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Plants display a range of temporal patterns of inter-annual reproduction, from relatively constant seed production to mast seeding, the synchronized and highly variable interannual seed production of plants within a population. Previous efforts have compiled global records of seed production in long-lived plants to gain insight into seed production, forest and animal population dynamics, and the effects of global change on masting. Existing datasets focus on seed production dynamics at the population scale but are limited in their ability to examine community-level mast seeding dynamics across different plant species at the continental scale. We harmonized decades of plant reproduction data for 141 woody plant species across nine Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) or long-term ecological monitoring sites from a wide range of habitats across the United States. Plant reproduction data are reported annually between 1957 and 2021 and based on either seed traps or seed and/or cone counts on individual trees. A wide range of woody plant species including trees, shrubs, and lianas are represented within sites allowing for direct community-level comparisons among species. We share code for filtering of data that enables the comparison of plot and individual tree data across sites. For each species, we compiled relevant life history attributes (e.g., seed mass, dispersal syndrome, seed longevity, sexual system) that may serve as important predictors of mast seeding in future analyses. To aid in phylogenetically informed analyses, we also share a phylogeny and phylogenetic distance matrix for all species in the dataset. These data can be used to investigate continent-scale ecological properties of seed production, including individual and population variability, synchrony within and across species, and how these properties of seed production vary in relation to plant species traits and environmental conditions. In addition, these data can be used to assess how annual variability in seed production is associated with climate conditions and how that varies across populations, species, and regions. The dataset is released under a CC0 1.0 Universal public domain license.

Purpose: The use of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) equipped with sensors such as laser scanners offers an alternative to conventional, labor-intensive manual measurements in agriculture, as they enable precise and non-destructive field surveys. Methods: This paper evaluates the use of UAV-based laser scanning (RIEGL miniVUX-SYS) for estimating the crop height and the plant area index (PAI) of winter wheat. (Methods) It further introduces a novel ground classification method, enhancing early growth stage classification through sensor attributes like intensity and pulse shape deviation. Results: The crop height estimation shows a high R 2 score with 99.69 % but a systematically lower estimate with a mean absolute error of 7.4 cm. The potential of PAI derivation is analyzed with three different estimation strategies and provides an overview and limitations of the approach. Additional weighting based on the scan angle and the adaptation of the extinction coefficient present results with R 2 of 97.66 % and a mean absolute error of 0.25. Conclusion: The investigation discusses further the impact of the calculated gap fraction, which describes the ratio of laser beams penetrating through the crop canopy in comparison to the total number of measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European semi-dry grasslands are habitats of high conservation value. Therefore, research into the mechanisms of community assembly is important for their effective management. Using data from 76 vegetation plots of calcareous and acidic semi-dry grasslands in continental Slovenia, the author analysed the composition of plant traits, focusing on less studied belowground traits. Community-weighted means were calculated for nine plant functional traits: life form, growth form, clonal growth organ (CGO) type, persistence of connection in CGO, number of clonal offspring shoots, lateral spreading distance, role of CGO, bud bank, CSR strategy. The results showed that both grassland communities were characterized by high local persistence (perennial plants with long-lived connections between ramets). Acidic grasslands had more species with rosettes, rhizomes and stress-tolerators, indicating more stressful conditions, probably due to low pH. Mesic grassland species with numerous stolons and longer lateral spread were also characteristic of acidic grasslands. Calcareous grasslands hosted more competitors, plants with leafy stems and plants with perennial main roots. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of grassland processes and provides a basis for future investigations of belowground plant traits and their function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societal Impact Statement: The invasive species S. alterniflora and P. australis are fast growing coastal wetland plants sequestering large amounts of carbon in the soil and protect coastlines against erosion and storm surges. In this global analysis, we found that Spartina and Phragmites increase methane but not nitrous oxide emissions, with Phragmites having a lesser effect. The impact of the invasive species on emissions differed greatly among different types of native plant groups, providing valuable information to managers and policymakers during coastal wetland planning and restoration efforts. Further, our estimated net emissions per wetland plant group facilitate regional and national blue carbon estimates. Summary: Globally, Spartina alterniflora and Phragmites australis are among the most pervasive invasive plants in coastal wetland ecosystems. Both species sequester large amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and biogenic carbon in soils but also support production and emission of methane (CH4). In this study, we investigated the magnitude of their net greenhouse gas (GHG) release from invaded and non‐invaded habitats.We conducted a meta‐analysis of GHG fluxes associated with these two species and related soil carbon content and plant biomass in invaded coastal wetlands.Our results show that both invasive species increase CH4 fluxes compared to uninvaded coastal wetlands, but they do not significantly affect CO2 and N2O fluxes. The magnitude of emissions from Spartina and Phragmites differs among native habitats. GHG fluxes, soil carbon and plant biomass of Spartina‐invaded habitats were highest compared to uninvaded mudflats and succulent forb‐dominated wetlands, while being lower compared to uninvaded mangroves (except for CH4).This meta‐analysis highlights the important role of individual plant traits as drivers of change by invasive species on plant‐mediated carbon cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire regime is predicted to change, particularly in Mediterranean climate regions, towards more severe and frequent fire events. From a predictive perspective, trait‐based ecology offers a comprehensive framework to characterize vegetation responses to fire. Since fires induce erosion and decrease soil nutrients, species' functional traits and their distribution at community level should reflect these changes. Despite a vast literature focused on plant traits involved in resistance to fire, quantification of community trait responses to fire is lacking, particularly for traits that are linked to resource strategies. Here, we emphasis on plant traits related to morphology (height, specific leaf area, stem and wood density) and resource acquisition strategies (leaf nitrogen, leaf dry mass, seed dry mass). We compiled three different databases compiling vegetation, fire and functional traits for the flora of Southern France. We analysed the relationships between these three components at both species and community levels. Fire numbers and area burnt did not impact species trait distributions. At community level, a clear pattern emerged between the number of fires and the distribution of different traits considered, with two main axes: on the positive PC2 axis vegetative height and seed mass; and on negative PC1 axis leaf carbon and positive PC1 axis nitrogen content and leaf area. We also showed that vegetative height is positively correlated to the aridity index distribution in the region studied. Synthesis: We analysed the relationships among fire, vegetation and functional traits, at both species and community levels. Altogether, there are highly significant direct relationships between the number of fires and leaf area (negatively) as well as seed mass (positively). For woody communities, wood density is also highly positively significant related to the number of fires. Overall, these findings suggest that fire may have an important impact on the functional response of plant communities, while not apparent when looking at individual species. Further, this research paves new ground to better understand the mechanisms behind trait convergence and the way plant communities respond to different environmental pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the potential benefits that invasive plant species may derive from pollution with synthetic organic chemicals. It discusses how certain traits, such as rapid growth, root development, antioxidant systems, and phenotypic plasticity, may enable invasive plants to thrive in polluted environments. The study emphasizes the need for further research to understand the complex interactions between invasive species and chemical pollution, suggesting that invasive plants could play a role in the recovery of heavily polluted areas. Collaboration across disciplines is recommended to address the combined challenges of plant invasion and soil pollution effectively. [Extracted from the article]

