Demographic drivers of successional changes in phylogenetic structure across life‐history stages in plant communities

Norden, Natalia; Letcher, Susan G.; Boukili, Vanessa; Swenson, Nathan G.; Chazdon, Robin L.

doi:10.1890/10-2179.1

Cited by 111 publications

(166 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Consistent with this expectation, absolute difference in neighbor SLA and LDMC was associated with significantly higher survival, suggesting niche differences among neighbors, and these same traits also showed greater neighborhood trait diversity in older stands. We previously observed increasing phylogenetic diversity with stand age in our plots (46), which assuming that traits are conserved, is likely influenced by trait-mediated niche differences. However, the demographic effects of traitmediated niche differences were countered by strong trait correlations with average demography, suggesting that assembly simultaneously changed community trait means and variance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 50%

Trait-mediated assembly processes predict successional changes in community diversity of tropical forests

Lasky

Uriarte

Boukili

et al. 2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

194

269

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Interspecific differences in relative fitness can cause local dominance by a single species. However, stabilizing interspecific niche differences can promote local diversity. Understanding these mechanisms requires that we simultaneously quantify their effects on demography and link these effects to community dynamics. Successional forests are ideal systems for testing assembly theory because they exhibit rapid community assembly. Here, we leverage functional trait and long-term demographic data to build spatially explicit models of successional community dynamics of lowland rainforests in Costa Rica. First, we ask what the effects and relative importance of four trait-mediated community assembly processes are on tree survival, a major component of fitness. We model trait correlations with relative fitness differences that are both density-independent and -dependent in addition to trait correlations with stabilizing niche differences. Second, we ask how the relative importance of these trait-mediated processes relates to successional changes in functional diversity. Tree dynamics were more strongly influenced by trait-related interspecific variation in average survival than trait-related responses to neighbors, with wood specific gravity (WSG) positively correlated with greater survival. Our findings also suggest that competition was mediated by stabilizing niche differences associated with specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf dry matter content (LDMC). These drivers of individual-level survival were reflected in successional shifts to higher SLA and LDMC diversity but lower WSG diversity. Our study makes significant advances to identifying the links between individual tree performance, species functional traits, and mechanisms of tropical forest succession.community turnover | hierarchical Bayes | individual variation | secondary forest | species interactions Q uantifying the relative importance of mechanisms that drive community assembly remains a central challenge in ecology. Interspecific variation in ecological strategies is considered a major driver of community assembly and has been classified by Chesson (1) into relative fitness (i.e., per capita population growth rate) differences and stabilizing niche differences (2). These processes act concurrently, and their importance may vary over space and time (3). However, the simultaneous effects of different assembly mechanisms on community dynamics have not been wellcharacterized, particularly in diverse communities such as tropical forests. High dynamism of vegetation composition during tropical forest succession creates an ideal opportunity to investigate the drivers of community assembly.Interspecific niche and fitness differences can be characterized through the lens of interspecific functional trait variation, an approach that can shed light on drivers of community functional composition and dynamics (2, 4, 5). Traits may mediate niche and fitness differences in at least four ways (Fig. 1). First, interspecific trait variation can be correlated with fitnes...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 50%

Trait-mediated assembly processes predict successional changes in community diversity of tropical forests

Lasky

Uriarte

Boukili

et al. 2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

194

269

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“…First, logging would assimilate environmental conditions of primary forest to those of early successional forest and this environmental homogenization would result in phylogenetic clustering by increasing specific clades with similar environmental requirements. On the other hand, recruitment would recover a floristic composition typical of original primary forest resulting in phylogenetic evenness [35]. Second, but not always alternatively, phylogenetic clustering may have resulted as a by-product of species loss.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Community phylogenetic indices analyse phylogenetic patterns within and between communities and can help to understand underlying ecological mechanisms [26,27]. Previous studies showed that within-community phylogenetic clustering was observed in secondary, early stage and poor nutrient forests because related species are more likely to be ecologically similar and live in the same habitat [33][34][35][36][37]. On the other hand, withincommunity phylogenetic evenness was observed in primary and late stage forests probably because of the competitive exclusion among related species [33][34][35][36], although other ecological processes can be assumed [38].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of logging and recruitment on community phylogenetic structure in 32 permanent forest plots of Kampong Thom, Cambodia

