Gabriele Midolo, Irena Axmanová, Jan Divíšek, Pavel Dřevojan, Zdeňka Lososová, Martin Večeřa, Dirk Nikolaus Karger, Wilfried Thuiller, Helge Bruelheide, Svetlana Aćić, Fabio Attorre, Idoia Biurrun, Steffen Boch, Gianmaria Bonari, Andraž Čarni, Alessandro Chiarucci, Renata Ćušterevska, Jürgen Dengler, Tetiana Dziuba, Emmanuel Garbolino, Ute Jandt, Jonathan Lenoir, Corrado Marcenò, Solvita Rūsiņa, Jozef Šibík, Željko Škvorc, Zvjezdana Stančić, Milica Stanišić-Vujačić, Jens-Christian Svenning, Grzegorz Swacha, Kiril Vassilev, Milan Chytrý
Aims
The Raunkiær's system classifies vascular plants into life forms based on the position of renewal buds during periods unfavourable for plant growth. Despite the importance of Raunkiær's system for ecological research, a study exploring the diversity and distribution of life forms on a continental scale is missing. We aim to (i) map the diversity and distribution of life forms in European vegetation and (ii) test for effects of bioclimatic variables while controlling for habitat-specific responses.
Location
Europe.
Methods
We used data on life forms of 8883 species recorded in 546,501 vegetation plots of different habitats (forest, grassland, scrub and wetland). For each plot, we calculated: (i) the proportion of species of each life form and (ii) the richness and evenness of life forms. We mapped these plot-level metrics averaged across 50 km × 50 km grid cells and modelled their response to bioclimatic variables.
Results
Hemicryptophytes were the most widespread life form, especially in the temperate zone of Central Europe. Conversely, therophyte and chamaephyte species were more common in the Mediterranean as well as in the dry temperate regions. Moreover, chamaephytes were also more common in the boreal and arctic zones. Higher proportions of phanerophytes were found in the Mediterranean. Overall, a higher richness of life forms was found at lower latitudes while evenness showed more spatially heterogeneous patterns. Habitat type was the main discriminator for most of the responses analysed, but several moisture-related predictors still showed a marked effect on the diversity of therophytes and chamaephytes.
Conclusions
Our maps can be used as a tool for future biogeographic and macro-ecological research at a continental scale. Habitat type and bioclimatic conditions are key for regulating the diversity and distribution of plant life forms, with concomitant consequences for the response of functional diversity in European vegetation to global environmental changes.
{"title":"Diversity and distribution of Raunkiær's life forms in European vegetation","authors":"Gabriele Midolo, Irena Axmanová, Jan Divíšek, Pavel Dřevojan, Zdeňka Lososová, Martin Večeřa, Dirk Nikolaus Karger, Wilfried Thuiller, Helge Bruelheide, Svetlana Aćić, Fabio Attorre, Idoia Biurrun, Steffen Boch, Gianmaria Bonari, Andraž Čarni, Alessandro Chiarucci, Renata Ćušterevska, Jürgen Dengler, Tetiana Dziuba, Emmanuel Garbolino, Ute Jandt, Jonathan Lenoir, Corrado Marcenò, Solvita Rūsiņa, Jozef Šibík, Željko Škvorc, Zvjezdana Stančić, Milica Stanišić-Vujačić, Jens-Christian Svenning, Grzegorz Swacha, Kiril Vassilev, Milan Chytrý","doi":"10.1111/jvs.13229","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.13229","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Aims</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The Raunkiær's system classifies vascular plants into life forms based on the position of renewal buds during periods unfavourable for plant growth. Despite the importance of Raunkiær's system for ecological research, a study exploring the diversity and distribution of life forms on a continental scale is missing. We aim to (i) map the diversity and distribution of life forms in European vegetation and (ii) test for effects of bioclimatic variables while controlling for habitat-specific responses.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Location</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Europe.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We used data on life forms of 8883 species recorded in 546,501 vegetation plots of different habitats (forest, grassland, scrub and wetland). For each plot, we calculated: (i) the proportion of species of each life form and (ii) the richness and evenness of life forms. We mapped these plot-level metrics averaged across 50 km × 50 km grid cells and modelled their response to bioclimatic variables.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Hemicryptophytes were the most widespread life form, especially in the temperate zone of Central Europe. Conversely, therophyte and chamaephyte species were more common in the Mediterranean as well as in the dry temperate regions. Moreover, chamaephytes were also more common in the boreal and arctic zones. Higher proportions of phanerophytes were found in the Mediterranean. Overall, a higher richness of life forms was found at lower latitudes while evenness showed more spatially heterogeneous patterns. Habitat type was the main discriminator for most of the responses analysed, but several moisture-related predictors still showed a marked effect on the diversity of therophytes and chamaephytes.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our maps can be used as a tool for future biogeographic and macro-ecological research at a continental scale. Habitat type and bioclimatic conditions are key for regulating the diversity and distribution of plant life forms, with concomitant consequences for the response of functional diversity in European vegetation to global environmental changes.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":49965,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vegetation Science","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jvs.13229","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139494496","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
László Erdős, Khanh Vu Ho, Ákos Bede-Fazekas, György Kröel-Dulay, Csaba Tölgyesi, Zoltán Bátori, Péter Török
Aims
Ecological strategies can provide information about plant community assembly and its main drivers. Our aim was to reveal the dominant strategies of the vegetation types of forest–grassland mosaics and to deduce the assembly processes responsible for their species composition.
