Effects of biotic interactions on plant fecundity depend on spatial and functional structure of communities and time since disturbance

Walter, Heinrich; Pagel, Jörn; Cooksley, Huw; Neu, Alexander; Schleuning, Matthias; Schurr, Frank M.

doi:10.1111/1365-2745.14018

Cited by 12 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 115 publications

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“…6). This is not surprising since interactions among adult Protea are not only mediated by nutrients and water but also by pollinators and seed predators (Nottebrock et al, 2017a,b;Neu et al, 2023;Walter et al, 2023) Our experiment also sheds further light on links between performance at small and large spatial scales. Increased juvenile survival of resprouters should contribute to the fact that resprouter populations can tolerate a broader range of fire return intervals, thus having a broader disturbance niche and a higher occupancy in sink habitats that are climatically and edaphically unsuitable for them (Treurnicht et al, 2020;Pagel et al, 2020).…”

Section: Functional Traits Mediate Performance Correlations Across On...mentioning

confidence: 51%

“…6 ). This is not surprising since interactions among adult Protea are not only mediated by nutrients and water but also by pollinators and seed predators (Nottebrock et al ., 2017a,b; Neu et al ., 2023; Walter et al ., 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Neighbourhood models of recruitment hold promise for understanding and predicting the dynamics of Protea communities. By integrating recruitment models with neighbourhood models of adult growth and reproduction (Nottebrock et al ., 2017a,b; Walter et al ., 2023) and with models of seed dispersal (Schurr et al ., 2005, 2007) it should be possible to develop data-driven trait-based models of community dynamics. Such models would permit an integrated analysis of community dynamics and species coexistence in this biodiversity hotspot.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Functional traits shape plant-plant interactions and recruitment in a hotspot of woody plant diversity

Cooksley

Dreyling

Esler

et al. 2023

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Understanding and predicting recruitment in species-rich plant communities requires identifying the functional determinants of both density-independent performance and interactions. In a common-garden field experiment with 25 species of the woody plant genus Protea, we varied the initial spatial and taxonomic arrangement of seedlings and followed their survival and growth during recruitment. Neighbourhood models quantified how six key functional traits affect density-independent performance, interaction effects and responses. Trait-based neighbourhood models accurately predicted individual survival and growth from the initial spatial and functional composition of species-rich experimental communities. Functional variation among species caused substantial variation in density-independent survival and growth that was not correlated with interaction effects and responses. Interactions were spatially-restricted but had important, predominantly competitive, effects on recruitment. Traits increasing the acquisition of limiting resources (water for survival, soil P for growth) mediated a trade-off between competitive effects and responses. Moreover, resprouting species had higher survival but reduced growth, likely reinforcing the survival-growth trade-off in adult plants. The combination of field experiments and trait-based neighbourhood analyses holds substantial potential for community ecology. It permits the identification of traits that mediate performance trade-offs promoting coexistence in species-rich communities and contributes key knowledge to guide conservation and restoration of biodiversity hotspots.

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Section: Functional Traits Mediate Performance Correlations Across On...mentioning

confidence: 51%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Functional traits shape plant-plant interactions and recruitment in a hotspot of woody plant diversity

Cooksley

Dreyling

Esler

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…So far, the specific functional traits underpinning ecological processes and ecosystem functions are unknown for most taxa. Different functional traits may shape species interactions within and across trophic levels (Walter et al, 2023), demonstrating that multiple traits jointly structure multi‐trophic communities and their respective ecosystem functions (Gravel et al, 2016). In particular, morphological traits alone may not always be sufficient for predicting trophic interactions and functions (Bartomeus et al, 2016).…”

Section: Question 1 Expanding Insights From Single To Multiple Trophi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal functional traits: Towards a trait‐based ecology for whole ecosystems

