scholarly journals Disturbance regimes, gap-demanding trees and seed mass related to tree height in warm temperate rain forests worldwide

2013 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 701-744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Grubb ◽  
Peter J. Bellingham ◽  
Takashi S. Kohyama ◽  
Frida I. Piper ◽  
Alfredo Valido
Keyword(s):  
Seed Mass ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Rain Forests ◽  
Disturbance Regimes ◽  
Warm Temperate

scholarly journals Dynamics of Primary and Secondary Warm-temperate Rain Forests in Yakushima Island

Tropics ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 383-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi KOHYAMA ◽  
Shin-ichiro AIBA
Keyword(s):  
Rain Forests ◽  
Yakushima Island ◽  
Warm Temperate

Global trade-offs in tree functional traits

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel S. Maynard ◽  
Lalasia Bialic-Murphy ◽  
Constantin M. Zohner ◽  
Colin Averill ◽  
Johan van den Hoogen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Tree Size ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Plant Trait ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Structure Tree ◽  
And Function

AbstractDue to massive energetic investments in woody support structures, trees are subject to unique physiological, mechanical, and ecological pressures not experienced by herbaceous plants. When considering trait relationships across the entire plant kingdom, plant trait frameworks typically must omit traits unique to large woody species, thereby limiting our understanding of how these distinct ecological pressures shape trait relationships in trees. Here, by considering 18 functional traits—reflecting leaf economics, wood structure, tree size, reproduction, and below-ground allocation—we quantify the major axes of variation governing trait expression of trees worldwide. We show that trait variation within and across angiosperms and gymnosperms is captured by two independent processes: one reflecting tree size and competition for light, the other reflecting leaf photosynthetic capacity and nutrient economies. By exploring multidimensional relationships across clusters of traits, we further identify a representative set of seven traits which captures the majority of variation in form and function in trees: maximum tree height, stem conduit diameter, specific leaf area, seed mass, bark thickness, root depth, and wood density. Collectively, this work informs future trait-based research into the functional biogeography of trees, and contributes to our fundamental understanding of the ecological and evolutionary controls on forest biodiversity and productivity worldwide.

Pre-Linnaean pictures of the secretarybird, Sagittarius serpentarius (J. F. )

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
RAGNAR K. KINZELBACH
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Careful Examination ◽  
Nile Valley ◽  
Rain Forests ◽  
Roman Emperor ◽  
Persian Language ◽  
The Family ◽  
Other Information ◽  
Sub Saharan

The secretarybird, the only species of the family Sagittariidae (Falconiformes), inhabits all of sub-Saharan Africa except the rain forests. Secretarybird, its vernacular name in many languages, may be derived from the Arabic “saqr at-tair”, “falcon of the hunt”, which found its way into French during the crusades. From the same period are two drawings of a “bistarda deserti” in a codex by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (1194–1250). The original sketch obviously, together with other information on birds, came from the court of Sultan al-Kâmil (1180–1238) in Cairo. Careful examination led to an interpretation as Sagittarius serpentarius. Two archaeological sources and one nineteenth century observation strengthened the idea of a former occurrence of the secretarybird in the Egyptian Nile valley. André Thevet (1502–1590), a French cleric and reliable research traveller, described and depicted in 1558 a strange bird, named “Pa” in Persian language, from what he called Madagascar. The woodcut is identified as Sagittarius serpentarius. The text reveals East Africa as the real home of this bird, associated there among others with elephants. From there raises a connection to the tales of the fabulous roc, which feeds its offspring with elephants, ending up in the vernacular name of the extinct Madagascar ostrich as elephantbird.

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