Location
Hungary.
Methods
We investigated eight vegetation types of Hungarian forest–steppes. The trade-off between three key traits related to leaf size and economics was used to calculate Grime's competitive–stress tolerance–ruderal (CSR) value for each species, based on which the mean value for each vegetation type was determined. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) ordination was used to reveal the compositional differences among the vegetation types under study. To analyze how ecological strategies correlate with the compositional gradient, we used linear regression between plot ordination scores (the first DCA scores) and each strategy (C, S, and R). Linear mixed-effect models were used to evaluate the differences between the vegetation types regarding each strategy (C, S, and R).
Results
Each vegetation type was dominated by the stress-tolerator strategy, indicating the prominent role of environmental filtering in community assembly. However, ecological strategies differed significantly among the communities. The importance of the stress-tolerator strategy decreased toward the less harsh end of the gradient (i.e., from grasslands to forests), while the competitor strategy showed a reverse pattern. The ruderal strategy was weakly correlated with the gradient, although its proportion increased toward the harsh end of the gradient.
Conclusions
With ongoing climate change, an increasing importance of environmental filtering is expected in the assembly of the vegetation types in the studied forest–grassland mosaics. We suggest that CSR strategies offer a useful tool for studying plant-community assembly rules along environmental gradients.
{"title":"Environmental filtering is the primary driver of community assembly in forest–grassland mosaics: A case study based on CSR strategies","authors":"László Erdős, Khanh Vu Ho, Ákos Bede-Fazekas, György Kröel-Dulay, Csaba Tölgyesi, Zoltán Bátori, Péter Török","doi":"10.1111/jvs.13228","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.13228","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Aims</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Ecological strategies can provide information about plant community assembly and its main drivers. Our aim was to reveal the dominant strategies of the vegetation types of forest–grassland mosaics and to deduce the assembly processes responsible for their species composition.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Location</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Hungary.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We investigated eight vegetation types of Hungarian forest–steppes. The trade-off between three key traits related to leaf size and economics was used to calculate Grime's competitive–stress tolerance–ruderal (CSR) value for each species, based on which the mean value for each vegetation type was determined. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) ordination was used to reveal the compositional differences among the vegetation types under study. To analyze how ecological strategies correlate with the compositional gradient, we used linear regression between plot ordination scores (the first DCA scores) and each strategy (C, S, and R). Linear mixed-effect models were used to evaluate the differences between the vegetation types regarding each strategy (C, S, and R).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Each vegetation type was dominated by the stress-tolerator strategy, indicating the prominent role of environmental filtering in community assembly. However, ecological strategies differed significantly among the communities. The importance of the stress-tolerator strategy decreased toward the less harsh end of the gradient (i.e., from grasslands to forests), while the competitor strategy showed a reverse pattern. The ruderal strategy was weakly correlated with the gradient, although its proportion increased toward the harsh end of the gradient.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>With ongoing climate change, an increasing importance of environmental filtering is expected in the assembly of the vegetation types in the studied forest–grassland mosaics. We suggest that CSR strategies offer a useful tool for studying plant-community assembly rules along environmental gradients.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":49965,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vegetation Science","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jvs.13228","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139504583","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Previous studies have shown that mire vegetation responds to fine-scale differences in topography; however, very few studies have examined the relationship between multiple topographic conditions and vegetation distribution patterns by using topographic information with a resolution finer than microtopographic patches of sub-meter scale in mires. Is it possible to predict vegetation distribution patterns in a mire using topographic information derived from drone imagery? How do topographic conditions affect the emergence of vegetation types?
Location
3 km2 of sloping mire in eastern Hokkaido, northern Japan.
Methods
Digital surface models (DSMs) and orthomosaics were created using an affordable drone (Phantom3 advanced) and photogrammetry. We calculated 23 variables reflecting topographic conditions from DSMs. The locations of four vegetation types (Moliniopsis japonica–Eriophorum vaginatum, ME; Moliniopsis japonica–Carex lasiocarpa, MC; Sphagnum fuscum–Ledum palustre, SL; and Carex lyngbyei–Thelypteris palustris, CT) were recorded by field survey and orthomosaics. Random forest models that predicted vegetation types from topographic variables were created and we evaluated the prediction accuracy, importance of variables and effect of variables on the occurrence probability of the vegetation types.