Toyama

Kajisa

Tagane

et al. 2015

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Ecological communities including tropical rainforest are rapidly changing under various disturbances caused by increasing human activities. Recently in Cambodia, illegal logging and clear-felling for agriculture have been increasing. Here, we study the effects of logging, mortality and recruitment of plot trees on phylogenetic community structure in 32 plots in Kampong Thom, Cambodia. Each plot was 0.25 ha; 28 plots were established in primary evergreen forests and four were established in secondary dry deciduous forests. Measurements were made in 1998, 2000, 2004 and 2010, and logging, recruitment and mortality of each tree were recorded. We estimated phylogeny using rbcL and matK gene sequences and quantified phylogenetic a and b diversity. Within communities, logging decreased phylogenetic diversity, and increased overall phylogenetic clustering and terminal phylogenetic evenness. Between communities, logging increased phylogenetic similarity between evergreen and deciduous plots. On the other hand, recruitment had opposite effects both within and between communities. The observed patterns can be explained by environmental homogenization under logging. Logging is biased to particular species and larger diameter at breast height, and forest patrol has been effective in decreasing logging.

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“…2002, Westoby & Wright 2006; Poorter et al., 2008; Chave et al. 2009; Norden, Letcher, Boukili, Swenson, & Chazdon, 2012; Buzzard, Hulshof, Birt, Violle, & Enquist, 2016). However, comparative analyses of demographic performance of species with contrasting sexual systems in diverse forests at different successional stages are lacking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Monoecy in the plant lineage correlates with the evolution of dioecy (occurring in the same tree families and/or in closely related families; Renner & Ricklefs, 1995). However, phylogenetic relationships between species may influence comparisons among species in terms of responses to both biotic and abiotic conditions in natural habitats (Norden et al., 2012; Russo et al., 2010). Quantifying the relationships between demographic dynamics and breeding systems considering the effects of phylogeny at different successional stages could provide new insights into the complex interacting processes that shape community dynamics across large temporal scales (Chang & HilleRisLambers, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of breeding system in community dynamics: Growth and mortality in forests of different successional stages

Wang

Freckleton

Wang

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Plant sexual systems appear to play an important role in community assembly: Dioecious species are found to tend to have a higher propensity to colonize communities in early successional stages. Here, we test two demographic hypotheses to explain this pattern in temperate forests. First, we test demographic differences between hermaphrodite and dioecious species in stressful younger successional stages: Previous theory predicts that hermaphrodite seed production is more harmed in stressful environments than that of dioecious populations leading to an advantage for females of dioecious species. Second, in primary forest, we hypothesized that dioecious species would show demographic advantage over monomorphic ones. We used data from two temperate forest plots in Northeast China surveyed over 10 years to compare the rates of growth and mortality of tree species with contrasting breeding systems in both secondary and primary forests. We assessed the effect of breeding system on the growth‐mortality trade‐off, while controlling for other traits usually considered as correlates of growth and mortality rates. We show that in the secondary forest, dioecious species showed weak advantage in demographic rates compared with monomorphic species; dioecious species showed considerably both lower relative growth and mortality rates compared to the hermaphrodites in the primary forest over 10 years, consistent with a priori predictions. Hermaphrodites showed strong growth‐mortality trade‐offs across forest stages, even when possibly confounding factors had been accounted for. These results suggest that sexual system influences community succession and assembly by acting on the rates of growth and mortality, and the trade‐off between them. As vegetation develops, the demographic differences between breeding systems are much larger. Our results demonstrate the association between breeding system, succession, and community assembly and that this relationship is succession‐stage dependent. Our findings support the suggestion that the demographic advantage of dioecious species facilitates the coexistence of sexual systems in primary forest.

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Demographic drivers of successional changes in phylogenetic structure across life‐history stages in plant communities

Cited by 111 publications

References 61 publications

Trait-mediated assembly processes predict successional changes in community diversity of tropical forests

Trait-mediated assembly processes predict successional changes in community diversity of tropical forests

Effects of logging and recruitment on community phylogenetic structure in 32 permanent forest plots of Kampong Thom, Cambodia

The role of breeding system in community dynamics: Growth and mortality in forests of different successional stages

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