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20 results for “seedling performance”
Functional traits of young seedlings predict trade-offs in seedling performance in three neotropical forests
<ol> <li>Understanding the mechanisms that promote the coexistence of hundreds of species over small areas in tropical forest remains a challenge. Many tropical tree species are presumed to be functionally equivalent shade-tolerant species that differ in performance trade-offs between survival in shade and the ability to quickly grow in sunlight.</li> <li>Variation in plant functional traits related to resource acquisition is thought to predict variation in performance among species, perhaps explaining community assembly across habitats with gradients in resource availability. Many studies have found low predictive power, however, when linking trait measurements to species demographic rates.</li> <li>Seedlings face different challenges recruiting on the forest floor and may exhibit different traits and/or performance trade-offs than older individuals face in the eventual adult niche. Seed mass is the typical proxy for seedling success, but species also differ in cotyledon strategy (reserve vs photosynthetic) or other seedling traits. These can cause species with the same average seed mass to have divergent performance in the same habitat.</li> <li>We combined long-term studies of seedling dynamics with functional trait data collected at a standard developmental stage in three diverse neotropical forests to ask whether variation in coordinated suites of traits predicts variation among species in demographic performance.</li> <li>Across hundreds of species in Ecuador, Panama, and Puerto Rico, we found seedlings displayed correlated suites of leaf, stem, and root traits, which strongly correlated with seed mass and cotyledon strategy. Variation among species in seedling functional traits, seed mass, and cotyledon strategy were strong predictors of trade-offs in seedling growth and survival.</li> <li>Our findings highlight the importance of cotyledon strategy in addition to seed mass as a key component of seed and seedling biology. These results also underscore the importance of matching the ontogenetic stage of the trait measurement to the stage of demographic dynamics.</li> <li> <em>Synthesis</em>: With strikingly consistent patterns across three tropical forests, we find strong evidence for the promise of functional traits to provide mechanistic links between seedling form and demographic performance. </li> </ol>
Seedball technology counterbalances the effect of small seed-size and low soil nutrients on early pearl millet seedling performance
<p>In the African Sahel region, pearl millet (<em>Pennisetum glaucum</em> (L). R. Brown) is often produced in low-nutrient soils. Seed weight could vary between 4 and 44 mg per seed. Evidence shows chemically infertile soil and small seed size significantly reduce seedling establishment and, in turn, cause low grain yield. Seedball technology can potentially counterbalance this effect. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the influence of seedball on pearl millet seedling establishment. Conventionally sown and seedball-derived pearl millet seedlings of a local and an improved varieties were grown for 29 days from small and large seed sizes, in low- and medium-nutrient soils at a greenhouse of University of Hohenheim, Germany. Results showed that under low-nutrient conditions and with small seed sizes produced biomass was generally inferior to the other factor combinations. Seedball technology significantly enhanced seedling vigour, leaf number, plant height, dry matter, root length as well as fine root development, and nutrient uptake irrespective of soil nutrient level and seed size. These enhancement effects were more obvious in the local variety. A previous study revealed “early nutrient release in the seedling root zone” as seedball pearl millet seedling enhancement mechanism. The released nutrients presumably compensated for nutrient deficiency in low-nutrient soil and small seed seedlings. In the Sahelian pearl millet production system where (i) low soil nutrients, (ii) small seed sizes and (iii) local seed varieties are rampant, the application of the seedball technology under these conditions is proven effective for increased seedling vigour and is therefore recommended.</p>
Functional traits of young seedlings predict trade-offs in seedling performance in three neotropical forests
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Effects of leaf silicon on drought performance of tropical tree seedlings