Results
All predictive indicators (recall, precision, overall accuracy, kappa) were very high (>0.9). Important variables for modeling were altitude, relative height to the surroundings, slopes at a scale of several 10 m, soil wetness index and terrain ruggedness. Each vegetation type appeared under different topographic conditions; altitude was a key factor in ME and MC, and slope in CT. SL showed patchy distribution predictions on hummocks.
Conclusions
Vegetation distribution in the mire was strongly related to topographic information based on the DSMs. Analysis of the variable effects indicates that the emergence of the vegetation types was explained by a combination of multiple topographic conditions. This approach has the outstanding advantages of obtaining many survey points quickly and retrieving topographic conditions difficult to measure using on-ground field surveys.
{"title":"Topographic conditions as governing factors of mire vegetation types analyzed from drone-based terrain model","authors":"Kazuhiro Kaneko, Minoru Yokochi, Takashi Inoue, Yukie Kato, Hiroko Fujita","doi":"10.1111/jvs.13226","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jvs.13226","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Questions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Previous studies have shown that mire vegetation responds to fine-scale differences in topography; however, very few studies have examined the relationship between multiple topographic conditions and vegetation distribution patterns by using topographic information with a resolution finer than microtopographic patches of sub-meter scale in mires. Is it possible to predict vegetation distribution patterns in a mire using topographic information derived from drone imagery? How do topographic conditions affect the emergence of vegetation types?</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Location</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>3 km<sup>2</sup> of sloping mire in eastern Hokkaido, northern Japan.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Digital surface models (DSMs) and orthomosaics were created using an affordable drone (Phantom3 advanced) and photogrammetry. We calculated 23 variables reflecting topographic conditions from DSMs. The locations of four vegetation types (<i>Moliniopsis japonica</i>–<i>Eriophorum vaginatum</i>, ME; <i>Moliniopsis japonica–Carex lasiocarpa</i>, MC; <i>Sphagnum fuscum</i>–<i>Ledum palustre</i>, SL; and <i>Carex lyngbyei–Thelypteris palustris</i>, CT) were recorded by field survey and orthomosaics. Random forest models that predicted vegetation types from topographic variables were created and we evaluated the prediction accuracy, importance of variables and effect of variables on the occurrence probability of the vegetation types.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>All predictive indicators (recall, precision, overall accuracy, kappa) were very high (>0.9). Important variables for modeling were altitude, relative height to the surroundings, slopes at a scale of several 10 m, soil wetness index and terrain ruggedness. Each vegetation type appeared under different topographic conditions; altitude was a key factor in ME and MC, and slope in CT. SL showed patchy distribution predictions on hummocks.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Vegetation distribution in the mire was strongly related to topographic information based on the DSMs. Analysis of the variable effects indicates that the emergence of the vegetation types was explained by a combination of multiple topographic conditions. This approach has the outstanding advantages of obtaining many survey points quickly and retrieving topographic conditions difficult to measure using on-ground field surveys.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":49965,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vegetation Science","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139481584","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chenqi He, Fan Fan, Xiujuan Qiao, Zhang Zhou, Han Xu, Sheng Li, Jiangling Zhu, Shaopeng Wang, Zhiyao Tang, Jingyun Fang
Questions
The minimum sampling area (minimum area) is the smallest space that reflects species composition and characteristics of a plant community. The quantitative concept of minimum area is often estimated using species–area relationships (SARs) and has become the classical foundation for managing protected areas. However, sampling designs to determine the minimum area in different forest types have not been systematically evaluated.
Location
China.
Methods
We used tree census data from three forest dynamic plots, each with a size of 25–60 ha, in different climatic zones in China to determine the minimum areas of woody plants and to analyze the effects of species richness and topographic heterogeneity on the minimum areas by changing sampling origin and direction.
Results
We found that mainly sampling design affects the estimation of woody plant species richness and required minimum area in different forest types. The estimated size of the minimum areas required was several hectares and varied significantly with sampling origin and direction, and showed a difference of approximately 1.5–2 times in the forest plots. Topographic heterogeneity significantly affected the minimum area through changes in species composition.
Conclusions
Sampling origin and direction should be considered when using SARs to estimate the minimum area and species diversity in communities. Such a comprehensive approach of sampling can contribute to a better understanding of vegetation characteristics and the minimum area required for a conservation census in heterogeneous environments.