2023

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1. Functional traits and associated trait-based concepts have driven rapid innovation in ecology over recent years, with most progress based on insights from plants. However, plants are almost entirely restricted to a single trophic level, and an over-reliance on plant traits therefore neglects the complexity and importance of biotic interactions across trophic levels. 2. The need to expand the focus of trait-based ecology to account for trophic complexity has led to an upsurge in attention on animal functional traits and the emergence of new concepts relevant to community ecology, macroecology and ecosystem science. Recent progress in the compilation of global trait datasets for some animal taxa has opened up new possibilities for testing ecological theory. 3. In this Special Focus, we explore how trait-based ecology can expand the scope of investigation from single to multiple trophic levels, how insights from these investigations can be used to upscale understanding from local communities to biogeographical patterns and how this can ultimately help to predict the impacts of global change on ecosystem functions. To address these key questions, we showcase studies on diverse animal taxa ranging in size from springtails to crocodiles and spanning multiple trophic levels from primary consumers to apex predators. 4. This collection of studies shows how precise measurements of morphological or physiological traits can increase mechanistic understanding of community assembly across trophic levels, particularly of the mechanisms underpinning large-scale biodiversity patterns. Furthermore, a clearer picture is emerging of systematic animal responses to environmental change that shape the trait composition of ecological communities and affect ecosystem functioning. 5. The articles in this volume highlight the need to move trait-based ecology beyond the limits of taxonomic boundaries. The integration of trait data and concepts across trophic levels opens up new possibilities for identifying general ecological mechanisms that shape patterns and processes operating at different scales. The identification of key functional traits and their interplay across trophic levels can underpin the development of a trait-based ecology for whole | 5

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“…These study species share the same fire-driven life cycle and general growth architecture. Their regular growth pattern and the fact that they form canopy seed banks enables one to reconstruct the temporal dynamics of growth, reproduction and maternal care for multiple years into the past (Walter et al, 2023). Despite this commonality, Protea species exhibit remarkable variation in life-histories and functional traits (Schurr et al, 2012), with adult plant height and seed mass varying by more than an order of magnitude (Treurnicht et al, 2016).…”

Section: Application Of the Trl Framework To Protea Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An integrative trait-based framework to infer resource budgets and life-histories of long-lived plants

Cooksley

Schleuning

Neu

et al. 2023

Preprint

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A fundamental assumption of functional ecology is that functional traits determine life-histories. Yet correlations between traits and life-history components are often weak, especially for long-lived plants. This is because trade-offs, constraints, dynamic resource budgets and the scaling from single organs to entire plants cause complex relationships between traits and life-history. To elucidate these relationships, we present an integrated Trait-Resource-Life-History (TRL) framework that infers how functional traits affect organ-level costs and benefits of different life-history components, how these costs and benefits shape the dynamics of whole-plant resource acquisition and allocation, and how these dynamics translate into life history. We illustrate this framework by developing a TRL model for a functionally diverse group of woody plants (22 species of the genus Protea from the South African Greater Cape Floristic Region). Using hierarchical Bayesian latent state-space modelling, we statistically parameterise this model from data on year-to-year variation in growth, reproduction and maternal care (serotiny) for 600 individuals. The parameterised model reveals that higher resource acquisition translates into both larger absolute resource pools and greater proportional resource allocation to reproduction. Accordingly, specific leaf area, a key trait increasing resource acquisition, is associated with larger resource pools, an earlier age of maturity as well as increased vegetative and reproductive performance at young to intermediate ages. In contrast, seed nitrogen content has opposing effects on the benefits of different organs and thus only shows weak correlations with life-history components. Importantly, the TRL model identifies trait- and resource-mediated trade-offs at the level of organs, whole-plant resource budgets and life-histories. It can thus quantify key components of life-history theory that are so far largely inaccessible for long-lived plants. This permits novel insights into ecological and evolutionary mechanisms shaping life-histories. Application of the proposed framework to a broad range of plant systems should be facilitated by the increasing availability of trait and demographic data, whole-plant phenotyping and high-resolution remote sensing. The integration of the TRL framework with models of biotic interactions further holds promise for a resource-based understanding of community dynamics across trophic levels and a closer integration of functional ecology, evolutionary ecology, community ecology and ecosystem science.

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Effects of biotic interactions on plant fecundity depend on spatial and functional structure of communities and time since disturbance

Cited by 12 publications

References 115 publications

Functional traits shape plant-plant interactions and recruitment in a hotspot of woody plant diversity

Functional traits shape plant-plant interactions and recruitment in a hotspot of woody plant diversity

Animal functional traits: Towards a trait‐based ecology for whole ecosystems

An integrative trait-based framework to infer resource budgets and life-histories of long-lived plants

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