<p>Elevated leaf silicon (Si) concentrations improve drought resistance in cultivated plants, suggesting Si might also improve the drought performance of wild species. Tropical tree species, for instance, take up substantial amounts of Si, and leaf Si varies markedly at local- and regional-scales, suggesting consequences for seedling drought resistance. Yet, whether elevated leaf Si improves seedling drought performance in tropical forests is unknown. To manipulate leaf Si concentrations, seedlings of seven tropical tree species were grown in Si-rich and -poor soil, before exposing them to drought in the forest understory. Survival, growth, and wilting were monitored. Elevated leaf Si did not improve drought survival and growth in any of the species. In one species, drought survival was reduced in seedlings previously grown in Si-rich soil, contrary to our expectations. Our results suggest that elevated leaf Si does not improve the drought resistance of wild tropical tree species. Elevated leaf Si may even reduce drought performance, suggesting differences in soil conditions influencing leaf Si may contribute to soil-related variation of tropical seedling performance. Furthermore, our results are at odds with most studies on cultivated species and show that alleviative effects of Si in crops cannot be generalized to wild plants in natural systems.</p>
Performances (survival and growth) and functional traits of tree seedlings along light and water gradients
<p>A foundational assumption of trait-based ecology is that individual performances should be predicted by its functional traits. However, the trait-performance relationships reported in literature were typically weak, probably due to the ignorance of interactions between traits and environments, intraspecific trait variability and hard traits (directly linked to physiological processes of interest). We conducted an experiment of planting 900 seedlings of six tree species separately (one seedling per pot) along experimentally manipulated light and water gradients, monitored their survival and growth, and measured their morphological, photosynthetic and hydraulic traits. Most trait-performance relationships depended on the environments, either marginally changing (weak trait × environment interaction) or even reversing (strong trait × environment interaction) along light or water gradients in our experiment. Such trait × environment interactions were more likely to be detected in growth models using individual-level traits than models using species mean traits, but seedling growth was not better modelled with individual-level traits than species mean traits. Additionally, none of the hard traits (photosynthetic and hydraulic traits) were better predictors than soft traits (morphological traits) modeling seedling growth and survival along light and water gradients. Our study highlights the necessities of considering trait × environment interactions when predicting response of plants to changing environments. The benefits of using individual-level traits or hard traits to predict plant performance might be reduced or even cancelled if their measurement errors are not well controlled.</p>
Seedling performance in a dioecious tree species is similar near female and male conspecific adults despite differences in colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
<p>Plant–soil feedbacks (PSFs) are a key driver of species diversity and composition in plant communities worldwide; however, the factors that may cause feedbacks to vary within species are rarely examined. In dioecious species, the strength of feedbacks may differ near female plants that produce seed versus near male plants (which do not) because repeated inputs of seeds and high seedling densities near females may cause accumulation of host‐specific soil microbes that influence seedling performance. To test whether conspecific seedling performance is reduced near seed‐producing female trees relative to male or heterospecific trees, we conducted shadehouse and field experiments with a dioecious tropical tree species, Virola surinamensis (<em>Myristicaceae</em>), on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. The shadehouse experiment isolated the effect of soil microbial communities on seedling growth and allowed us to quantify colonization by mutualistic arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, while the field experiment allowed us to assess seedling survival and growth in the presence of nearby conspecific adults and seedlings. In both experiments, seedling performance was similar between seedlings grown in the soil microbial communities and field environments underneath female conspecific, male conspecific, and heterospecific trees. However, contrary to expectation, seedling colonization by AM fungi was higher in male conspecific soil microbial communities than in female or heterospecific soil microbial communities at the end of the shadehouse experiment. Together, our experiments show that while differences among female and male plants in dioecious species may influence the association of conspecific seedlings with AM fungi in their soils, this variation does not necessarily translate directly to differences in seedling performance, at least over the time frame of our experiments. Studies of additional dioecious species are needed to help determine differences in soil microbial communities beneath male and female plants and to assess the role of seed input versus adult root systems in driving PSFs.</p>