{"title":"Sampling origins and directions affect the minimum sampling area in forest plots","authors":"Chenqi He, Fan Fan, Xiujuan Qiao, Zhang Zhou, Han Xu, Sheng Li, Jiangling Zhu, Shaopeng Wang, Zhiyao Tang, Jingyun Fang","doi":"10.1111/jvs.13232","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.13232","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Questions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The minimum sampling area (minimum area) is the smallest space that reflects species composition and characteristics of a plant community. The quantitative concept of minimum area is often estimated using species–area relationships (SARs) and has become the classical foundation for managing protected areas. However, sampling designs to determine the minimum area in different forest types have not been systematically evaluated.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Location</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>China.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We used tree census data from three forest dynamic plots, each with a size of 25–60 ha, in different climatic zones in China to determine the minimum areas of woody plants and to analyze the effects of species richness and topographic heterogeneity on the minimum areas by changing sampling origin and direction.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We found that mainly sampling design affects the estimation of woody plant species richness and required minimum area in different forest types. The estimated size of the minimum areas required was several hectares and varied significantly with sampling origin and direction, and showed a difference of approximately 1.5–2 times in the forest plots. Topographic heterogeneity significantly affected the minimum area through changes in species composition.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Sampling origin and direction should be considered when using SARs to estimate the minimum area and species diversity in communities. Such a comprehensive approach of sampling can contribute to a better understanding of vegetation characteristics and the minimum area required for a conservation census in heterogeneous environments.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":49965,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vegetation Science","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139473966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Renan Köpp Hollunder, Mário Luís Garbin, Fabio Rubio Scarano, Tatiana Tavares Carrijo, Paulo Cezar Cavatte, Bethina Stein-Soares, Caio Mendonça, Pierre Mariotte
Question
Drought-induced tree mortality has been documented in forests worldwide but the mechanisms related to drought recovery are still poorly understood. To better predict forest trajectories under future climate scenarios, it is essential to disentangle physiological mechanisms underlying plant mortality caused by El Niño droughts. Here, we assessed how vegetation structure, vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and functional traits interact to mediate tree mortality after a severe drought in a tropical forest.
Location
Mata das Flores State Park, an Atlantic Forest fragment in southeast Brazil.
Methods
We established 20 permanent plots with contrasting vegetation structure and topography. In each plot, we measured tree abundance and diameter at breast height (DBH) of every woody plant (1–10 cm diameter) at the end of the drought, and two years after the break of drought, to calculate mortality rates during drought recovery. Hydraulic (e.g., maximum stomatal conductance to water vapor, stomatal density, etc.) and economic traits (specific leaf area, wood density, etc.) were measured on the 10 most abundant species. We also measured local air temperature and air humidity using HOBO dataloggers in each plot to calculate the VPD.
Results
The studied Atlantic Forest understorey did not recover from the 2014–2016 drought, in terms of tree mortality. Lower VPD, driven by big trees in the valley, protected understorey plants with acquisitive economic attributes and conservative hydraulic attributes against mortality. On the other hand, higher VPD, driven by smaller trees and higher stem density on the ridge and slope, increased the mortality of understorey plants with acquisitive attributes.
Conclusion
Ridges represent the most important fraction of the Atlantic Forest and our results suggest this type of forest is at high climate risk due to global change. Altogether, our results highlight that valleys are microclimate refuges for understorey plants and might help mitigate drought impacts in tropical forest under forecasted climate changes.
{"title":"Vapor pressure deficit drives the mortality of understorey woody plants during drought recovery in the Atlantic Forest","authors":"Renan Köpp Hollunder, Mário Luís Garbin, Fabio Rubio Scarano, Tatiana Tavares Carrijo, Paulo Cezar Cavatte, Bethina Stein-Soares, Caio Mendonça, Pierre Mariotte","doi":"10.1111/jvs.13222","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.13222","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Question</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Drought-induced tree mortality has been documented in forests worldwide but the mechanisms related to drought recovery are still poorly understood. To better predict forest trajectories under future climate scenarios, it is essential to disentangle physiological mechanisms underlying plant mortality caused by El Niño droughts. Here, we assessed how vegetation structure, vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and functional traits interact to mediate tree mortality after a severe drought in a tropical forest.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Location</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Mata das Flores State Park, an Atlantic Forest fragment in southeast Brazil.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We established 20 permanent plots with contrasting vegetation structure and topography. In each plot, we measured tree abundance and diameter at breast height (DBH) of every woody plant (1–10 cm diameter) at the end of the drought, and two years after the break of drought, to calculate mortality rates during drought recovery. Hydraulic (e.g., maximum stomatal conductance to water vapor, stomatal density, etc.) and economic traits (specific leaf area, wood density, etc.) were measured on the 10 most abundant species. We also measured local air temperature and air humidity using HOBO dataloggers in each plot to calculate the VPD.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The studied Atlantic Forest understorey did not recover from the 2014–2016 drought, in terms of tree mortality. Lower VPD, driven by big trees in the valley, protected understorey plants with acquisitive economic attributes and conservative hydraulic attributes against mortality. On the other hand, higher VPD, driven by smaller trees and higher stem density on the ridge and slope, increased the mortality of understorey plants with acquisitive attributes.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Ridges represent the most important fraction of the Atlantic Forest and our results suggest this type of forest is at high climate risk due to global change. Altogether, our results highlight that valleys are microclimate refuges for understorey plants and might help mitigate drought impacts in tropical forest under forecasted climate changes.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":49965,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vegetation Science","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139468434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The River Continuum Concept (RCC) predicts a gradual shift of functional adaptations of organisms along the longitudinal (upstream–downstream) gradient, as well as the maximization of the biotic diversity in mid-reaches. Although this theoretical framework was originally developed for stream macroinvertebrates, we tested whether such a pattern can also be observed in riparian plant communities.
