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273 results for “leaf traits”
Data from: Leaf metabolic traits reveal hidden dimensions of plant form and function
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Root trait responses to drought are more heterogeneous than leaf trait responses
<p>Drought can strongly modify plant diversity and ecosystem processes. As droughts are expected to intensify in the future, it is important to better understand plant responses to this global driver. Root traits are an overlooked but powerful predictor of plant responses to drought because they are in direct contact with the soil environment and are responsible for taking up nutrients and water.</p> <p>Here, we determine which root traits are sensitive to drought and the magnitude of that response. We also tested whether root trait relationships with shoot biomass are affected by drought and to what extent all these responses depend on plant species identity. To do so, we conducted a glasshouse experiment with 24 plant species grown in pots (10 replicates per species), which included grasses, forbs and legumes. All replicates were well watered during the first month and then half of them were kept under drought (30 % water holding capacity (WHC)), with the other half serving as control (70 % WHC). After two months of treatment, leaf and root traits were measured.</p> <p>Leaf traits had a strong and more uniform response to drought compared to root traits. Root trait responses were variable and differed among plant species. Overall, grasses and several forbs had increased root diameter with drought while forbs had decreased specific root surface area (SRSA) and specific root length (SRL). Increase of root diameter and reduction of root elongation or sacrificing fine roots are different strategies that may promote nutrient and water acquisition, depending on plant species identity.</p> <p>Our results identify changes in root morphological traits as mechanisms to likely tolerate drought and highlight that, although such drought responses are species-specific, they are phylogenetically clustered.</p>
Data from: Addition of nitrogen to canopy versus understory has different effects on leaf traits of understory plants in a subtropical evergreen broad–leaved forest
<p>Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition has substantial effects on forest ecosystems. The effects of N deposition on understory plants have been simulated by spraying N on the forest floor. Such understory addition of N (UAN) might simulate atmospheric N deposition in a biased manner, because it bypasses the canopy.</p> <p>We compared the effects of UAN and canopy addition of N (CAN) at 0, 25, and 50 kg N ha<sup>–1</sup> year<sup>–1</sup> on specific leaf area (SLA), leaf construction costs (CC), concentrations of leaf carbon ([C]), nitrogen ([N]), phosphorus ([P]), minerals ([Mineral]), nitrate ([NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>]), lignin ([Lignin]), lipids ([Lipid]), organic acids ([OA]), soluble phenolics ([SP]), total non-structural carbohydrates ([TNC]), and total structural carbohydrates ([TSC]) in six dominant understory species in a subtropical evergreen forest after five years of N treatments.</p> <p>We found that leaf CC, [C], [Lignin], [OA], [TNC] and [TSC] were significantly affected by N-addition approach and rate, but leaf [P] and [Lipid] were affected by N-addition approach and N-addition rate, respectively; leaf CC, [C], [P], [OA], and [TNC] were significantly lower under UAN than under CAN, but leaf [TSC] and [Lignin] were significantly higher and lower, respectively, under UAN than under CAN at 50 kg N ha<sup>–1</sup> year<sup>–1</sup>; the decline of leaf [C] and [Lignin] contributed to the significantly lower leaf CC under UAN than under CAN.</p> <p><em>Synthesis</em>. We show that canopy and understory N addition exerted significantly different effects on leaf traits of understory plants. The results indicate that understory plants in subtropical forest respond differently to understory addition of N from those to atmospheric deposition of N. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the unbiased ecological processes and functions of forest ecosystem responding to atmospheric N deposition via both canopy and understory N addition experiments over a longer term.</p>
Plant size and leaf traits for epiphyte species found in flooded gallery forests and non-flooded gallery forests in Central Brazil
