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opencc-by-4.0Dec 2011View details →

Acer negundo (Aceraceae) - woody angiosperms - fruit - as borne on the plant

Image of Acer negundo (Aceraceae) - woody angiosperms - fruit - as borne on the plant

opencc-by-4.0Jan 2022View details →

Spatial patterns in neighbourhood effects on woody plant selection and bark stripping by deer in a lowland alluvial forest

This dataset presents the incidence of bark stripping (present or not) and its intensity by two deer species mapped over all woody individuals ≥ 1 cm diameter at breast height (DBH). Stripping intensity was measured as the maximal percentage of the stripped stem circumference at the part of the stem with the horizontally widest stripping wound. A four-hectare square research plot is located in the Ran&scaron;purk old-growth forest reserve in the south-eastern part of the Czech Republic (N48°40´, E16°56´). Several treefalls damaged the fence around the reserve in late autumn 2017, allowing fallow deer (Dama dama L.) and red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) to enter the reserve from the deer enclosure. The number of fallow deer and red deer individuals in the reserve was unknown, and likely fluctuated over time as they could enter and leave the reserve at any time. Data were collected in July 2018, ca 9–10 months after the fence was damaged. Although the fence was not fixed at the time of data collection (deer could still enter and leave the reserve), stripping wounds were not fresh and were likely received between late autumn 2017 and early spring 2018. The datasets includes tree and shrub individuals that fell within species-specific DBH range (susceptible individuals). The range was defined for each tree and shrub species as DBHmin ≤ DBH ≤ DBHmax, where DBHmin and DBHmax are DBH of the smallest and largest stripped individuals. Individuals smaller and larger than this range were excluded from analyses, because small and large individuals may be relatively less often stripped. Woody species with ≥ 70 individuals are presented, because stochasticity does not allow meaningful spatial point pattern analyses with fewer individuals per species. Data contains the x and y coordinates of each individual in a local coordinate system, the woody species, its code, diameter at breast height, the incidence of stripping (present = 1 or not = 0), and the intensity of stripping (%).

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2013View details →

Fig. 2. – Species prediction for a grid cell. A in Geographical patterns of woody plants' functional traits in Burkina Faso

Fig. 2. – Species prediction for a grid cell. A. Average of maximal plant size; B. Percentage of spinescent species; C. Percentage of species containing latex; D. Percentage of species with compound leaves.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2013View details →

Fig. 1. – Study area. A in Geographical patterns of woody plants' functional traits in Burkina Faso

Fig. 1. – Study area. A. Species richness of the 129 woody plants, distribution records and position of Burkina Faso within Africa; B. Names of landscape elements and cities mentioned in the results.

opencc-zeroApr 2022View details →

Large contribution of woody plant expansion to recent vegetative greening of the Northern Great Plains

Aim: Extensive portions of high-latitude grasslands worldwide have recently experienced increased vegetative productivity (i.e., greening) and have undergone a rapid transition towards woody plant dominance via the process of woody plant expansion (WPE). This raises the underlying question: To what degree are WPE and greening spatiotemporally linked? Given that these vegetative changes are predicted to continue, we seek to understand how recent changes in vegetation extent and productivity have interacted under recent climate change and anthropogenic disturbance to provide insights surrounding the future trajectory of temperate grasslands broadly. Location: Northern Great Plains (NGP), North America Taxon: Woody plants Methods: Greening was measured as the significant increase in three metrics between 2000 and 2019: leaf area index (LAI), annual maximum normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI), and annual mean NDVI. WPE was measured as the significant proportional increase in percent tree cover change between 2000 and 2019 in grasslands. We then examine these variables across a host of 26 potential driving variables. Results: We show that average proportional greening increased by 0.2-1.3% yr -1 (depending on metric), and proportional WPE increased by 6.9% yr -1 since 2000 across the NGP. Both changes are largely driven by the absence of wildfire and changing climate. Furthermore, WPE was spatially coherent and positively associated with a large component of recent greening, as revealed by their coupling across 34.1-40.6% of grassland area and as evidenced by the 9.7-19.7% of the variability in greening explained by WPE. Main conclusions: WPE and greening are spatiotemporally coupled across large portions of the NGP. Under continued climate change and wildfire suppression, WPE and greening are likely to continue across large swathes of grasslands globally. Furthermore, our results show that using a single greening metric may be insufficient to capture the large-scale vegetative changes such as the expansion of woody vegetation.