Location
The study was conducted in the upper catchments of the San and Wisłoka Rivers in southeastern Poland. In both catchments, very well preserved riparian forests occur continuously along both rivers.
Methods
We studied the cover of plant species in riparian forests across two river networks. We analyzed the taxonomic and functional diversity indices, as well as community-weighted means of functional traits in relation to the plots' positions in the catchments.
Results
The functional richness and divergence displayed unimodal patterns of increasing values in the mid-reaches. The patterns of taxonomic diversity were similar, but some plots in the lowest reaches were more diverse than expected, forming an additional increase in diversity. The observed patterns were largely in line with the predictions of RCC. We discovered a significant decrease in the specific leaf area and an increase in the height of herbaceous plants in communities along a longitudinal gradient. There was also a shift in the dispersal syndromes, toward a higher importance of zoochory in the lower reaches.
Conclusions
The study shows that plant communities in natural riparian forests show continuous species turnover along the longitudinal gradient that, along with the longitudinal shift of abiotic factors, creates patterns that are known from theoretical predictions.
{"title":"Along the river: Longitudinal patterns of functional and taxonomic diversity of plants in riparian forests","authors":"Bartłomiej Surmacz, Kacper Foremnik, Remigiusz Pielech","doi":"10.1111/jvs.13225","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.13225","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Questions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The River Continuum Concept (RCC) predicts a gradual shift of functional adaptations of organisms along the longitudinal (upstream–downstream) gradient, as well as the maximization of the biotic diversity in mid-reaches. Although this theoretical framework was originally developed for stream macroinvertebrates, we tested whether such a pattern can also be observed in riparian plant communities.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Location</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The study was conducted in the upper catchments of the San and Wisłoka Rivers in southeastern Poland. In both catchments, very well preserved riparian forests occur continuously along both rivers.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We studied the cover of plant species in riparian forests across two river networks. We analyzed the taxonomic and functional diversity indices, as well as community-weighted means of functional traits in relation to the plots' positions in the catchments.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The functional richness and divergence displayed unimodal patterns of increasing values in the mid-reaches. The patterns of taxonomic diversity were similar, but some plots in the lowest reaches were more diverse than expected, forming an additional increase in diversity. The observed patterns were largely in line with the predictions of RCC. We discovered a significant decrease in the specific leaf area and an increase in the height of herbaceous plants in communities along a longitudinal gradient. There was also a shift in the dispersal syndromes, toward a higher importance of zoochory in the lower reaches.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The study shows that plant communities in natural riparian forests show continuous species turnover along the longitudinal gradient that, along with the longitudinal shift of abiotic factors, creates patterns that are known from theoretical predictions.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":49965,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vegetation Science","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jvs.13225","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139468433","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marta Gaia Sperandii, Manuele Bazzichetto, Glenda Mendieta-Leiva, Sebastian Schmidtlein, Michael Bott, Renato A. Ferreira de Lima, Valério D. Pillar, Jodi N. Price, Viktoria Wagner, Milan Chytrý
<p>The Editors' Award for the year 2023 goes to Gabriel Massaine Moulatlet for the article “Global patterns of phylogenetic beta-diversity components in angiosperms” (Moulatlet et al., <span>2023</span>). This article does not deal with plant communities in the strict sense but provides a macroecological analysis of a large number of plant species, a topic that is also within the scope of the <i>Journal of Vegetation Science</i>, as shown in the recent Special Issue Macroecology of Vegetation (Pärtel et al., <span>2022</span>). Moulatlet and co-authors compiled distribution range maps for 207,146 species of angiosperms and conducted the first global assessment of phylogenetic beta-diversity (PBD) patterns for this group. They decomposed PBD into turnover and nestedness components and found that in most areas, lineage replacement was more important than lineage loss. However, the importance of lineage loss (nestedness) increased at higher latitudes, at higher elevations and on islands and peninsulas. They also compared taxonomic beta-diversity with PBD and showed that species exchanges were more important overall than lineage exchanges and that the importance of species exchanges relative to lineage exchanges even increased toward higher latitudes and low-temperature areas. This study demonstrates that global PBD patterns in angiosperms are related to geographic and environmental gradients and reflect evolutionary and biogeographic history.</p><p>Other notable articles considered as Award candidates by the Chief Editors or Associate Editors were Delalandre et al. (<span>2023</span>) and Alessi et al. (<span>2023</span>). Léo Delalandre and his co-authors compared the change in plant traits in response to management intensification between two groups of plants with different life histories: annuals and perennials occurring in the same plant community of Mediterranean rangeland. They found that each of these groups responded differently to the management intensification gradient for some plant traits. These results suggest that plant groups with different life histories should not be blindly grouped in studies of trait–environment relationships; otherwise, we might neglect important information about differential responses in different components of a plant community.</p><p>Nicola Alessi and colleagues addressed a recurring methodological issue in vegetation science: the effects of probabilistic vs preferential sampling on analytical results. They compared two large data sets of forest vegetation plots sampled across Italy, one probabilistically and the other preferentially. They found that the analyses of the probabilistic data set were better in estimating species richness and diversity of plant communities, whereas the preferential approach was better suited to detect forest-specialist species and hotspots of plant diversity. The authors conclude that both approaches should be combined to achieve the best results.</p><p>New Associate Editors have