<p>Despite their unique adaptations to thrive in canopy environments without access to soil resources, epiphytes are underrepresented in studies of functional traits and of functional composition of tropical plant communities. We investigated functional traits of spermatophytic (seed-bearing) C<sub>3</sub> and CAM epihyte communities in flooded and non-flooded gallery forests in Central Brazil. The two forest types differ in floristic, structure, microclimate and edaphic conditions. We studied plant size, leaf thickness, leaf dry matter content, leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf C, N, P, K, Mg, Ca and C and N stable isotope ratios. Because photosynthetic pathway (C<sub>3</sub> or CAM) is an important aspect of ecologial differentiation of spermatophytic epiphytes, we expected that functional trait syndromes in a multivariate space would be more associated with photosynthetic pathway than forest type and changes in abundance of C<sub>3</sub> and CAM epiphytes would drive functional trait composition at the community level. C<sub>3</sub> and CAM epiphytes segregated in the multivariate trait space, however more complex functional typologies were also evident. Despite lower light levels, CAM epiphytes were more abundant in the flooded gallery forest. There, they accounted for 80% of all individuals, whereas C<sub>3</sub> epiphytes dominated in the non-flooded forest. These large differences in the proportion of C<sub>3</sub> and CAM epiphytes strongly affected functional trait values at the community level, despite very little intraspecfic variation in trait values between forest types for species that occurred in both forests. </p>
The timing of leaf senescence relates to flowering phenology and functional traits in 17 herbaceous species along elevational gradients
1. Leaf senescence is a major event in a plant's life history as autumn marks the end of the growing season. The optimal timing of leaf senescence is crucial to both, minimize risks of low temperature events and maximize carbon gain during the growing season. As abiotic conditions are currently changing at unprecedented rates, it is important to study how leaf senescence of different species is responding to these changes in order to forecast future growing season length and carbon sequestration potentials. In contrast to flowering phenology, data on autumn events is scarce and even more so for herbaceous than for woody plants, thus more information on this phenological stage is urgently needed. 2. We studied leaf senescence of 632 populations from 17 herbaceous species located along elevational gradients. We focussed on the beginning (5% of the population senesce, LS5) and peak (50% senesce, LS50) of leaf senescence. To see whether we can predict species-specific changes, we studied the link between LS5 and LS50 and flowering phenology as well as leaf functional traits related to plant performance. We looked at first and last flowering day and flowering duration as well as the traits specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, area based leaf nitrogen and carbon content, carbon isotope discrimination (Δ13C), and the stomatal pore area index. 3. We found species-specific slopes of the beginning of leaf senescence along the elevational gradient. The peak of leaf senescence was uniformly delayed with increasing elevation across all species. Flowering phenology as well as leaf functional traits had a close relationship with leaf senescence and thus can be used to forecast species-specific responses to changes in abiotic conditions. High SLA and high leaf nitrogen were related to earlier senescence while high LDMC, high Δ13C and high SPI to later senescence. 4. Synthesis: The link between senescence, flowering phenology and plant functional traits will help to fine-tune predictions of future growing season length and ecosystem function. To date, most analyses are based on spring phenology and traits, for which data is more abundant than data on autumn senescence.
C4 photosynthesis and the economic spectra of leaf and root traits independently influence growth rates in grasses
<p>Photosynthetic pathway is an important cause of growth rate variation between species, such that the enhanced carbon uptake of C<sub>4</sub> species leads to faster growth than their C<sub>3</sub> counterparts. Leaf traits that promote rapid resource acquisition may further enhance the growth capacity of C<sub>4</sub> species. However, how root economic traits interact with leaf traits, and the different growth strategies adopted by plants with C<sub>3</sub> and C<sub>4</sub> photosynthetic pathways is unclear. Plant economic traits could interact with, or act independently of, photosynthetic pathway in influencing growth rate, or C<sub>3</sub> and C<sub>4</sub> species could segregate out along a common growth rate-trait relationship.</p> <p>We measured leaf and root traits on 100+ grass species grown from seeds in a controlled, common environment to compare with relative growth rates (RGR) during the initial phase of rapid growth, controlling for phylogeny and allometric effects.