Assembly patterns and functional diversity of tree species in a successional gradient of Araucaria forest in Southern Brazil

Vicente-Silva, José; Bergamin, Rodrigo Scarton; Zanini, Kátia J.; Pillar, Valério D.; Müller, Sandra Cristina

doi:10.1016/j.ncon.2016.09.006

Cited by 18 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Concerning strategies of plant species, larger leaves and larger fruits are associated with shading as well as higher stems and higher wood densities are associated with tall vegetation, and all of them are associated with conservative strategy of plant growth (Valladares & Niinemets 2008;Martin et al 2010;Inman-Narahari et al 2014). Thus, our study reinforces that different colonization conditions are associated with different plant strategies as well as with different forest compositions (Petchey & Gaston 2002;Lavorel & Garnier 2002;Vicente-Silva et al 2016). According to our results, groups 1 and 5 of subplots might be named as newer colonization subplots whereas groups 2, 3 and 4 of subplots might be named as older colonization subplots.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

“…Based on the theoretical foundations of growth-survival trade-off, also known as colonization-related trade-offs (Cadotte 2007;Muller-Landau 2008;2010), ecological heterogeneity of regenerated forests may influence functional traits (Martin et al 2010;Inman-Narahari et al 2014) 2016), leaf traits (Sterck et al 2006;Violle et al 2007;Díaz et al 2016), plant height (Westoby 1998;Moles et al 2009), and wood density (Francis et al 2017;Berenguer et al 2018). Different colonization conditions are also associated with different forest compositions (Petchey & Gaston 2002;Lavorel & Garnier 2002;Vicente-Silva et al 2016). Since we expect forest heterogeneity to influence functional traits and taxonomic similarities in the LEEP 50-ha plot, we hypothesized that heterogeneity of the secondary forest causes differences in measurements of plant functional traits and determines taxonomic composition of subplots.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Colonization-related functional traits of plants in a 50-hectare plot of secondary tropical forest

et al. 2020

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The growth-survival trade-off hypothesis states that functional traits of stem, wood, leaves and fruits govern acquisitive and conservative strategies of plant species that grow/survive differently in forests. We aimed to determine whether heterogeneity during the colonization of a secondary Atlantic Forest fragment causes differences in colonizationrelated traits and determines taxonomic composition of subplots. A total of 5,078 subplots were censused with leaf and fruit traits and height measurements being determined for each tree of each species, and with averagedabundance-weighted values calculated for each subplot. A dendrogram was generated from the taxonomic composition of subplots using Sorensen similarity and UPGMA clustering. A total of 74,335 trees of 178 species were recorded. Clustering revealed five main groups of subplots that were tested against each other and found to differ in terms of average leaf width, leaf-width/petiole-width, wood density, mean height, height mode, fruit width and fruit length. Greater leaf averages in subplots were associated with greater fruit averages, and with higher wood densities and greater heights among groups of subplots, revealing that heterogeneity during colonization directed the communities of the 50-ha plot. The averaged values of functional traits detected subplots associated with conditions favorable to colonization, thereby reinforcing the growth-survival trade-off hypothesis.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Colonization-related functional traits of plants in a 50-hectare plot of secondary tropical forest

et al. 2020

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“…Restoration time, which was significantly correlated with most leaf traits in our study, could play a vital limiting factor in shaping most of the leaf trait strategies and in forming the community assembly during succession in tropical monsoon forests. Additionally, many previous studies have revealed that restoration time is significantly related to biotic and abiotic variables that restrict species to different functional trait responses and to certain environment factors, such as soil water stress, species pool, and availability of nutrients [1,2]. We also assume that water stress plays a vital role in the overall trait recovery patterns during succession in tropical monsoon forests, as reported by Lohbeck [11].…”

Section: Recovery Patterns Of Community Level Functional Traits In Trmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…to form local communities which are controlled by ecological filers [1][2][3]. Understanding and predicting the ecological filters that control community assembly has been a significant question in ecology.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Recovery of Functional Diversity Following Shifting Cultivation in Tropical Monsoon Forests