{"title":"Towards more reproducibility in vegetation research","authors":"Marta Gaia Sperandii, Manuele Bazzichetto, Glenda Mendieta-Leiva, Sebastian Schmidtlein, Michael Bott, Renato A. Ferreira de Lima, Valério D. Pillar, Jodi N. Price, Viktoria Wagner, Milan Chytrý","doi":"10.1111/jvs.13224","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.13224","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Editors' Award for the year 2023 goes to Gabriel Massaine Moulatlet for the article “Global patterns of phylogenetic beta-diversity components in angiosperms” (Moulatlet et al., <span>2023</span>). This article does not deal with plant communities in the strict sense but provides a macroecological analysis of a large number of plant species, a topic that is also within the scope of the <i>Journal of Vegetation Science</i>, as shown in the recent Special Issue Macroecology of Vegetation (Pärtel et al., <span>2022</span>). Moulatlet and co-authors compiled distribution range maps for 207,146 species of angiosperms and conducted the first global assessment of phylogenetic beta-diversity (PBD) patterns for this group. They decomposed PBD into turnover and nestedness components and found that in most areas, lineage replacement was more important than lineage loss. However, the importance of lineage loss (nestedness) increased at higher latitudes, at higher elevations and on islands and peninsulas. They also compared taxonomic beta-diversity with PBD and showed that species exchanges were more important overall than lineage exchanges and that the importance of species exchanges relative to lineage exchanges even increased toward higher latitudes and low-temperature areas. This study demonstrates that global PBD patterns in angiosperms are related to geographic and environmental gradients and reflect evolutionary and biogeographic history.</p><p>Other notable articles considered as Award candidates by the Chief Editors or Associate Editors were Delalandre et al. (<span>2023</span>) and Alessi et al. (<span>2023</span>). Léo Delalandre and his co-authors compared the change in plant traits in response to management intensification between two groups of plants with different life histories: annuals and perennials occurring in the same plant community of Mediterranean rangeland. They found that each of these groups responded differently to the management intensification gradient for some plant traits. These results suggest that plant groups with different life histories should not be blindly grouped in studies of trait–environment relationships; otherwise, we might neglect important information about differential responses in different components of a plant community.</p><p>Nicola Alessi and colleagues addressed a recurring methodological issue in vegetation science: the effects of probabilistic vs preferential sampling on analytical results. They compared two large data sets of forest vegetation plots sampled across Italy, one probabilistically and the other preferentially. They found that the analyses of the probabilistic data set were better in estimating species richness and diversity of plant communities, whereas the preferential approach was better suited to detect forest-specialist species and hotspots of plant diversity. The authors conclude that both approaches should be combined to achieve the best results.</p><p>New Associate Editors have","PeriodicalId":49965,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vegetation Science","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jvs.13224","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139436657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Extensive research on the leaf economics spectrum (LES) has improved insights into functional traits and their environmental interactions. Several studies explored trait correlations in angiosperms and ferns, expanding their ecological significance. However, knowledge gaps persist, especially concerning East-Asian ferns and the differences between terrestrial and epiphytic ferns in LES.
Location
East Asia, Northern Taiwan.
Methods
Data were collected along an elevation gradient (870–2130 m a.s.l.) in northern Taiwan, where we measured nine leaf traits for 47 terrestrial and 34 epiphytic ferns across 59 vegetation plots within subtropical forests. We explored trait–trait and trait–environment relationships at the species and community levels for both terrestrial and epiphytic ferns while accounting for phylogenetic constraints.
Results
Epiphytes had lower specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf nitrogen, greater trait variance and trait space than terrestrial species, suggesting they are ecologically distinct. These differences observed at species and community levels appear to emerge because epiphytes undergo stronger water and nutritional stress along the elevation gradient. In addition, three groups were detected within epiphytes reflecting their strategies for water and nutrient stress adaptation. Trait correlations largely resembled angiosperm LES patterns but were less apparent in epiphytes. SLA and leaf dry matter content (LDMC) were consistently correlated to water stress traits, which might contribute to the restricted LES trait range of both life forms in our study. Traits exhibited a strong phylogenetic signal, with marked differences between SLA and LDMC correlations in phylogenetics-corrected vs raw data. Trait–environment relationships were similar for several water stress-related traits across both species groups, but stronger relationships were more evident in terrestrial ferns.