</p> <p>Photosynthetic pathway acts independently to leaf and root functional traits in causing fast growth. Using C<sub>4</sub> photosynthesis, plants can achieve faster growth than their C<sub>3</sub> counterparts (by an average 0.04 g g<sup>-1</sup> day<sup>-1</sup>) for a given suite of functional trait values, with lower investments of leaf and root nitrogen. Leaf and root traits had an additive effect on RGR, with plants achieving fast growth by possessing resource-acquisitive leaf traits (high specific leaf area and low leaf dry matter content) or root traits (high specific root length and area, and low root diameter), but having both leads to an even faster growth rate (by up to 0.06 g g-1 day-1). C<sub>4</sub> photosynthesis can provide a greater relative increase in RGR for plants with a 'slow' ecological strategy than in those with fast growth. However, aboveground and belowground strategies are not coordinated, so that species can have any combination of 'slow' or 'fast' leaf and root traits.</p> <p>Synthesis: C<sub>4</sub> photosynthesis increases growth rate for a given combination of economic traits, and significantly alters plant nitrogen economy in the leaves and roots. However, leaf and root economic traits act independently to further enhance growth. The fast growth of C<sub>4</sub> grasses promotes a competitive advantage under hot, sunny conditions.</p>
Data from: Contrasting patterns of leaf trait variation among and within species during tropical dry forest succession in Costa Rica
A coordinated response to environmental drivers amongst individual functional traits is central to the plant strategy concept. However, whether the trait co-ordination observed at the global scale occurs at other ecological scales (especially within species) remains an open question. Here, for sapling communities of two tropical dry forest types in Costa Rica, we show large differences amongst traits in the relative contribution of species turnover and intraspecific variation to their directional changes in response to environmental changes along a successional gradient. We studied the response of functional traits associated with the leaf economics spectrum and drought tolerance using intensive sampling to analyse inter- and intra-specific responses to environmental changes and ontogeny. Although the overall functional composition of the sapling communities changed during succession more through species turnover than through intraspecific trait variation, their relative contributions differed greatly amongst traits. For instance, community mean specific leaf area changed mostly due to intraspecific variation. Traits of the leaf economics spectrum showed decoupled responses to environmental drivers and ontogeny. These findings emphasise how divergent ecological mechanisms combine to cause great differences in changes of individual functional traits over environmental gradients and ecological scales.
Data for 'Phenotypic plasticity and genetic variation in leaf traits of Yushania niitakayamensis (Bambusoideae; Poaceae) in contrasting light environments'
<p>This is the Data for the article entitled 'Phenotypic plasticity and genetic variation in leaf traits of Yushania niitakayamensis (Bambusoideae; Poaceae) in contrasting light environments' submitted to 'Journal of Plant Research'</p> <p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-021-01327-y">https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-021-01327-y</a></p> <p>Traits' names are listed below:</p> <p>Leaf length (LL), Leaf width (LW), Specific leaf area (SLA), Stomatal density (SD), Leaf thickness (LT), Relative frequency of cavities formed by the collapsed fusoid cells (CFC), Leaf chlorophyll content per unit area ([Chl]area), Ratio of chlorophyll a to chlorophyll b (Chl a/b), Leaf nitrogen content per unit area ([N]area), Leaf stable carbon isotope ratio (δ13C), Photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD), Actual quantum yield of PSII electron transport (ΦPSII), Electron transport rate (ETR), Light-saturated photosynthetic rate (Asat), Stomatal conductance (gs), Dark respiration rate (Rd), Apparent quantum yield (AQY), The ratio of intercellular to ambient CO2 concentration (Ci/Ca), Photosynthetic water use efficiency (WUE)</p>
Data from: Leaf drought tolerance cannot be inferred from classic leaf traits in a tropical rainforest
<ol> <li>Plants are enormously diverse in their traits and ecological adaptation, even within given ecosystems, such as tropical rainforests. Accounting for this diversity in vegetation models poses serious challenges. Global plant functional trait databases have highlighted general trait correlations across species that have considerably advanced this research program. However, it remains unclear whether trait correlations found globally hold within communities, and whether they extend to drought tolerance traits.