Forest community assembly is driven by different strata‐dependent mechanisms along an elevational gradient

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 2174-2187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya‐Huang Luo ◽  
Marc W. Cadotte ◽  
Kevin S. Burgess ◽  
Jie Liu ◽  
Shao‐Lin Tan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Assembly ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Forest Community

scholarly journals Phylogenetic and Functional Traits Verify the Combined Effect of Deterministic and Stochastic Processes in the Community Assembly of Temperate Forests along an Elevational Gradient

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 591
Author(s):  
Wensong Zhou ◽  
Yuxin Zhang ◽  
Shuang Zhang ◽  
Basil N. Yakimov ◽  
Keming Ma
Keyword(s):  
Stochastic Processes ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Community Assembly ◽  
Woody Plants ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Combined Effect ◽  
Abiotic Environment ◽  
Spatial Factors ◽  
Assembly Mechanism ◽  
Deterministic Processes

Explaining community assembly mechanisms along elevational gradients dominated by deterministic processes or stochastic processes is a pressing challenge. Many studies suggest that phylogenetic and functional diversity are significant indicators of the process. In this study, we analyzed the structure and beta diversity of phylogenetic and functional traits along an elevational gradient and discussed the effects of environmental and spatial factors. We found that the phylogenetic and functional traits showed inconsistent changes, and their variations were closely related to the abiotic environment. The results suggested that the community assembly of woody plants was obviously affected by the combined effect of deterministic processes and the stochastic hypothesis (primarily by the latter). Phylogenetic and functional traits had a certain relationship but changed according to different rules. These results enhance our understanding of the assembly mechanism of forest communities by considering both phylogenetic and functional traits.

scholarly journals Competitive interactions between forest trees are driven by species' trait hierarchy, not phylogenetic or functional similarity: implications for forest community assembly

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 831-840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georges Kunstler ◽  
Sébastien Lavergne ◽  
Benoît Courbaud ◽  
Wilfried Thuiller ◽  
Ghislain Vieilledent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Assembly ◽  
Functional Similarity ◽  
Competitive Interactions ◽  
Forest Community ◽  
Forest Trees ◽  
Species Trait

scholarly journals Facilitative-Competitive Interactions in an Old-Growth Forest: The Importance of Large-Diameter Trees as Benefactors and Stimulators for Forest Community Assembly

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. e0120335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Fichtner ◽  
David I. Forrester ◽  
Werner Härdtle ◽  
Knut Sturm ◽  
Goddert von Oheimb
Keyword(s):  
Community Assembly ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Competitive Interactions ◽  
Forest Community ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Old Growth Forest

scholarly journals Composition and Specialization of the Lichen Functional Traits in a Primeval Forest—Does Ecosystem Organization Level Matter?

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 485
Author(s):  
Anna Łubek ◽  
Martin Kukwa ◽  
Bogdan Jaroszewicz ◽  
Patryk Czortek
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Asexual Reproduction ◽  
Community Assembly ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Forest Community ◽  
Forest Communities ◽  
Niche Diversity ◽  
Dark Pigmentation ◽  
Ecosystem Organization

Current trends emphasize the importance of the examination of the functional composition of lichens, which may provide information on the species realized niche diversity and community assembly processes, thus enabling one to understand the specific adaptations of lichens and their interaction with the environment. We analyzed the distribution and specialization of diverse morphological, anatomical and chemical (lichen secondary metabolites) traits in lichen communities in a close-to-natural forest of lowland Europe. We considered these traits in relation to three levels of forest ecosystem organization: forest communities, phorophyte species and substrates, in order to recognize the specialization of functional traits to different levels of the forest complexity. Traits related to the sexual reproduction of mycobionts (i.e., ascomata types: lecanoroid apothecia, lecideoid apothecia, arthonioid apothecia, lirellate apothecia, stalked apothecia and perithecia) and asexual reproduction of mycobionts (pycnidia, hyphophores and sporodochia) demonstrated the highest specialization to type of substrate, tree species and forest community. Thallus type (foliose, fruticose, crustose and leprose thalli), ascospore dark pigmentation and asexual reproduction by lichenized diaspores (soredia and isidia) revealed the lowest specialization to tree species and substrate, as well as to forest community. Results indicate that lichen functional trait assemblage distribution should not only be considered at the level of differences in the internal structure of the analyzed forest communities (e.g., higher number of diverse substrates or tree species) but also studied in relation to specific habitat conditions (insolation, moisture, temperature, eutrophication) that are characteristic of a particular forest community. Our work contributes to the understanding of the role of the forest structure in shaping lichen functional trait composition, as well as enhancing our knowledge on community assembly rules of lichen species.

