Functional strategies of tropical dry forest plants in relation to growth form and isotopic composition

Santiago, Louis S.; Silvera, Katia; Andrade, José Luís; Dawson, Todd E.

doi:10.1088/1748-9326/aa8959

Cited by 31 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…The drier conditions of the 1200-mm site compared to the 1900-mm site could limit aqueous N dissolution and plant uptake, consequently limiting N availability, consistent with lower leaf N values at the 1200-mm site. Other factors including temperature, N re-translocation in plants, N fractionation after plant uptake, atmospheric deposition and plant leaf habit are known to influence leaf δ 15 N (Amundson et al 2003, Dawson et al 2002, Högberg 1997, Martinelli et al 2009, Ometto et al 2006, Santiago et al 2005, 2017). Alternative N sources, such as biological N 2 - fixation and mycorrhizal associations also affect δ 15 N (Evans 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isotopic composition of leaf carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) of deciduous and evergreen understorey trees in two tropical Brazilian Atlantic forests

et al. 2018

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Abstract:Isotopic composition of leaf carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) is determined by biotic and abiotic factors. In order to determine the influence of leaf habit and site on leaf δ13C and δ15N in the understorey of two Atlantic forests in Brazil that differ in annual precipitation (1200 and 1900 mm), we measured these isotopes in the shaded understorey of 38 tropical tree species (20 in the 1200-mm site and 18 in the 1900-mm site). Mean site values for δ15N were significantly lower at the 1200-mm site (−1.4‰) compared with the 1900-mm site (+3.0‰), and δ13C was significantly greater in the 1200-mm site (−30.4‰) than in the 1900-mm site (−31.6‰). Leaf C concentration was greater and leaf N concentration was lower at 1200-mm than at 1900-mm. Leaf δ15N was negatively correlated with δ13C across the two sites. Leaf δ13C and δ15N of evergreen and deciduous species were not significantly different within a site. No significant phylogenetic signal for any traits among the study species was found. Overall, site differences were the main factor distinguishing traits among species, suggesting strong functional convergence to local climate and soils within each site for individuals in the shaded understorey.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isotopic composition of leaf carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) of deciduous and evergreen understorey trees in two tropical Brazilian Atlantic forests

et al. 2018

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“…, Santiago et al . ) that may result in lower rates of N uptake by trees, and in roots to enhance root metabolism and growth for the uptake of soil nutrients and water (Sardans et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in nitrogen cycling between tropical dry forests with contrasting precipitation revealed by stable isotopes of nitrogen in plants and soils

et al. 2018

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Despite the known links between climate and biogeochemical cycling of N in tropical forests, fundamental knowledge of N cycling is still far from complete. Our objective was to ascertain differences in the N cycle of two tropical dry forests under contrasting precipitation regime (1240 or 642 mm of mean annual rainfall). To do so, we examined a short-term metric of N cycling (N concentration) and a more integrated metric of N cycling (natural abundance 15 N) in plants and soils at both sites. At both the relatively wet and dry sites, N cycling associated with two non-N 2 -fixing species was compared to N cycling associated with two potential N 2 -fixing species; all four tree species considered were dominant at both sites. The 15 N abundance in plants was highest in the site with low rainfall, showing that N losses from the system may be large. By contrast, short-term N metrics did not vary with rainfall. Although there was a trend for leaf N concentration to be elevated in trees that have potential associations with N 2 -fixers, only 15 N in the forest floor was significantly greater under trees with high canopy N (N 2 -fixing species) than those with low canopy N (non-N 2 -fixing species). Within each site, the influence of N 2 -fixing species on N cycling increased with a reduction in rainfall. Overall, our results demonstrate the role of climate as a driver of N cycling in the region, such that the projected decrease in precipitation in this region may lead to larger N losses in these forests. This study also shows how changes in tree species with and without N 2 -fixing associations may impact N cycling in tropical dryland forests in the future.Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.

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“…It has been observed that most of the Asteraceae species, for example some members of the Eupatorieae tribe forming part of group three (Fig 3), especially distributed in the BD's eastern portion, show a high growth rate, due to its ability to absorb nutrients [80]. This attribute gives them a competitive advantage [80,82], but there is no information about the fuctional…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeographic regionalization by spatial and environmental components: Numerical proposal

et al. 2021

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Regionalization through the analysis of species groups offers important advantages in conservation biology, compared to the single taxon approach in areas of high species richness. We use a systematic framework for biogeographic regionalization at a regional scale based on species turnover and environmental drivers (climate variables and soil properties) mainly of herbaceous plant species richness. To identify phytogeographic regions in the Balsas Depression (BD), we use Asteraceae species, a family widely distributed in Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest (SDTF) and the most diverse of the vascular plants in Mexico. Occurrence records of 571 species were used to apply a quantitative analysis based on the species turnover, the rate of changes in their composition between sites (β-Simpson index) and the analysis of the identified environmental drivers. Also, the environmental predictors that influence species richness in the SDTF were determined with a redundancy analysis. We identified and named two phytogeographic districts within the SDTF of the BD (Upper Balsas and Lower Balsas). According to the multi-response permutation procedure, floristic composition of the two districts differs significantly, and the richness of exclusive species in Upper Balsas was higher (292 species) than in the Lower Balsas (32 species). The proportion of Mg and Ca in the soil and the precipitation of the driest three-month period were the environmental factors with greatest positive influence on species richness. The division of geographic districts subordinated to the province level, based on diverse families such as Asteraceae, proved to be appropriate to set up strategies for the conservation of the regional flora, since at this scale, variation in species richness is more evident. Our findings are consistent with a growing body of biogeographic literature that indicates that the identification of smaller biotic districts is more efficient for the conservation of biodiversity, particularly of endemic or rare plants, whose distribution responds more to microhabitats variation.

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Functional strategies of tropical dry forest plants in relation to growth form and isotopic composition

Cited by 31 publications

References 37 publications

Isotopic composition of leaf carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) of deciduous and evergreen understorey trees in two tropical Brazilian Atlantic forests

Isotopic composition of leaf carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) of deciduous and evergreen understorey trees in two tropical Brazilian Atlantic forests

Differences in nitrogen cycling between tropical dry forests with contrasting precipitation revealed by stable isotopes of nitrogen in plants and soils

Biogeographic regionalization by spatial and environmental components: Numerical proposal

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Functional strategies of tropical dry forest plants in relation to growth form and isotopic composition

Cited by 31 publications

References 37 publications

Isotopic composition of leaf carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) of deciduous and evergreen understorey trees in two tropical Brazilian Atlantic forests

Isotopic composition of leaf carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) of deciduous and evergreen understorey trees in two tropical Brazilian Atlantic forests

Differences in nitrogen cycling between tropical dry forests with contrasting precipitation revealed by stable isotopes of nitrogen in plants and soils

Biogeographic regionalization by spatial and environmental components: Numerical proposal

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Isotopic composition of leaf carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) of deciduous and evergreen understorey trees in two tropical Brazilian Atlantic forests

Isotopic composition of leaf carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) of deciduous and evergreen understorey trees in two tropical Brazilian Atlantic forests