</li> <li>For 134 individual plants spanning a range of sizes and life forms (tree, liana, understory species) within an Amazonian forest, we measured leaf drought tolerance (leaf water potential at turgor loss point, π<sub>tlp</sub>), together with 17 leaf traits related to various functions, including leaf economics traits and nutrient composition (leaf mass per area, LMA; and concentrations of C, N, P, K, Ca, and Mg per leaf mass and area), leaf area, water use efficiency (carbon isotope ratio), and time-integrated stomatal conductance and carbon assimilation rate per leaf mass and area. We tested trait coordination and the ability to estimate π<sub>tlp</sub> from the other traits through model selection. Performance and transferability of the best predictive model were assessed through cross-validation.</li> <li>π<sub>tlp</sub> was positively correlated with leaf area, and with N, P and K concentrations per leaf mass, but not with LMA or any other studied trait. Five axes were needed to account for >80% of trait variation, but only three of them explained more variance than expected at random. The best model explained only 30% of the variation in π<sub>tlp</sub>, and out-sample predictive performance was variable across life forms or canopy strata, suggesting a limited transferability of the model.</li> <li> <i>Synthesis</i>. We found a weak correlation among leaf drought tolerance and other leaf traits within a forest community. We conclude that higher trait dimensionality than assumed under the leaf economics spectrum may operate among leaves within plant communities, with important implications for species coexistence and responses to changing environmental conditions, and also for the representation of community diversity in vegetation models.</li> </ol>
Distinguishing Impatiens capensis from Impatiens pallida (Balsaminaceae) using leaf traits
<p><i>Impatiens capensis</i> (orange jewelweed) and <i>Impatiens pallida</i> (yellow jewelweed) are annual species with similar phenotypes that grow in similar environments throughout the eastern United States. This makes them extremely difficult to distinguish when (chasmogamous) flowers are absent. We use morphometric analyses to identify leaf characters that distinguish these species. After collecting and scanning 342 leaves from plants of each species growing in co-occurring populations in Madison, WI, we quantified: leaf size, shape (using elliptical Fourier analysis), serratedness, and color. Using leaf size and shape traits, a linear discriminate analysis assigned up to 100% of leaves to the correct species. The uppermost fully expanded leaf yielded the most accurate species assignments based on size and shape traits. This leaf was on average, smaller, less deeply serrated, with a more acute base, apex, and elliptical shape in <i>I. capensis</i> as compared to <i>I. pallida. Impatiens pallida </i>leaves had more color contrast (lighter veins and margins) than <i>I. capensis</i>, which were solid green throughout. Morphometric analysis is a promising technique to identify species-distinguishing characters in the absence of binary traits or molecular genetic analyses. Leaves from across these species' ranges should be analyzed to test the robustness of the species-distinguishing characters we present.</p>
Data from: Contrasting leaf trait responses of conifer and broadleaved seedlings to altered resource availability are linked to resource strategies
<p>(1) Understanding tree seedling responses to water, nutrient and light availability is crucial to precisely predict potential shifts in composition and structure of forest communities under future climatic conditions.</p> <p>(2) We exposed seedlings of widespread central European tree species with contrasting leaf habit, deciduous broadleaves (DB) and evergreen conifers (EC), to factorial combinations of manipulated precipitation (100% and 50% of ambient), shade (40% and 60% of full sunlight) and nutrient availability (low and high NPK), and measured specific leaf area, C/N ratio, soluble sugars, starch and non-structural carbohydrate concentration, and δ<sup>13</sup>C of the leaves.</p> <p>(3) We found contrasting effects of water and nutrient availability on foliar traits of the two species groups: EC exhibited higher tolerance to low resource availability but also less plasticity in foliar traits, which is congruent with a "slow" resource strategy. In contrast, foliage of DB reacted particularly to altered nutrient availability, corresponding to a "fast" resource strategy with high foliar plasticity and rapid adjustments to resource fluctuations, commonly adopted by species with high growth rates.</p> <p>(4) We conclude that DB will respond to environmental change with foliar acclimation, while EC will either tolerate, to some extent, or shift their distribution range in response to environmental change.</p>
Data from: Within-individual leaf trait response to local light availability and biodiversity in a subtropical forest experiment