scholarly journals The effects of evolutionary and environmental variance on estimates of phylogenetic diversity in temperate forest plots

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Xu ◽  
Jia-Jia Liu ◽  
Hai-Ning Li ◽  
Juan Liu ◽  
Kevin S Burgess ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Woody Plants ◽  
Temperate Forest ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Growth Form ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Forest Community ◽  
Herbaceous Plants ◽  
Sources Of Variation ◽  
Diversity Metrics

Abstract Aims Phylogenetic diversity metrics can discern the relative contributions of ecological and evolutionary processes associated with the assembly of plant communities. However, the magnitude of the potential variation associated with phylogenetic methodologies, and its effect on estimates of phylogenetic diversity, remains poorly understood. Here, we assess how sources of variation associated with estimates of phylogenetic diversity can potentially affect our understanding of plant community structure for a series of temperate forest plots in China. Methods In total, 20 forest plots, comprising of 274 woody species and 581 herbaceous species, were surveyed and sampled along an elevational gradient of 2800 m on Taibai Mountain, China. We used multi-model inference to search for the most parsimonious relationship between estimates of phylogenetic diversity and each of four predictors (i.e., type of phylogenetic reconstruction method, phylogenetic diversity metric, woody or herbaceous growth form, and elevation), and their pairwise interactions. Important Findings There was no significant difference in patterns of phylogenetic diversity when using synthesis-based vs molecular-based phylogenetic methods. Results showed that elevation, the type of phylogenetic diversity metric, growth form, and their interactions, accounted for > 44% of the variance in our estimates of phylogenetic diversity. In general, phylogenetic diversity decreased with increasing elevation; however, the trend was weaker for herbaceous plants than for woody plants. Moreover, the three phylogenetic diversity metrics showed consistent patterns (i.e., clustered) across the elevational gradient for woody plants. For herbaceous plants, the mean pairwise distance showed a random distribution over the gradient. These results suggest that a better understanding of temperate forest community structure can be obtained when estimates of phylogenetic diversity include methodological and environmental sources of variation.

Australian Tropical and Subtropical Rain Forest Community Assembly: Phylogeny, Functional Biogeography, and Environmental Gradients

Biotropica ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 668-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Kooyman ◽  
Maurizio Rossetto ◽  
Chris Allen ◽  
William Cornwell
Keyword(s):  
Community Assembly ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Forest Community

scholarly journals Tropical land-use change alters trait-based community assembly rules for dung beetles and birds

Oecologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felicity A. Edwards ◽  
David P. Edwards ◽  
Keith C. Hamer ◽  
Tom M. Fayle
Keyword(s):  
Community Assembly ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Habitat Associations ◽  
Habitat Modification ◽  
Forest Community ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Disturbance Gradient ◽  
Habitat Generalists

AbstractTropical rainforest disturbance and conversion are critical drivers of biodiversity loss. A key knowledge gap is understanding the impacts of habitat modification on mechanisms of community assembly, which are predicted to respond differently between taxa and across spatial scales. We use a null model approach to detect trait assembly of species at local- and landscape-scales, and then subdivide communities with different habitat associations and foraging guilds to investigate whether the detection of assembly mechanisms varies between groups. We focus on two indicator taxa, dung beetles and birds, across a disturbance gradient of primary rainforest, selectively logged rainforest, and oil palm plantations in Borneo, Southeast Asia. Random community assembly was predominant for dung beetles across habitats, whereas trait convergence, indicative of environmental filtering, occurred across the disturbance gradient for birds. Assembly patterns at the two spatial scales were similar. Subdividing for habitat association and foraging guild revealed patterns hidden when focusing on the overall community. Dung beetle forest specialists and habitat generalists showed opposing assembly mechanisms in primary forest, community assembly of habitat generalists for both taxa differed with disturbance intensity, and insectivorous birds strongly influenced overall community assembly relative to other guilds. Our study reveals the sensitivity of community assembly mechanisms to anthropogenic disturbance via a shift in the relative contribution of stochastic and deterministic processes. This highlights the need for greater understanding of how habitat modification alters species interactions and the importance of incorporating species’ traits within assessments.

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