Deng

Zang

2018

Forests

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The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is an important issue in ecology. Plant functional traits and their diversity are key determinants of ecosystem function in changing environments. Understanding the successional dynamics of functional features in forest ecosystems is a first step to their sustainable management. In this study, we tested the changes in functional community composition with succession in tropical monsoon forests in Xishuangbanna, China. We sampled 33 plots at three successional stages-~40-year-old secondary forests,~60-year-old secondary forests, and old growth forests-following the abandonment of the shifting cultivation land. Community-level functional traits were calculated based on measurements of nine functional traits for 135 woody plant species. The results show that the community structures and species composition of the old-growth forests were significantly different to those of the secondary stands. The species diversity, including species richness (S), the Shannon-Weaver index (H), and Pielou's evenness (J), significantly increased during the recovery process after shifting cultivation. The seven studied leaf functional traits (deciduousness, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen content, leaf phosphorus content, leaf potassium content and leaf carbon content) changed from conservative to acquisitive syndromes during the recovery process, whereas wood density showed the opposite pattern, and seed mass showed no significant change, suggesting that leaf traits are more sensitive to environmental changes than wood or seed traits. The functional richness increased during the recovery process, whereas the functional evenness and divergence had the highest values in the 60-year-old secondary communities. Soil nutrients significantly influenced functional traits, but their effects on functional diversity were less obvious during the secondary succession after shifting cultivation. Our study indicates that the recovery of tropical monsoon forests is rather slow; secondary stands recover far less than the old growth stands in terms of community structure and species and functional diversity, even after about half a century of recovery, highlighting the importance of the conservation of old growth tropical monsoon forest ecosystems.

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“…We included seven study sites from which we collected data on the regeneration tree communities in secondary forests and on reference tree communities (one for each site) in nearby mature forests. Secondary forests of four of our study sites consist of stands under natural succession after land abandonment (Zanini et al, 2014;Vicente-Silva et al, 2016), whereas the remaining three are sites undergoing ecological restoration after planting interventions of tree seedlings (Rosenfield and Müller, 2019) (Table 1). Planting of seedlings was conducted under legal requirement, using native species with distinct number of species and density (see Rosenfield and Müller, 2019).…”

Section: Study Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Canopy Leaf Traits, Basal Area, and Age Predict Functional Patterns of Regenerating Communities in Secondary Subtropical Forests

Müller¹,

Bergamin²,

Bordin³

et al. 2021

Front. For. Glob. Change

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Secondary forests originate from natural regeneration after fallow (succession) or restoration. Species assembly in these communities, which can affect ecosystem functions and successional trajectories, is very unpredictable. Trait-based trajectories can shed light on the recovery of ecosystem functions and enable predictions of how the regenerating communities will change with forest age. Regeneration communities are affected by initial conditions and also by canopy structure and functional traits that alter dispersers' attractiveness and coexistence mechanisms. Here we evaluated how community functional traits change over time and tested if functional diversity and composition of the established canopy, as well as the structure of the canopy and forest age, influence the functional structure of regenerating tree communities when compared to their reference forests. For this, we calculated dissimilarity in trait composition (community-weighted means) and in functional diversity of regenerating communities of each succession/restoration stand, using the tree stratum of nearby mature forests as baseline values. Functional trait information comprises leaf, wood density, and reproductive traits from tree species. Our community data contain information from natural successional forests and restoration sites, in the South-Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Predictor variables of functional dissimilarities were forest age, canopy structural variables, canopy functional composition, and functional diversity. Results showed leaf traits (leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen content, leaf nitrogen-phosphorus ratio) and seed mass varying with forest age. Canopy functional composition based on leaf traits and total basal area significantly predicted multiple trait functional dissimilarity between the regeneration component of secondary forests and their reference community values. Dissimilarity increased when the canopy was composed of species with more acquisitive traits. Difference in functional diversity was only influenced by forest age. Mid-stage secondary forests showed lower functional diversity than early-stage forests. Our results indicated the importance of canopy traits on the natural regeneration of secondary subtropical forests. If functional similarity with reference forests is a desired objective in order to recover ecosystem functions through natural regeneration, leaf functional traits of canopy trees that establish or are planted in degraded areas must be considered in the successional processes.

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Assembly patterns and functional diversity of tree species in a successional gradient of Araucaria forest in Southern Brazil

Cited by 18 publications

References 27 publications

Colonization-related functional traits of plants in a 50-hectare plot of secondary tropical forest

Colonization-related functional traits of plants in a 50-hectare plot of secondary tropical forest

Recovery of Functional Diversity Following Shifting Cultivation in Tropical Monsoon Forests

Canopy Leaf Traits, Basal Area, and Age Predict Functional Patterns of Regenerating Communities in Secondary Subtropical Forests

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