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82 results for “functional community composition”

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dryad32/100

Data from: Re-growing a tropical dry forest: functional plant trait composition and community assembly during succession

A longstanding goal of ecology and conservation biology is to understand the environmental and biological controls of forest succession. However, the patterns and mechanisms that guide successional trajectories, especially within tropical forests, remain unclear. We collected leaf functional trait and abiotic data across a 110-year chronosequence within a tropical dry forest in Costa Rica. Focusing on six key leaf functional traits related to resource acquisition and competition, along with measures of forest stand structure, we propose a mechanistic framework to link species composition, community trait distributions, and forest structure. We quantified the community-weighted trait distributions for specific leaf area, leaf dry matter concentration, leaf phosphorus concentration, leaf carbon to nitrogen ratio, and leaf stable isotopic carbon and nitrogen. We assessed several prominent hypotheses for how these functional measures shift in response to changing environmental variables (soil water content, bulk density and pH) across the chronosequence. Increasingly, older forests differed significantly from younger forests in species composition, above ground biomass and shifted trait distributions. Early stages of succession were uniformly characterized by lower values of community-weighted mean specific leaf area, leaf stable nitrogen isotope, and leaf phosphorus concentration. Leaf dry matter concentration and leaf carbon to nitrogen ratio were lower during earlier stages of succession, and each trait reached an optimum during intermediate stages of succession. The leaf carbon isotope ratio was the only trait to decrease linearly with increasing stand age indicating reduced water use efficiency in older forests. However, in contrast to expectations, community-weighted trait variances did not generally change through succession, and when compared to null expectations were lower than expected. The observed directional shift in community-weighted mean trait values is consistent with the 'productivity filtering' hypothesis where a directional shift in water and light availability shifts physiological strategies from 'slow' to 'fast'. In contrast to expectations arising from niche based ecology, none of the community trait distributions were over-dispersed. Instead, patterns of trait dispersion are consistent with the abiotic filtering and/or competitive hierarchy hypotheses.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

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Data from: Intraspecific trait changes have large impacts on community functional composition but do not affect ecosystem function

1. Plant functional traits can provide a mechanistic understanding of community responses to global change and of community effects on ecosystem functions. Nitrogen enrichment typically shifts trait composition by promoting the dominance of acquisitive plants (high specific leaf area [SLA] and low leaf dry matter content [LDMC]), translating into high biomass production. Changes in mean trait values can be due to shifts in species identity, relative abundances and/or intraspecific trait values. However, we do not know the relative importance of these shifts in determining trait responses to environmental changes, or trait effects on ecosystem functioning, such as biomass production. 2. We quantified the relative importance of species composition, abundance and intraspecific shifts in driving variation in SLA and LDMC, and how these shifts affected above- and belowground biomass. We measured traits in a grassland experiment manipulating nitrogen fertilisation, plant species richness, foliar fungal pathogen removal and sown functional composition (slow vs. fast species). We fitted structural equation models to test the importance of abundance and intraspecific shifts in determining 1) responses of functional composition to treatments and 2) effects on above and belowground biomass. 3. We found that species intraspecific shifts were as important as abundance shifts in determining change in functional composition (community weighted mean trait values), and even had large effects compared to substantial initial variation in sown trait composition. Intraspecific trait shifts resulted in convergence towards intermediate SLA in diverse communities; although convergence was reduced by nitrogen addition and enhanced by pathogen removal. In contrast, large intraspecific shifts in LDMC were not influenced by the treatments. However, despite large responses, intraspecific trait shifts had no effect on above or belowground biomass. Only interspecific trait variation affected functioning: belowground biomass was reduced by SLA and increased by LDMC, while aboveground biomass was increased by SLA. 4. Our results add to a growing body of literature showing large species intraspecific trait variation and emphasise the importance of using field sampled data to determine community functional composition. However, they also show that intraspecific variation does not necessarily affect ecosystem functioning and therefore response-effect trait relationships may differ between vs. within species.

opencc-zeroDec 2021View details →

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Data from: Ant community composition and functional traits in newly established grasslands within agricultural landscapes

Ongoing intensification and fragmentation of European agricultural landscapes dramatically reduce biodiversity and associated functions. Enhancing perennial non-crop areas holds great potential to support ecosystem services such as ant mediated pest control. To study the potential of newly established grassland strips to enhance ant diversity and associated functions, we used hand collection data and predation experiments to investigate differences in (a) ant community composition (b) biocontrol related functional traits, and (c) natural pest control across habitats in cereal fields, old grasslands, and new grassland transects of three years age. Whilst all data regarding biocontrol related functional traits of ant species (b) are available within the publication and its supporting information files, we provide here our raw data of ant species activity and diversity surveys (a) and further the results of sticky card experiments as a proxy for biocontrol potential (c).

