Adaptive characteristics of grassland community structure and leaf traits along an altitudinal gradient on a subtropical mountain in Chongqing, China

Abstract

Community structure and leaf traits are important elements of terrestrial ecosystems. Changes of community structure and leaf traits are of particular use in the study of the influence of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems. Patterns of community structure (including species richness, above-and belowground biomass) and leaf traits (including leaf mass per area (LMA), nitrogen content both on mass and area bases (N mass and N area ), and foliar d 13 C) from 19 grassland plots along an altitudinal transect at Hongchiba in Chongqing, China, were analyzed. Species richness along the altitudinal transect had a humpshaped pattern. Above-ground biomass had a quadratic decrease along the altitudinal gradient whereas below-ground biomass had the opposite pattern. Change of above-ground biomass of various taxonomic groups with altitude was also studied. Poaceae showed strong negative relationships and Asteraceae showed a hump-shaped relationship with increase of altitude. Five common species of the grassland, Trifolium pratense, Geranium wilfordii, Aster tataricus, Leontopodium leontopodioides, and Spiraea prunifolia, were particularly studied for variation of leaf traits along the altitudinal gradient. Averaged for all species, LMA, N area and foliar d 13 C had positive correlations with altitude. N mass did not change significantly as altitude increased. LMA and N area showed significant positive relationships with foliar d 13 C. The adaptive features of leaf traits among different species were not consistent. The study highlights specific adaptation patterns in relation to altitude for different plant species, provides further insights into adaptive trends of community structure and leaf traits in a specific ecological region filling a gap in the definition of global patterns, and adds to the understanding of how adaptive patterns of plants may respond to global climate change.

Globally important plant functional traits for coping with climate change

“…3, 4). For instance, in the Montane Grassland biome in Chongqing, China (Song et al 2012) and in southern Norway (Guittar et al 2016), species with higher SLA are more abundant in warmer temperatures at lower elevations. However, in Montane Grasslands of North-western Caucasus in Russia (Soudzilovskaia et al 2013), species with lower SLA are more abundant in warmer climates.…”

Morphological, biochemical and physiological traits of upper and lower canopy leaves of European beech tend to converge with increasing altitude

“…Studies on deciduous forest and herbaceous species have shown an increase of leaf mass per area (LMA) and leaf nitrogen content per unit area with increasing altitude (Williams et al 1995, Song et al 2012. Other studies have reported increases in stomatal density, stomatal conductance, and light-saturated rate of CO 2 assimilation with increasing altitude (Hultine andMarshall 2000, Vats et al 2009).…”

Community Characteristics and Leaf Stoichiometric Traits of Desert Ecosystems Regulated by Precipitation and Soil in an Arid Area of China

“…Precipitation is a key environmental factor that determines water availability in desert ecosystems and regulates the responses of plant communities and entire ecosystems [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. The response and adaptation of desert plant community characteristics and their leaf stoichiometric traits to precipitation are of the utmost importance, as community characteristics and leaf traits are fundamental elements in understanding the structure and function of ecosystems [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Precipitation affects community characteristics and leaf traits in complex ways, especially in a changing climate.…”