<p>This dataset contains 15 leaf traits and the relative light availability from 400 trees at sub-individual level. Leaf samples were collected in August and September 2017 in the BEF-China main experiment (site A) in different sampling heights within the individuals. Samples were taken in 66 plots across all diversity levels of the experimental site. Leaf traits were analysed using near-infrared spectroscopy. Available leaf traits are LDMC, SLA, leaf N, leaf C, CN ratio, leaf Mg, leaf Ca, leaf K, leaf P, leaf S, cellulose, lignin, phenolics and tannin. Additionally, light data is available for each height level.</p>
Data from: Intraspecific leaf trait variation mediates edge effects on litter decomposition rate in fragmented forests
<p>There is strong trait dependence in species-level responses to environmental change and their cascading effects on ecosystem functioning. However, there is little understanding of whether intraspecific trait variation (ITV) can also be an important mechanism mediating environmental effects on ecosystem functioning. This is surprising, given that global change processes such as habitat fragmentation and the creation of forest edges drive strong trait shifts within species. On 20 islands in the Thousand Island Lake, China, we quantified intraspecific leaf trait shifts of a widely distributed shrub species, <em>Vaccinium carlesii</em>, in response to habitat fragmentation. Using a reciprocal transplant decomposition experiment between forest edge and interior on 11 islands with varying areas, we disentangled the relative effects of intraspecific leaf trait variation vs. altered environmental conditions on leaf decomposition rates in forest fragments. We found strong intraspecific variation in leaf traits in response to edge effects, with a shift towards recalcitrant leaves with low specific leaf area and high leaf dry matter content from forest interior to the edge. Using structural equation modelling, we showed that such intraspecific leaf trait response to habitat fragmentation had translated into significant plant afterlife effects on leaf decomposition, leading to decreased leaf decomposition rates from the forest interior to the edge. Importantly, the effects of intraspecific leaf trait variation were additive to and stronger than the effects from local environmental changes due to edge effects and habitat loss. Our experiment provides the first quantitative study showing that intraspecific leaf trait response to edge effects is an important driver of the decrease in leaf decomposition rate in fragmented forests. By extending the trait-based response-effect framework towards the individual level, intraspecific variation in leaf economics traits can provide the missing functional link between environmental change and ecological processes. These findings suggest an important area for future research on incorporating ITV to understand and predict changes in ecosystem functioning in the context of global change.</p>
Supplementary data for Inter-provenance variability and phenotypic plasticity of wood and leaf traits related to hydraulic safety and efficiency in seven European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) provenances differing in yield
<p>Dataset and supplementary file for <strong>Inter-provenance variability and phenotypic plasticity of wood and leaf traits related to hydraulic safety and efficiency in seven European beech (<em>Fagus sylvatica</em> L.) provenances differing in yield </strong>paper.</p> <p>The ANFS_data file includes individual level measurements of xylem safety and efficiency traits, leaf traits and growth among 7 provenances planted at two common garden sites in Germany and Slovakia. More details related to the methodology might be found in the published paper by Kurjak et al. 2024.</p> <p>The ANFS_supplementary file includes the test for differences in distance to tip between sites and provenances, based on the branch diameter-branch length scaling.</p>
Effects of leaf litter traits on terrestrial isopod and millipede consumption, assimilation and growth
<ol> <li>Nutrient cycling through leaf litter consumption is an essential ecological function performed by macrodetritivorous invertebrates such as isopods and millipedes. Leaf litter consumption rates can vary greatly depending on the environment, consumer identity, and litter traits, but generalizations about the effects of plant traits on macrodetritivore leaf litter consumption, assimilation and growth are not well established and mostly indirectly inferred.</li> <li>We conducted a systematic search of the global literature and obtained 456 standardized measures from laboratory experiments of relative consumption (RCR), assimilation (RAR) and growth (RGR) rates of terrestrial isopods and millipedes, extracted from 56 different articles. We investigated if commonly measured leaf traits, plant functional groups, prior microbial conditioning of leaves, and climatic conditions affected these rates. We obtained data on commonly measured leaf traits from the TRY global plant trait database, inferred plant functional groups from taxonomic groupings, and obtained climatic data from information reported within articles.