opencc-zeroMay 2022View details →

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Responses of a semiarid grassland to recurrent drought is linked to community functional composition

Climate change-driven increases in the frequency of extreme droughts could negatively impact the functioning of grassland ecosystems. While several studies have documented the impact of individual droughts on grassland function, less is known about how grasslands will respond to recurrent drought. We conducted a repeated extreme drought experiment in a semiarid grassland that consisted of three stages: (1) initial drought, (2) recovery, and (3) subsequent drought. We measured aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), species richness, plant functional traits, and functional diversity. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we investigated the causal mechanisms of ANPP response to recurrent drought. The initial drought led to reduced ANPP, although this was driven by a differential reduction in the growth of grasses and forbs. Total ANPP completely recovered as the rapid recovery of grass productivity compensated for the slow recovery of forb productivity. The magnitude of ANPP responses to the subsequent drought was greater than the initial drought. The SEMs revealed that soil moisture influenced ANPP responses directly during the initial drought, and indirectly during the subsequent drought by altering community functional trait means and diversity during the subsequent drought. These differential mechanisms alter our fundamental understanding of ecosystem drought sensitivity, which is primarily based on single drought studies.

opencc-by-4.0Jul 2022View details →

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Data related to article: Shrubs exhibit competitive interactions with herbaceous plants and shape community assemblage and functional composition in alpine western Himalaya

To understand the interaction between dominant shrubs and herbacous communities in the alpine region of western Himalaya, a field study was conducted along the elevation gradient (3500-5000 masl). During the field survey, we have collected population data, plant functional trait data and soil physico-chemical  data from shrub undercanopy and  adjacent open habitats.  Relative Interaction Index and L0g ratio were calculated using the population data. Further, plant functional traits data and soil physicochemical data were utilised to understand the functional comoposition and resource availability occuring in the contrasting habitats.

embargoedcc-by-4.0May 2024View details →

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Plant community composition and traits modulate the impacts of drought intensity on soil microbial community composition and function

Terrestrial ecosystems are increasingly threatened by extreme drought events. Soil microbial communities are central to terrestrial ecosystem function via their role in regulating biogeochemical cycling. Consequently, the impact of increasingly intense drought events on soil microbial communities will have knock-on effects for how ecosystems cope with climate change. In an outdoor grassland mesocosm experiment, we determined how increasing drought intensity affects bacterial and fungal community composition, and functioning, during and after drought. We also tested whether plant community resource acquisition strategy (fast- versus slow-strategy plant communities), plant community composition, and plant functional traits mediate soil microbial responses to increasing drought intensity. We found that increasing drought intensity markedly shifted bacterial and fungal community composition, and these effects persisted until the end of the experiment (two months after re-wetting). Bacterial and fungal communities that experienced severe droughts did not return to baseline composition, while those that experienced a mild drought did. Microbial community functioning (potential extracellular enzyme activity) was reduced at peak drought and shortly after re-wetting. While drought intensity effects on bacterial or fungal communities were insensitive to plant community resource acquisition strategy, functional group abundance (aboveground biomass of grass or forb plant species) composition (grass:forb ratio) and leaf traits (leaf dry matter content and leaf nitrogen concentration) explained significant variation in bacterial and fungal community composition during and after drought. Notably, plant community leaf dry matter content and soil nitrogen were the key factors mediating the effect of increasing drought intensity on microbial indicator taxa (ASVs). We conclude that increasing drought intensity affects grassland soil microbial communities during and after drought, and this impact is influenced by plant community composition and functional traits.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2024View details →

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Invasive tree cover covaries with environmental factors to explain the functional composition of riparian plant communities

Invasive species are a major cause of biodiversity loss worldwide, but their impact on communities and the mechanisms driving those impacts are varied and not well understood. This study employs functional diversity metrics and guilds - suites of species with similar traits - to assess the influence of an invasive tree (Tamarix spp.) on riparian plant communities in the southwestern United States. We asked: 1) What traits define riparian plant guilds in this system? 2) How do the abundances of guilds vary along gradients of Tamarix cover and abiotic conditions? 3) How does the functional diversity of the plant community respond to the gradients of Tamarix cover and abiotic conditions? We found nine distinct guilds primarily defined by reproductive strategy, as well as height, seed weight, specific leaf area, drought and anaerobic tolerance. Guild abundance varied along a covarying gradient of local and regional environmental factors and Tamarix cover. Guilds relying on sexual reproduction, in particular those producing many light seeds over a long period of time were more strongly associated with drier sites and higher Tamarix cover. Tamarix itself appeared to facilitate more shade tolerant species with higher specific leaf areas than would be expected in resource poor environments. Additionally, we found a high degree of specialization (low functional diversity) in the wettest, most flood-prone, lowest Tamarix cover sites as well as in the driest, most stable, highest Tamarix cover sites. These guilds can be used to anticipate plant community response to restoration efforts and in selecting appropriate species for revegetation.

