Trait‐abundance relation in response to nutrient addition in a Tibetan alpine meadow: The importance of species trade‐off in resource conservation and acquisition

Abstract

In competition‐dominated communities, traits promoting resource conservation and competitive ability are expected to have an important influence on species relative abundance (SRA). Yet, few studies have tested the trait‐abundance relations in the line of species trade‐off in resource conservation versus acquisition, indicating by multiple traits coordination. We measured SRA and key functional traits involving leaf economic spectrum (SLA, specific leaf area; LDMC, leaf dry matter content; LCC, leaf carbon concentration; LNC, leaf nitrogen concentration; LPC, leaf phosphorus concentration; Hs, mature height) for ten common species in all plots subjected to addition of nitrogen fertilizer (N), phosphorus fertilizer (P), or both of them (NP) in a Tibetan alpine meadow. We test whether SRA is positively related with traits promoting plant resource conservation, while negatively correlated with traits promoting plant growth and resource acquisition. We found that species were primarily differentiated along a trade‐off axis involving traits promoting nutrient acquisition and fast growth (e.g., LPC and SLA) versus traits promoting resource conservation and competition ability (e.g., large LDMC). We further found that SRA was positively correlated with plant height, LDMC, and LCC, but negatively associated with SLA and leaf nutrient concentration irrespective of fertilization. A stronger positive height‐SRA was found in NP‐fertilized plots than in other plots, while negative correlations between SRA and SLA and LPC were found in N or P fertilized plots. The results indicate that species trade‐off in nutrient acquisition and resource conservation was a key driver of SRA in competition‐dominated communities following fertilization, with the linkage between SRA and traits depending on plant competition for specific soil nutrient and/or light availability. The results highlight the importance of competitive exclusion in plant community assembly following fertilization and suggest that abundant species in local communities become dominated at expense of growth while infrequent species hold an advantage in fast growth and dispersals to neighbor meta‐communities.

Coconut powder and fiber as substrate components for the production seedlings of caatinga species

“…When analyzing the investment in morphometric characteristics, we noticed that C. pyramidale and L. ferrea seedlings showed better quality when planted without coconut fiber or powder, achieving larger specific leaf areas. This characteristic is related to the higher acquisition of resources from the environment [35,36]. In the field, seedlings with a larger specific leaf area can benefit from being more effective in mitigating the negative impacts of rain [37], as well as having high water content, and carrying out high photosynthesis rates [38].…”

Trait means or variance—What determines plant species' local and regional occurrence in fragmented dry grasslands?

“…Theory postulates that species with intermediate trait values are the most abundant ones, because these species are those that are best adapted to the specific environmental conditions and may have the highest competitive ability (Grime, 2006;Laughlin et al, 2012;Rolhauser et al, 2019). However, solid empirical evidence for an unimodal relationship between species mean traits and abundance remains scarce with studies reporting linear and/ or opposing relationships (Cornwell & Ackerly, 2010;Lauterbach et al 2013;Liu et al, 2017;Read et al, 2017).…”

“…However, solid empirical evidence for an unimodal relationship between species mean traits and abundance remains scarce with studies reporting linear and/or opposing relationships (Cornwell & Ackerly, 2010; Lauterbach et al. 2013; Liu et al., 2017; Read et al., 2017).…”

Trait–Abundance Relationships of Annual Ephemerals in Response to Nitrogen Addition in Gurbantunggut Desert

“…The general view is that environmental conditions drive optimal trait combinations, which can affect species abundance [19,20]; therefore, changes in environmental factors can lead to shifts in the given trait-abundance relationships (not only a shift in the slope but given Diversity 2021, 13, 569 2 of 9 trait-abundance relationships can also appear or disappear) [10,17]. For example, a study in a Tibetan alpine meadow community showed that a significant correlation between leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and abundance appeared [21] while the significant correlation between specific leaf area (SLA) and abundance disappeared under long-term phosphate addition [22]. Thus, it is essential to test whether the specific trait-abundance relationships still exist under different environmental conditions.…”

“…It is generally accepted that species with traits related to rapid resource acquisition become dominant under added soil resources, whereas those related to resource conservation have superiority under lower soil resource availability [25]. The relationships between traits and abundance may vary because they mirror different aspects of species performance under changing conditions [22,26,27]. However, how nitrogen addition affects the relationships between traits and abundance remains uncertain, especially in desert ecosystems.…”