Diospyros L. (Ebenaceae) is an indigenous plant group consisting of persimmons and ebony, which play essential ecological roles in tropical and subtropical vegetation communities. Understanding endemism attributes will significantly contribute to biological perspectives and recommendations for species conservation. The purpose of this study is to identify the morphological traits of Diospyros attributable to endemism that indicate low competition, constraints of reproduction and dispersion, and specific adaptation to the environment. To do so, we performed trait filtering based on apomorphic principles. We identified 12 endemism attributes that were obtained from synapomorphic analysis of phenetic clusters, trait filtering of island endemism, and trait filtering of endemism categories. Based on the phenetic cluster analysis, six traits are attributed to endemism, namely, sericeous twigs, the absence of bark lenticels, leaf width 2–5 cm, fruit length and diameter 5–7 cm, seed width 1.5–2 cm, and hard‐textured fruits. Trait filtering of island endemism strongly indicated that subcordate leaf tips were related to the endemism to Java and the Lesser Sunda Islands. Five plant traits obtained from trait filtering of island endemism are sericeous fruit and calyx trichomes (Java and the Lesser Sunda Islands), odorless fruits (Sulawesi), nonfleshy fruits (Bornean), and flat fruit calyces (Moluccan). Of the endemism categories, we obtained a leaf width of 2–5 cm as the attributable trait. Vegetative traits inherent to endemism indicated the specific adaptation to particular environments, while reproductive traits indicated seed dispersal limitations. Conclusively, species descriptions that were analyzed using phenotypic approaches provided important information on the endemism‐related aspects of the Diospyros genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant traits which vary both within and between species often drive biogeochemical cycling. Understanding the relative role of within‐ and between‐species trait variability in driving carbon cycling is essential to scaling site measurements to global carbon budgets. In seagrass meadows, carbon and nitrogen mineralization rates and associated greenhouse gas emissions are highly variable, impeding our ability to reliably predict whether meadows are net carbon sinks. Evaluating the influence of within‐ and between‐species trait variability on greenhouse gas fluxes will improve our understanding of local‐scale drivers of greenhouse gas production and consumption in seagrass meadows.To test the effects of plant traits on dissolved greenhouse gas fluxes, we performed mesocosm incubations with live, intact seagrass plants. We compared methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes under dark and light conditions from sediments dominated by Halodule wrightii and Thalassia testudinum across dormant, early and peak growing seasons in a subtropical meadow along the west coast of peninsular Florida. We also measured oxygen (O2) fluxes to interpret greenhouse gas fluxes within the context of community metabolism. We measured several seagrass traits, such as above‐ and below‐ground biomass and leaf and root area and assessed their impact as well as the impact of species identity on dissolved gas fluxes.We found that abiotic factors linked to metabolism (i.e. light and temperature) influenced greenhouse gas fluxes across seasons. In addition to light conditions and sampling month, plant size (a composite trait variable) was a significant predictor of O2 consumption and CH4 production under dark conditions, and better predicted fluxes than individual plant traits. CH4 production was slightly higher in H. wrightii‐dominated sediments, but species identity was less important than plant size in driving CH4 production. N2O fluxes were low and not influenced by plant traits or species identity.Synthesis: Our results indicate that within‐species more so than between‐species trait variability drives the direction and magnitude of CH4 fluxes in seagrass meadows. We identified a trade‐off where seagrass biomass is often associated with enhanced sediment carbon storage, but in our study, plant size promoted CH4 production, potentially offsetting the benefits of long‐term storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light is a fundamental attribute and key abiotic driver in forest ecosystems. Although the ecological effects of light itself is well studied, capturing the complex parameters that constitute the whole light environment remain an intricate research endeavor. Here, we apply the newly introduced environmental light field (ELF) technique in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We captured whole light scenes with repeat photography and processed it to measure both the spectral composition of light in the red‐green‐blue range, as well as its variation, or "contrast‐span", using the newly introduced International System of Units (SI); "lit". We compare across major and globally common utilized forest types—primary, secondary, and selectively logged areas, as well as a completely cleared area as a control. We find that the ELF system is able to effectively capture key aspects of the local light environment across the range of forest types. The distribution of light intensity and its spectral composition across our study is hardly uniform, with primary forest and a clearing showing two orders of magnitude difference in light. Blue light predominates the sky areas of the clearing, indicating the Rayleigh scattering of sunlight in the atmosphere. In general, radiance decrease with increasing intactness of the forest, and selectively logged and primary forest show the most similar environmental light characteristics. Owing to its ability to capture fine scale variations in light across elevation gradients, their spectral