Data for: Effects of drought, disturbance, and biotic neighborhood on experimental tree seedling performance
<p>Forest biodiversity is likely maintained by a complex suite of interacting drivers that vary in importance across both space and time. Contributing factors include disturbance, interannual variation in abiotic variables, and biotic neighborhood effects. To probe ongoing uncertainties and potential interactions, we investigated tree seedling performance in a temperate mid-Atlantic forest ecosystem. We planted seedlings of five native tree species in mapped study plots, half of which were subjected to disturbance, and then monitored seedling survival, height growth, and foliar condition.The final year of data collection encompassed a drought, enabling comparison between intervals varying in water availability. Seedling performance was analyzed as a function of canopy cover and biotic neighborhood (conspecific and heterospecific abundance), including interactions, with separate generalized linear mixed models fit for each interval. All species exhibited: a) pronounced declines in height growth during the drought year, b) detrimental effects of adult conspecifics, and c) beneficial effects of canopy openness. However, despite these consistencies, there was considerable variation across species in terms of the relevant predictors for each response variable in each interval. Our results suggest that drought may strengthen or reveal conspecific inhibition in some instances while weakening it or obscuring it in others, and that some forms of conspecific inhibition may manifest only under particular canopy conditions (although given the inconsistency of our findings, we are not convinced that conspecific inhibition is critical for diversity maintenance in our study system). Overall, our work reveals a complex forest ecosystem that appears simultaneously and interactively governed by biotic neighborhood structure (e.g., conspecific and/or heterospecific abundance), local habitat conditions (e.g., canopy cover), and interannual variability (e.g., drought).</p>
Data for: Effects of drought, disturbance, and biotic neighborhood on experimental tree seedling performance
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Trait means predict performance under water limitation better than plasticity for seedlings of Poaceae species on the eastern Tibetan Plateau
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Seedling performance in a dioecious tree species is similar near female and male conspecific adults despite differences in colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
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Effects of leaf silicon on drought performance of tropical tree seedlings
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Performances (survival and growth) and functional traits of tree seedlings along light and water gradients
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Data from: Dung beetle activity had no positive effect on nutrient concentration or performance of established rainforest seedlings
<p>All five datasets from this study correspond to field observations collected for seedlings of six tree species (<i>Brosimum alicastrum</i>, <i>Calophyllum brasiliense</i>, <i>Cymbopetalum baillonii</i>, <i>Diospyros digyna</i>, <i>Omphalea oleifera</i> and <i>Poulsenia armata</i>) in a tropical rainforest (Los Tuxtlas, Mexico). We estimated the concentrations of foliar nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), resource allocation (the ratio of biomass allocated to shoot vs root), seedling survival, and growth. Experimental seedlings were subject to three treatment levels: (a) feces added and beetles active, (b) feces added and beetles excluded, and (c) no feces added (and consequently no beetles active). We analyzed data at two levels: community (all plant species together) and individual species. For resource allocation (ESM_Dataset1_RootShoot) we weighed aerial parts (stem and leaves) and roots, separately, and calculated the root/shoot biomass ratio for each seedling. For foliar nutrients (ESM_Dataset2_FoliarNutrients) we obtained N and P concentrations using a Kjeldahl wet digestion and colorimetric analysis; for the analyses four outlier values were removed (for <em>Brosimum</em> one P value; for <i>Calophyllum</i> two P values and one N value). We analyzed foliar nutrients for all plant species. In the case of seedling survival (ESM_Dataset3_Survival) we registered seedling survival weekly during six weeks for <i>Cymbopetalum</i>, and during 26 weeks for the other five species. The response variable was the number of days elapsed until death; seedlings alive by the end of the experiment were included as right-censored data. For seedling growth in height (ESM_Dataset4_GrowthHeight; measured in all plant species except <i>Cymbopetalum</i>) we measured seedling height to the nearest centimeter every four or five weeks during 26 weeks. For this variable we calculated net growth in height (final height minus initial height). Finally, for the growth in the number of leaves (ESM_Dataset5_GrowthLeaves; measured in all plant species except <i>Cymbopetalum</i>) we counted the number of leaves lost and number of new leaves, every four or five weeks during 26 weeks; the response variable was the net growth in the number of leaves (final number of leaves minus initial number of leaves). All analyses were conducted in R. Detailed information about dataset structure and contents can be found in file ESM_Metadata.</p>