</li> <li>RCR, RAR and RGR varied greatly among macrodetritivore and plant species, but overall, there were no differences between isopods and millipedes. Microbial conditioning of litter greatly increased RCR. Plant functional group was an important predictor of RCR, with eudicot trees and forbs being consumed in greater quantities than magnoliid trees and grasses. Fresh leaf N:P ratio had a positive effect on RAR, and leaf N and C:N ratio had positive and negative effects on RGR respectively, while climatic variables had weak effects on the three rates.</li> <li>Our work shows that plant traits (both those associated with plant functional groups and commonly measured leaf traits) exert strong effects on resource processing rates by terrestrial macrodetritivores. Further, prior microbial conditioning of leaf litter has a large and globally consistent positive effect on macrodetritivore litter consumption, suggesting that they may consume little, if any, freshly senesced leaf material when microbially conditioned litter is available. Our results suggest that, where extremes of temperature or precipitation do not occur, variables reflective of food quality (leaf traits and microbe conditioning) are more important drivers of macrodetritivore leaf litter consumption than are extrinsic climatic variables.</li> </ol>
Forest inventory, leaf area index, and leaf functional traits of various land cover classes in Kulen, Cambodia
<ol><li><strong>Sub-title 1: </strong>Forest inventory of evergreen forest, regrowth forest, and evergreen forest in Kulen, Cambodia. (<strong>File name: </strong><i>Forest_Inventory_Pub.txt)</i> <strong> </strong></li><li><strong>Sub-title 2: </strong>Species leaf area, chlorophyll a and b and leaf dry matter content of 30 species collected from evergreen forests, regrowth forests, and cashew plantation in Kulen, Cambodia. (<strong>File name:</strong> <i>Leaf_Trait_Species_Pub.txt)</i></li><li><strong>Sub-title 3: </strong>Canopy and total leaf area index from evergreen forests, regrowth forests, and cashew plantation in Kulen, Cambodia. (<strong>File name: </strong><i>LAI_Pub.txt </i>)</li></ol>
Below-ground root nutrient-acquisition strategies are more sensitive to long-term grazing than above-ground leaf traits across a soil nutrient gradient
<p>Understanding how plant nutrient acquisition strategies respond to grazing at the community level is critical to understanding ecosystem structure and functioning in grasslands. However, few studies have simultaneously compared the difference in aboveground (leaf) and belowground (root) nutrient-acquisition strategies in response to long-term grazing, especially at the regional scale. Here, we measured a set of leaf and fine-root traits that correspond to the fast-slow economic spectrum at the community level in 10 experimental sites from paired grazed and ungrazed grasslands across a soil nutrient gradient covering three major types of grasslands in northern China. We found that patterns of variations of leaf and fine-root traits were consistent with both a leaf and root economic spectrum at the community level for both grazed and non-grazed plots. Grazing had a minor effect on community-level leaf nutrient-acquisition strategies but strongly influenced community-level root nutrient-acquisition strategies. Specifically, root nutrient-acquisition strategies were shifted to more exploitative resource use in grazed communities. Moreover, soil nutrients contributed to the changes in both leaf and root nutrient-acquisition strategies, which tended towards a more resource-acquisition strategy with increasing soil nutrient levels. Grazing significantly interacted with soil nutrients to affect root nutrient-acquisition strategies, and grazing contributed more to root nutrient-acquisition strategies than soil nutrients. Our results demonstrated completely inconsistent responses of community-level above- and below-ground resource acquisition strategies to long-term grazing, and below-ground acquisition strategies were more sensitive to long-term grazing. Our findings also suggest that high-intensity anthropogenic activities such as grazing may strongly modify below-ground resource acquisition strategies.</p>
Vertical stratification of leaf physical traits exerts bottom-up pressures on insect herbivory in a sugar maple temperate forest
