a large tree had, in the case of C. betulus and T. cordata, a significant impact on the diversity of adjacent tree groupings, their distance to the central tree, and frequency of the neighboring trees. The distance between the neighbor and the large trees increased with the increasing diameter of the central tree. Our findings reinforce the call for the protection of large old trees, regardless of their species and where they grow from the geographical or ecosystem point of view.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 57%

Species Identity of Large Trees Affects the Composition and the Spatial Structure of Adjacent Trees

Cholewińska

Keczyński

Kusińska

et al. 2021

Forests

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“…Following the tree-species pair (TSP) concept, two adjacent trees were selected as a target sampling unit and the ten surrounding trees of a tree species pair were considered as the neighborhood (Trogisch et al, 2021). Accordingly, six EcM and six AM type tree species pairs (TSPs) (Appendix S1: Table S1, Figure S1) were randomly selected across 57 plots, with each three replicates in monocultures (denoted by "1") and two-species mixtures (denoted by "2"), and one replicate in each 4, 8, and 16 or 24 multi-tree species mixtures (denoted by "≥4").…”

Section: Study Site and Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To address this knowledge gap, we used the BEF-China experimental research platform, where trees were grown with tree diversity levels of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 24 species (Bruelheide et al, 2014). We employed the tree-species pair (TSP) concept wherein, two adjacent trees were selected as a target sampling unit (Trogisch et al, 2021). The TSP design provides a focal TSP partner and also facilitates uniform soil sampling to capture the focal tree-tree soil interaction zone.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree mycorrhizal type and tree diversity shape the forest soil microbiota

Singavarapu

Beugnon

Bruelheide

et al. 2021

Environmental Microbiology

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“…Species react differently to climatic conditions e.g.2,28 and species asynchrony is thus likely driven by differential growth responses of species in mixture to climatic variability. Next, tree growth in mixtures is shaped by tree-tree interactions such as resource partitioning and biotic feedbacks 21,29,30,42 which may in turn be modulated by variation in climatic conditions [43][44][45] . Finally, intrinsic rhythms like mast seeding can influence species productivity and its inter-annual variability 26 thereby inducing species asynchrony.…”

Section: Species Asynchrony and Stabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydraulic diversity stabilizes productivity in a large-scale subtropical tree biodiversity experiment

Schnabel

Liu

Kunz

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Extreme climatic events threaten forests and their climate mitigation potential globally. Understanding the drivers promoting ecosystems stability is therefore considered crucial to mitigate adverse climate change effects on forests. Here, we use structural equation models to explain how tree species richness, asynchronous species dynamics and diversity in hydraulic traits affect the stability of forest productivity along an experimentally manipulated biodiversity gradient ranging from 1 to 24 tree species. Tree species richness improved stability by increasing species asynchrony. That is at higher species richness, inter-annual variation in productivity among tree species buffered the community against stress-related productivity declines. This effect was mediated by the diversity of species’ hydraulic traits in relation to drought tolerance and stomatal control, but not the community-weighted means of these traits. Our results demonstrate important mechanisms by which tree species richness stabilizes forest productivity, thus emphasizing the importance of hydraulically diverse, mixed-species forests to adapt to climate change.

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The significance of tree-tree interactions for forest ecosystem functioning

Cited by 57 publications

References 183 publications

Species Identity of Large Trees Affects the Composition and the Spatial Structure of Adjacent Trees

Species Identity of Large Trees Affects the Composition and the Spatial Structure of Adjacent Trees

Tree mycorrhizal type and tree diversity shape the forest soil microbiota

Hydraulic diversity stabilizes productivity in a large-scale subtropical tree biodiversity experiment

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