opencc-zeroJun 2024View details →

Mechanisms of coexistence: Exploring species sorting and character displacement in woody plants to alleviate belowground competition

Rarely do we observe competitive exclusion within plant communities, even though plants compete for a limited pool of resources. Thus, our understanding of the mechanisms sustaining plant biodiversity might be limited. In this study, we explore two common ecological strategies, species sorting and character displacement, that promote coexistence by reducing competition. We assess the degree to which woody plants may implement these two strategies to lower belowground competition for nutrients which occurs via nutritional (mostly mycorrhizal) mutualisms. First, we compile data on plant traits and the mycorrhizal association state of woody angiosperms using a global inventory of indigenous flora. Our analysis reveals that species in locations with high mycorrhizal diversity exhibit distinct mean values in leaf area and wood density based on their mycorrhizal type, indicating species sorting. Second, we reanalyze a large dataset on leaf area to demonstrate that in areas with high mycorrhizal diversity, trees maintain divergent leaf area values, showcasing character displacement. Character displacement among plants is considered rare, making our observation significant. In summary, our study uncovers a rare occurrence of character displacement and identifies a common mechanism employed by plants to alleviate competition, shedding light on the complexities of plant coexistence in diverse ecosystems.

Figure 2 in The structure and composition of the woody plant communities of Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi

Figure 2. Typical examples of the plant communities in Majete Wildlife Reserve; A, riparian woodland (Rw); B, grassland (Gr); C–D, shrublands and woodlands (SW); E, transitional woodland (Tw); and F, miombo (M). Photo credits: W.A. Nieman.

Figure 1 in The structure and composition of the woody plant communities of Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi

Figure 1. Dendrogram of species composition for different woody plant communities based on the Jaccard similarity index.

Figure 4 in The structure and composition of the woody plant communities of Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi

Figure 4. The comparative performance of six incidence-based species richness estimators (Chao 2, Chao 2-bc, iChao 2, Jack 1, Jack 2 and ICE) for all woody plant species recorded in Majete Wildlife Reserve (n = 118). The observed species accumulation curve (Sobs) with 95% confidence intervals, as well as the cumulative number of singletons (the number of species recorded only once during the survey) and doubletons (the number of species recorded only twice during the survey), were also plotted. Estimated woody species richness values are indicated in brackets.

Figure 3 in The structure and composition of the woody plant communities of Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi

Figure 3. Distribution of woody plant communities in Majete Wildlife Reserve (MWR). The inset shows the location of the MWR in Malawi.

opencc-zeroJul 2021View details →

Comparative transcriptomics of tropical woody plants supports fast and furious strategy along the leaf economics spectrum in lianas

Lianas, climbing woody plants, influence the structure and function of tropical forests. Climbing traits have evolved multiple times, including ancestral groups such as gymnosperms and pteridophytes, but the genetic basis of the liana strategy is largely unknown. Here, we use a comparative transcriptomic approach for 47 tropical plant species, including ten lianas of diverse taxonomic origins, to identify genes that are consistently expressed or downregulated only in lianas. Our comparative analysis of full-length transcripts enabled the identification of a core interactomic network common to lianas. Sets of transcripts identified from our analysis reveal features related to functional traits pertinent to leaf economics spectrum in lianas, including upregulation of genes controlling epidermal cuticular properties, cell wall remodeling, carbon concentrating mechanism, cell cycle progression, DNA repair and a large suit of downregulated transcription factors and enzymes involved in ABA-mediated stress response as well as lignin and suberin synthesis. Altogether, these genes are known to be significant in shaping plant morphologies through responses such as gravitropism, phyllotaxy and shade avoidance.