<p>Do vertical gradients in temperate forest structure insect herbivore communities? We tested the hypothesis that the increase in light intensity from understory to forest canopy level drives differences in leaf physical traits and budburst phenology that impact insect herbivores and thus play a role in structuring both herbivore communities and the leaf damages they cause. Twelve sugar maple <em>(Acer saccharum)</em> sites were monitored in southern Quebec, examining insect herbivore patterns from understory to the shaded and sun canopy over the summers of 2020, 2021, and 2022. Additionally, we recorded leaf physical traits, temperature, humidity, and sun exposure. Our findings revealed that leaf thickness increased along the vertical gradient in 2021, making leaves less favorable to herbivores in the canopy level. Accordingly, we recorded a consistent decrease in insect herbivory damage rates from the understory to the shaded canopy and sun canopy in 2020 and 2021, driven by leaf cutters, skeletonizers, stipplers, and leaf miners. These results support our hypothesis that variation in plant physical traits due to sun exposure contributes to the vertical stratification of insect damage. In 2022, the gradient of insect herbivore abundance corroborated the observed damage trends from the previous years. Moreover, we calculated an average annual herbivory rate of 9.1% of the leaf surface in our study site, suggesting limited evidence supporting a significant contribution of background herbivory to the decline of sugar maple forests. Overall, our study highlights the importance of vertical gradients in structuring insect herbivore communities and emphasizes the role of leaf traits in mediating these interactions.</p>
Vertical profiles of leaf photosynthesis and leaf traits, and soil nutrients in two tropical rainforests in French Guiana before and after a three-year nitrogen and phosphorus addition experiment
<p>We provide a comprehensive dataset of vertical profiles of photosynthetic capacity and important leaf traits, including leaf N and P concentrations, from two three-year, large-scale fertilisation experiments conducted in two tropical rainforests in French Guiana. These data present a unique source of information to further improve model representations of the roles of N, P, and other leaf nutrients, in photosynthesis in tropical forests. To further facilitate the use of our data in syntheses and model studies, we provide an elaborate list of ancillary data, including important soil properties and nutrients, along with the leaf data. As environmental drivers are key to improve our understanding of carbon (C)-nutrient cycle interactions, this comprehensive dataset will aid to further enhance our understanding of how nutrient availability interacts with C uptake in tropical forests.</p>
Leaf economics in a three‐dimensional environment: Testing leaf trait responses in vascular epiphytes to land use, climate, and tree zone
<p>1. The study of functional traits offers predictive power for community ecology. Particularly in cases where individual species are difficult to study, known properties of trait spectra, such as the leaf economics spectrum (LES), and trait-environment relationships can provide crucial generalizable information that can contribute to forecasts of distributional shifts in response to the abiotic effects of climate and land use changes.</p> <p>2. Vascular epiphytes have been proposed as indicators of environmental change, but we know little about the ecology of most species. Key functional trait assumptions are based on terrestrial plants; testing these in epiphytes verifies their universality and will inform applying functional traits in predicting epiphyte responses to climate and land use change.</p> <p>3. In this study, we use functional traits from 37 vascular epiphyte species from forests and shade coffee farms at two sites in northern Nicaragua. We compare correlations among traits and intraspecific trait variances with those of terrestrial plants and among epiphyte taxonomic groups. We also test trait responses to environmental differences between sites and land use types, and within zones of the tree.</p> <p>4. We find that epiphyte leaf traits fall toward the slower end of the LES, but with about one-third lower leaf nitrogen per change in specific leaf area (SLA) relative to terrestrial herbaceous plants. Bromeliads show less relationship between these traits than other epiphyte groups and also deviate in other trait interrelationships, suggesting unique leaf construction.</p> <p>5. Trait-environment relationships varied most strongly along vertical gradients within trees, but some traits, including SLA and carbon isotope ratio, also responded to land use and site differences.</p> <p>6. We present evidence that trait relationships established for terrestrial plants appear to translate to epiphytes, but identify some possible caveats. Strong trait response to vertical gradients within trees suggests that within-canopy shifts could provide resilience to climate and land use changes for some epiphyte species.</p>
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Allen Brain Atlas
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Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
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