opencc-by-3.0-usJun 2021View details →

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Data from: BIOVERA-Tree: tree diversity, community composition, forest structure and functional traits along gradients of forest-use intensity and elevation in Veracruz, Mexico

Here, we describe BIOVERA-Tree, a database on tree diversity, community composition, forest structure, and functional traits collected in 120 forest plots distributed along an extensive elevational gradient in Veracruz State, Mexico. BIOVERA-Tree includes information on forest structure from three levels of forest-use intensity, namely old-growth, degraded, and secondary forest, replicated across eight elevations from sea-level to near the tree line at 3500 m and on size and location of 4549 tree individuals with a diameter at breast height ≥ 5 cm belonging to 216 species, 154 genera, and 80 families. We also report measurements of eight functional traits, namely wood density for 143 species, maximum height for 216 species and leaf traits including: specific leaf area, lamina density, leaf thickness, chlorophyll content, and leaf area for 148 species and leaf dry matter content for 145 species.

opencc-zeroAug 2021View details →

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Tree community composition stabilizes ecosystem functions in response to drought

In summer 2018, Central Europe was hit by an extreme drought event that widely impacted ecosystems and markedly increased tree mortality in forest ecosystems across the continent. As climate models predict an increase in frequency and severity of such events, there is an urgent need to adapt forests in order to maintain the diverse benefits they provide. Soil processes play an essential role in this context and are key for a plethora of terrestrial ecosystem functions but are strongly dependent on water availability. Here we investigated how tree species richness, composition, and identity in a 13-year-old temperate tree diversity experiment influenced selected ecosystem functions (as important representatives of different ecosystem processes) during the 2018 summer drought. We focused on the stability of soil microbial biomass and standard litter decomposition, as well as tree species-specific mortality rates. Contrary to our expectations, tree species richness did not generally increase the resistance of soil functions and decrease tree mortality rates. However, the resistance of these functions was determined by tree species identity and community composition. For the resistance of both soil functions (microbial biomass and litter decomposition), we found that tree species richness effects depended on the presence of certain tree species. Moreover, we found that the performance of a specific tree species in monoculture, Norway Spruce, was a poor predictor of its response to drought in tree species mixtures. Taken together, the results of our study demonstrate that the species composition of tree stands determines tree mortality and the resistance of soil functions under drought. This indicates that enhancing multiple ecosystem functions under environmental disturbance requires maintaining diverse forests.

opencc-zeroFeb 2023View details →

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Data from: Warming-induced functional shifts in the decomposer community interact with plant community compositional shifts to impact litter decomposition

<ol> <li>Climate warming is altering plant and soil microbial communities, with important implications for ecosystem processes like litter decomposition. As warming alters plant community composition, quality of litter will change. Further, shifts in microbial community activity and/or composition will alter microbial function. However, it is not yet completely understood how these shifts will interact to drive decomposition.</li> <li>We explored how changes in plant and microbial communities interact to influence litter decomposition using a 15-year-old grassland warming experiment. Previous studies within this system have shown that warming shifted the microbial community in ways that accelerate litter decomposition while simultaneously shifting the plant community in ways that may slow decomposition. Specifically, warming increased abundance of Sorghastrum nutans, while decreasing abundance of the previously dominant Schizachyrium scoparium. Using a series of lab-based microcosm experiments, we examined the rate at which eight common grasses and, separately, varying abundances of S. nutans and S. scoparium decomposed. Using litter and soil from the warming experiment, we then incubated soils from warmed or control plots with different abundances of S. nutans and S. scoparium in a reciprocal design.</li> <li>We found S. nutans to be the slowest-decomposing grass in our system. Further, decomposition slowed as S. nutans increased and S. scoparium decreased. When examining the interaction of plant and microbial communities, decomposition was generally greater early in our experiment as the relative abundance of S. scoparium increased. However, soil microbial community origin and litter composition interacted significantly. Specifically, decomposition increased with greater relative abundance of S. scoparium on soils derived from control plots, while litter composition did not shape rates of decomposition on soils from warmed plots. The influence of litter species on decomposition waned in the later stages of the experiment when decomposition was driven by microbial community origin.</li> <li>These results suggest that warming-induced changes in microbial community function may interact with changes in plant litter composition to mitigate the impacts of warming on rates of decomposition. This emphasizes the importance of considering concurrent warming-induced changes in both plant and microbial communities on ecosystem processes like decomposition.</li> </ol>

opencc-zeroJul 2023View details →

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