Conclusions
Trait patterns are not entirely equivalent for epiphytic and terrestrial species or communities and should not be extrapolated across life forms. Distantly related species with various evolutionary backgrounds could dismantle LES patterns at the species level. Strong phylogenetic constraints may influence the trait–environment response of epiphytic species.
{"title":"Functional-trait contrasts between terrestrial and epiphytic ferns in Taiwanese subtropical cloud forests","authors":"Kenny Helsen, Jéssica Lira Viana, Tsung-Yi Lin, Li-Yaung Kuo, David Zelený","doi":"10.1111/jvs.13220","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jvs.13220","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Aims</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Extensive research on the leaf economics spectrum (LES) has improved insights into functional traits and their environmental interactions. Several studies explored trait correlations in angiosperms and ferns, expanding their ecological significance. However, knowledge gaps persist, especially concerning East-Asian ferns and the differences between terrestrial and epiphytic ferns in LES.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Location</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>East Asia, Northern Taiwan.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Data were collected along an elevation gradient (870–2130 m a.s.l.) in northern Taiwan, where we measured nine leaf traits for 47 terrestrial and 34 epiphytic ferns across 59 vegetation plots within subtropical forests. We explored trait–trait and trait–environment relationships at the species and community levels for both terrestrial and epiphytic ferns while accounting for phylogenetic constraints.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Epiphytes had lower specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf nitrogen, greater trait variance and trait space than terrestrial species, suggesting they are ecologically distinct. These differences observed at species and community levels appear to emerge because epiphytes undergo stronger water and nutritional stress along the elevation gradient. In addition, three groups were detected within epiphytes reflecting their strategies for water and nutrient stress adaptation. Trait correlations largely resembled angiosperm LES patterns but were less apparent in epiphytes. SLA and leaf dry matter content (LDMC) were consistently correlated to water stress traits, which might contribute to the restricted LES trait range of both life forms in our study. Traits exhibited a strong phylogenetic signal, with marked differences between SLA and LDMC correlations in phylogenetics-corrected vs raw data. Trait–environment relationships were similar for several water stress-related traits across both species groups, but stronger relationships were more evident in terrestrial ferns.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Trait patterns are not entirely equivalent for epiphytic and terrestrial species or communities and should not be extrapolated across life forms. Distantly related species with various evolutionary backgrounds could dismantle LES patterns at the species level. Strong phylogenetic constraints may influence the trait–environment response of epiphytic species.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":49965,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vegetation Science","volume":"34 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138822539","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shuqiong Li, Madhuparna Chatterjee, Zhiliang Yao, Handong Wen, Min Cao, Yajun Chen, Luxiang Lin
Questions
Trait–environment relationships hold great promise for elucidating the mechanisms that drive community assembly. We asked to what extent does functional trait coordination underlie the differentiation of acquisitive–conservative strategies along environmental gradients? Also, to what extent does soil water availability determine trait combinations and subsequently shape microhabitat preferences for species with distinct ecological strategies?
Location
Yunnan Province, southwest China.
Methods
Pearson correlation and trait network analyses were used to quantify trait associations. A combined RLQ–fourth-corner analysis and a spatial autoregressive error model were employed to examine trait–environment relationships and explain species distribution along environmental gradients.
Results
Leaf and stem traits were tightly coordinated along the first RLQ axis. Herein, traits representing construction cost exhibited trade-offs against traits representing resource acquisition rate, underlying an acquisitive–conservative strategy differentiation along the environmental gradients. Significant overall and bivariate trait–environment relationships were found. In addition, the topographic wetness index contributed substantially to the environmental variation, and significantly influenced most traits alone. These results supported the hypothesis that soil water availability was the key environmental factor in selecting trait combinations and driving the differentiation of acquisitive and conservative strategies for coexisting species compared with other environmental factors. Finally, deciduous and a proportion of the evergreen species were acquisitive, whereas the remaining evergreen species were conservative, preferring wetter and drier microhabitats, respectively.
Conclusions
Our findings indicate that soil water availability plays a central role in shaping both the trait combinations and microhabitat preferences of species with different ecological strategies rather than different leaf habits. These findings also highlight the fundamental significance of functional traits in facilitating the differentiation between acquisitive and conservative strategies along environmental gradients.
