Trade‐off between light interception efficiency and light use efficiency: implications for species coexistence in one‐sided light competition

Onoda, Yusuke; Saluñga, Jema B.; Akutsu, Kosuke; Aiba, Shin‐ichiro; Yahara, Tetsukazu; Anten, Niels P. R.

doi:10.1111/1365-2745.12184

Cited by 95 publications

(79 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Aarssen, Schamp & Pither Onoda et al . ). Incorporating such mechanisms in the model would extend its realism and predictive power.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The idea of size‐asymmetric resource exploitation was proposed decades ago (Weiner ), and its implications have been investigated with respect to a wide range of phenomena including the size distribution in single‐species populations (Weiner & Thomas ), plant growth rates (Coomes, Lines & Allen ), competitive effects and responses (Connolly & Wayne ), population growth rates (Schwinning & Fox ), coexistence (Onoda et al . ), succession (Rees & Bergelson ) and ecosystem functioning (Yachi & Loreau ). Still, we are not aware of any attempt to explicitly model the effects of asymmetric resource exploitation on the diversity and composition of multispecies communities along resource gradients.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Size asymmetry of resource competition and the structure of plant communities

et al. 2016

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Summary Plant communities show two general responses to gradients of soil resources: a decrease in species richness at high levels of resource availability and an associated shift in species composition from small and slow‐growing species to large and fast‐growing species. Models attempting to explain these responses have usually focused on a single pattern and provided contradicting predictions concerning the underlying mechanisms. We use an extension of Tilman's resource competition model to investigate the hypothesis that both patterns may originate from the size‐asymmetric nature of light exploitation by competing plants. The only mechanism producing changes in species richness and species composition in our model is mortality due to competition. Under the framework of the model, asymmetric light exploitation is a necessary and sufficient condition to obtain the empirically observed responses of species richness and species composition to soil resource gradients. This theoretical result is robust to relaxing the simplifying assumptions of the model. Our model shows that the traits enhancing competitive superiority depend on the mode of resource exploitation: under symmetric exploitation, competitive superiority is achieved by tolerance of low resource levels, while under asymmetric exploitation, it is achieved by the ability to grow fast and attain a large size. This result indicates that a long‐standing debate concerning the traits that enhance competitive superiority in plant communities (the ‘Grime–Tilman debate’) can be reduced into a single parameter of our model – the degree of asymmetry in resource competition. The model also explains the observed shift from below‐ground to above‐ground competition with increasing productivity, the associated increase in the asymmetry of competitive interactions and the increasing likelihood of competitive exclusion under high levels of productivity. None of these patterns could be obtained under symmetric competition in our model. Synthesis. The ability of the model to explain a wide range of observed patterns and the robustness of these predictions to its simplifying assumptions suggest that the size asymmetry of competition for light is a fundamental factor in determining the structure and diversity of plant communities.

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“…Aarssen, Schamp & Pither Onoda et al . ). Incorporating such mechanisms in the model would extend its realism and predictive power.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Size asymmetry of resource competition and the structure of plant communities

et al. 2016

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“…However, taller trees were also found to have lower light use efficiency; the trade‐off between higher light interception efficiency and lower light use efficiency would result in similar relative growth rates for trees of different canopy stature (Onoda et al. ). Second, larger‐statured species (i.e., canopy spp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of size, neighbors, and site condition on tree growth in a subtropical evergreen and deciduous broad‐leaved mixed forest, China

Chi

Tang

Xie

et al. 2015

Ecology and Evolution

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Successful growth of a tree is the result of combined effects of biotic and abiotic factors. It is important to understand how biotic and abiotic factors affect changes in forest structure and dynamics under environmental fluctuations. In this study, we explored the effects of initial size [diameter at breast height (DBH)], neighborhood competition, and site condition on tree growth, based on a 3‐year monitoring of tree growth rate in a permanent plot (120 × 80 m) of montane Fagus engleriana–Cyclobalanopsis multiervis mixed forest on Mt. Shennongjia, China. We measured DBH increments every 6 months from October 2011 to October 2014 by field‐made dendrometers and calculated the mean annual growth rate over the 3 years for each individual tree. We also measured and calculated twelve soil properties and five topographic variables for 384 grids of 5 × 5 m. We defined two distance‐dependent neighborhood competition indices with and without considerations of phylogenetic relatedness between trees and tested for significant differences in growth rates among functional groups. On average, trees in this mixed montane forest grew 0.07 cm year−1 in DBH. Deciduous, canopy, and early‐successional species grew faster than evergreen, small‐statured, and late‐successional species, respectively. Growth rates increased with initial DBH, but were not significantly related to neighborhood competition and site condition for overall trees. Phylogenetic relatedness between trees did not influence the neighborhood competition. Different factors were found to influence tree growth rates of different functional groups: Initial DBH was the dominant factor for all tree groups; neighborhood competition within 5 m radius decreased growth rates of evergreen trees; and site condition tended to be more related to growth rates of fast‐growing trees (deciduous, canopy, pioneer, and early‐successional species) than the slow‐growing trees (evergreen, understory, and late‐successional species).

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“…In addition to the interception of light, light use efficiency (Onoda et al, 2014) and belowground resources also influence forest growth conditions (Richards et al, 2010) and the understory (Granhus et al, 2016). Despite receiving less light than taller trees, subordinate trees tend to use intercepted light more efficiently, producing a greater amount of biomass per unit of light interception than taller trees (Onoda et al, 2014).…”

Section: Tree Light Capture and Overstory Heterogeneitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree light capture and spatial variability of understory light increase with species mixing and tree size heterogeneity

et al. 2016

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Mixed and multi-layered forest ecosystems are sometimes more productive than monospecific and single-layered ones. It has been suggested that trees of different species and sizes occupy complementary positions in space which would act as a mechanism to increase canopy light interception and wood production. However, greater canopy light interception reduces the average amount and variability of transmitted radiation offering fewer opportunities for all species to regenerate and to maintain forest heterogeneity in the long run. We investigated whether increasing overstory heterogeneity indeed results in greater canopy light interception and lower variability in transmittance. We modeled the three-dimensional structure of forest stands with three typical forest structures, 10 mixtures of four tree species, and three different basal areas. We used the forest light interception model SAMSARALIGHT and performed three-way analyses of covariance to analyze the effects of the three varied components of forest heterogeneity. We found no evidence that increasing structural heterogeneity increases canopy light interception. However, the light interception by mixed canopies was greater than the weighted average of light interception by the corresponding pure canopies. Variability in transmittance increased in some cases with compositional heterogeneity and, to a lesser extent, with tree size inequalities. The advantage of heterogeneous forests is in opportunities for natural regeneration as well as in opportunities to enhance canopy light interception.

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Trade‐off between light interception efficiency and light use efficiency: implications for species coexistence in one‐sided light competition

Cited by 95 publications

References 45 publications

Size asymmetry of resource competition and the structure of plant communities

Size asymmetry of resource competition and the structure of plant communities

Effects of size, neighbors, and site condition on tree growth in a subtropical evergreen and deciduous broad‐leaved mixed forest, China

Tree light capture and spatial variability of understory light increase with species mixing and tree size heterogeneity

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