Plant functional traits are dynamic predictors of ecosystem functioning in variable environments

Abstract

A central goal at the interface of ecology and conservation is understanding how the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function (B–EF) will shift with changing climate. Despite recent theoretical advances, studies which examine temporal variation in the functional traits and mechanisms (mass ratio effects and niche complementarity effects) that underpin the B–EF relationship are lacking. Here, we use 13 years of data on plant species composition, plant traits, local‐scale abiotic variables, above‐ground net primary productivity (ANPP), and climate from the alpine tundra of Colorado (USA) to investigate temporal dynamics in the B–EF relationship. To assess how changing climatic conditions may alter the B–EF relationship, we built structural equation models (SEMs) for 11 traits across 13 years and evaluated the power of different trait SEMs to predict ANPP, as well as the relative contributions of mass ratio effects (community‐weighted mean trait values; CWM), niche complementarity effects (functional dispersion; FDis) and local abiotic variables. Additionally, we coupled linear mixed effects models with Multimodel inference methods to assess how inclusion of trait–climate interactions might improve our ability to predict ANPP through time. In every year, at least one SEM exhibited good fit, explaining between 19.6% and 57.2% of the variation in ANPP. However, the identity of the trait which best explained ANPP changed depending on winter precipitation, with leaf area, plant height and foliar nitrogen isotope content (δ15N) SEMs performing best in high, middle and low precipitation years, respectively. Regardless of trait identity, CWMs exerted a stronger influence on ANPP than FDis and total biotic effects were always greater than total abiotic effects. Multimodel inference reinforced the results of SEM analysis, with the inclusion of climate–trait interactions marginally improving our ability to predict ANPP through time. Synthesis. Our results suggest that temporal variation in climatic conditions influences which traits, mechanisms and abiotic variables were most responsible for driving the B–EF relationship. Importantly, our findings suggest that future research should consider temporal variability in the B–EF relationship, particularly how the predictive power of individual functional traits and abiotic variables may fluctuate as conditions shift due to climate change.

Hormonal response to recurrent seasonal stress in coastal and mountain scabiouses growing in their natural habitat: linking ABA and jasmonates with photoprotection

“…An approach to disentangle the validity of plant functional traits as predictors of ecosystem functioning in changing environments (Pérez‐Harguindeguy et al, 2013; Huxley et al, 2023) is linking them to survival. This approach, although still very poorly used in ecophysiological studies dealing with phytohormones and photoprotection due to the difficulty of merging biochemical data with demography, is essential for disentangling tolerance and resilience, and goes far beyond the validity of correlative analyses, since the latter may be strongly limited by memory‐like effects in physiological stress responses.…”

“…An ecophysiological approach to accurately assess plant performance is measuring a set of plant functional traits, which are described to be any morphological, physiological or phenological feature measurable for individual plants, at the cell to the whole organism level, which potentially affects its fitness (Pérez‐Harguindeguy et al, 2013). In turn, plant functional traits are useful predictors of ecosystem functioning in changing environments (Huxley et al, 2023). The balance between light capture (leaf gas exchange) and regulation of photoprotection mechanisms is of great relevance to studies concerning the responsiveness of the photosynthetic apparatus under extreme climatic events.…”

Influence of surface water and groundwater on functional traits and trade-off strategies of oasis communities at the end of the Keriya River, China

“…Plant functional traits are core attributes that reflect the response of vegetation to environmental change and strongly influence ecosystem function (Huxley et al, 2023;Jiang et al, 2023). Studies aimed at elucidating the formation mechanisms of functional traits enable the exploration of community ecologyrelated issues.…”

Unraveling the drivers and impacts of leaf phenological diversity in a subtropical forest: Afine‐scaleanalysis usingPlanetScope CubeSats

“…The lack of comprehensive characterizations of intra‐site leaf phenological diversity has further implications, particularly given the growing acknowledgment of leaf phenology as a crucial phenotype (Ware et al ., 2019; Segrestin et al ., 2020), which exhibits connections with ecosystem properties (Zhang et al ., 2020; Kim et al ., 2021). While the relationship between taxonomic diversity and/or functional trait diversity with essential ecosystem properties, such as aboveground biomass (AGB), has been relatively well‐established (Gross et al ., 2017; Rahman et al ., 2021; Huxley et al ., 2023), the role of leaf phenological diversity in driving ecosystem properties remains less clear. Thus, it is essential to not only expand our understanding of intra‐site leaf phenological diversity but also explore its potential impact on ecosystem properties and processes.…”