{"title":"Soil water availability strongly drives the differentiation of acquisitive and conservative strategies for coexisting woody species in a Chinese subtropical evergreen forest","authors":"Shuqiong Li, Madhuparna Chatterjee, Zhiliang Yao, Handong Wen, Min Cao, Yajun Chen, Luxiang Lin","doi":"10.1111/jvs.13219","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jvs.13219","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Questions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Trait–environment relationships hold great promise for elucidating the mechanisms that drive community assembly. We asked to what extent does functional trait coordination underlie the differentiation of acquisitive–conservative strategies along environmental gradients? Also, to what extent does soil water availability determine trait combinations and subsequently shape microhabitat preferences for species with distinct ecological strategies?</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Location</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Yunnan Province, southwest China.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Pearson correlation and trait network analyses were used to quantify trait associations. A combined RLQ–fourth-corner analysis and a spatial autoregressive error model were employed to examine trait–environment relationships and explain species distribution along environmental gradients.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Leaf and stem traits were tightly coordinated along the first RLQ axis. Herein, traits representing construction cost exhibited trade-offs against traits representing resource acquisition rate, underlying an acquisitive–conservative strategy differentiation along the environmental gradients. Significant overall and bivariate trait–environment relationships were found. In addition, the topographic wetness index contributed substantially to the environmental variation, and significantly influenced most traits alone. These results supported the hypothesis that soil water availability was the key environmental factor in selecting trait combinations and driving the differentiation of acquisitive and conservative strategies for coexisting species compared with other environmental factors. Finally, deciduous and a proportion of the evergreen species were acquisitive, whereas the remaining evergreen species were conservative, preferring wetter and drier microhabitats, respectively.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our findings indicate that soil water availability plays a central role in shaping both the trait combinations and microhabitat preferences of species with different ecological strategies rather than different leaf habits. These findings also highlight the fundamental significance of functional traits in facilitating the differentiation between acquisitive and conservative strategies along environmental gradients.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":49965,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vegetation Science","volume":"34 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138822538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pauline Douce, David Renault, Laurent Simon, Florian Mermillod-Blondin, Felix Vallier, Anne-Kristel Bittebiere
Question
In the current context of biodiversity erosion, functional approaches to the examination of community assembly mechanisms and better prediction of plant species fates have emerged. The assessment of trait variation patterns should be a powerful means of identifying community assembly mechanisms. However, most studies of trait variations and their consequences for individual performance (i.e., vegetative biomass) are usually incomplete as they focused on single ecological scales or filters, with no consideration of relationships between traits. Such research has provided a fragmented view of plant community assembly.
Location
We examined macrophyte communities living in ponds of the sub-Antarctic Iles Kerguelen.
Methods
We measured traits related to resource acquisition and conservation in all occurring species, and examined their variation across temporal (years), spatial (sites), and taxonomic (between and within species) scales and in response to multiple abiotic and biotic habitat variables. The consequences of these trait variations and the effects of their correlation for plant individual performance were also explored.
Results
Trait distributions were fairly conserved among sites, whereas we observed a large amount of intraspecific trait variation enabling individuals to resist filters. Responses to biotic and/or abiotic variables were trait-dependent, and simultaneous trait responses should enable individual plants to face several simultaneous constraints. Almost all traits had direct or indirect effects on individual performance, indicating the need to consider trait relationships.
Conclusion
The partitioning of trait variance is a relevant approach to the identification of the scale at which the most decisive processes for plant community assembly operate without the interference of scale dependency issues, and should orient further research. In addition, several biotic and abiotic variables should be considered in future studies to better understand the effects of environmental changes on plant communities.
{"title":"How does trait variance partitioning help us to understand plant community assembly? The example of pond communities in the Kerguelen Islands","authors":"Pauline Douce, David Renault, Laurent Simon, Florian Mermillod-Blondin, Felix Vallier, Anne-Kristel Bittebiere","doi":"10.1111/jvs.13217","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jvs.13217","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Question</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In the current context of biodiversity erosion, functional approaches to the examination of community assembly mechanisms and better prediction of plant species fates have emerged. The assessment of trait variation patterns should be a powerful means of identifying community assembly mechanisms. However, most studies of trait variations and their consequences for individual performance (i.e., vegetative biomass) are usually incomplete as they focused on single ecological scales or filters, with no consideration of relationships between traits. Such research has provided a fragmented view of plant community assembly.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Location</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We examined macrophyte communities living in ponds of the sub-Antarctic Iles Kerguelen.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We measured traits related to resource acquisition and conservation in all occurring species, and examined their variation across temporal (years), spatial (sites), and taxonomic (between and within species) scales and in response to multiple abiotic and biotic habitat variables. The consequences of these trait variations and the effects of their correlation for plant individual performance were also explored.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Trait distributions were fairly conserved among sites, whereas we observed a large amount of intraspecific trait variation enabling individuals to resist filters. Responses to biotic and/or abiotic variables were trait-dependent, and simultaneous trait responses should enable individual plants to face several simultaneous constraints. Almost all traits had direct or indirect effects on individual performance, indicating the need to consider trait relationships.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The partitioning of trait variance is a relevant approach to the identification of the scale at which the most decisive processes for plant community assembly operate without the interference of scale dependency issues, and should orient further research. In addition, several biotic and abiotic variables should be considered in future studies to better understand the effects of environmental changes on plant communities.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":49965,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vegetation Science","volume":"34 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138822580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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