Data from: Combined effects of seed and soil quality drive seedling performance of a late-successional canopy tree in a tropical forest
Habitat loss and fragmentation affect the structure and functioning of forested ecosystems worldwide, yet we lack an understanding of how species respond to environmental changes. Here, we examined reproductive success and seedling performance of Poulsenia armata (Moraceae) in continuous and fragmented forests of Los Tuxtlas, southern Mexico. We further investigated how maternal habitat and soil conditions manifested in the seedling stage. We determined seed quality and seedling performance by combining isotopic analyses in seed quality with field observations of P. armata fruit production and a common--garden experiment. Soil conditions in forest fragments negatively impacted P. armata reproductive success. Trees of P. armata in forest fragments were smaller in size and produced fewer fruits and smaller seeds with lower quality compared with trees from the continuous forest. The combined effects of maternal habitat and soil conditions determined seedling survival and growth of this tropical tree. Notably, seedlings had restricted plasticity for biomass allocation to roots, limiting the capacity of fragmented populations to compensate for the initial low N content in seeds. Trees in forest fragments at Los Tuxtlas produced offspring competitively inferior and potentially less resilient than counterparts in continuous forest, jeopardizing future persistence of this late-successional tree species.
Data from: Episodic bamboo die-off, neighbourhood interactions, and tree seedling performance in a Patagonian mixed forest
1. Episodic mass flowering and subsequent die-off of bamboo understories may generate rare opportunities for tree regeneration by altering consumer-seedling interactions as much as by increasing light availability to seedlings. We hypothesized that bamboo dieback interacts with canopy neighbourhood composition in creating recruitment microsites for tree seedling species with varied shade tolerance and susceptibility to herbivory. 2. We conducted a 2-year experiment in a Patagonian mixed forest altered by extensive, but patchy dieback of the bamboo Chusquea culeou. Newly emerged seedlings of Nothofagus alpina (more shade-tolerant) and N. dombeyi (less shade-tolerant) were planted in conspecific and heterospecific canopy neighbourhoods, with either a flowered (dead) or nonflowered (live) bamboo understorey. Seedlings were placed inside and outside mesh cages to assess mortality from vertebrate or invertebrate consumers. 3. Vertebrate exclusion increased seedling survival regardless of bamboo condition. Seedling loss to invertebrates decreased with bamboo die-off, resulting in higher survival of N. alpina in dead than in live patches. In contrast, bamboo die-off increased N. dombeyi mortality by wilting, which counteracted the benefits of seedling release from consumers. Bamboo die-off increased light availability and enhanced seedling growth for both species. 4. N. alpina seedlings were less damaged or killed by invertebrates under heterospecific canopies than under conspecifics (associational resistance), whereas N. dombeyi performance was unaffected by neighbourhood composition. Bamboo die-off did not change seedling performance patterns observed across canopy neighbourhoods with live bamboo understories. 5. Synthesis. Gaps created by bamboo die-off can exert both positive and negative, species-specific effects on the likelihood of tree seedling establishment. We conclude that infrequent understorey disturbances coupled with canopy neighbourhood effects mediated by seedling herbivores may drive gap-phase succession within old-growth forests.
Changes in soil fungal communities following anthropogenic disturbance are linked to decreased lodgepole pine seedling performance
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Data from: Combined effects of seed and soil quality drive seedling performance of a late-successional canopy tree in a tropical forest
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Data from: Effects of mammalian herbivores and termites on performance of native and exotic plantation tree seedlings
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Data from: Episodic bamboo die-off, neighbourhood interactions, and tree seedling performance in a Patagonian mixed forest
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Data from: Dung beetle activity had no positive effect on nutrient concentration or performance of established rainforest seedlings
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