characteristics, as well as their intensities, the ELF system should become a useful tool in better quantifying light in ecology. In particular, we discuss its potential use in restoration ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temporal stability of plant productivity affects species' access to resources, exposure to stressors and strength of interactions with other species in the community, including support to the food web. The magnitude of temporal stability depends on how a species allocates resources among tissues and across phenological stages, such as vegetative growth versus reproduction. Understanding how plant phenological traits correlate with the long‐term stability of plant biomass is particularly important in highly variable ecosystems, such as drylands.We evaluated whether phenological traits predict the temporal stability of plant species productivity by correlating 18 years of monthly phenology observations with biannual estimates of above‐ground plant biomass for 98 plant species from semi‐arid drylands. We then paired these phenological traits with potential climate drivers to identify abiotic contexts that favour specific phenological strategies among plant species.Phenological traits predicted the stability of plant species above‐ground biomass. Plant species with longer vegetative phenophases not only had more stable biomass production over time but also failed to fruit in a greater proportion of years, indicating a growth–reproduction trade‐off. Earlier leaf‐out dates, longer fruiting duration and longer time lags between leaf and fruit production also predicted greater temporal stability.Species with stability‐promoting traits began greening in drier conditions than their unstable counterparts and experienced unexpectedly greater exposure to climate stress, indicated by the wider range of temperatures and precipitation experienced during biologically active periods.Our results suggest that bet‐hedging strategies that spread resource acquisition and reproduction over long time periods help to stabilize plant species productivity in variable environments, such as drylands. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green roofs provide vital functions within the urban ecosystem, from supporting biodiversity, to sustainable climate-positive ESS provisioning. However, how plant communities should best be designed to reach these objectives, and how specific green roof systems vary in their capacity to support these functions is not well understood. Here we compiled data on plant traits and plant–insect interaction networks of a regional calcareous grassland species pool to explore how designed plant communities could be optimised to contribute to ecological functionality for predefined green roof solutions. Five distinct systems with practical functionality and physical constraints were designed, plant communities modelled using object-based optimization algorithms and evaluated using five ecological functionality metrics (incl. phylogenetic and structural diversity). Our system plant communities supported a range of plant–insect interactions on green roofs, but not all species were equally beneficial, resulting in wide-ranging essentiality and redundancy in ecological processes. Floral traits were not predictive of pollinator preferences, but phylogeny was observed to govern the preferences. Large differences in ecological functionality can be expected between green roofs depending on system design and the extent of the plant community composition. Multifunctionality covariance diverged between systems, suggesting that ecological functionality is not inherently universal but dependent on structural limitations and species pool interactions. We conclude that informed system design has a potential to simultaneously support ecosystem services and urban biodiversity conservation by optimising green roof plant communities to provide landscape resources for pollinating insects and herbivores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.), the principal oilseed crop in Europe, is notably vulnerable to spring frosts that can drastically reduce yields in ways that are challenging to predict with standard techniques. Our research focused on evaluating the efficacy of photosynthetic efficiency analysis in this crop and identifying specific chlorophyll fluorescence parameters severely impacted by frost, which could serve as noninvasive biomarkers for yield decline. The experiments were carried out in semi-controlled conditions with several treatments: a control, one day at -3°C, three days at -3°C, one day at -6°C, and three days at -6°C. We employed continuous-excitation and pulse-amplitude-modulation chlorophyll fluorescence measurements to assess plant sensitivity to frost. Also, plant gas exchange and chlorophyll content index measurements were performed. Certain parameters strongly correlated with final yield losses, thereby establishing a basis for developing new agricultural protocols to predict and mitigate frost damage in rapeseed crops accurately.

Phenology—the timing of critical stages of growth and reproduction and the transitions between them—determines environmental conditions and biotic interactions. Hence, phenology is a key functional trait influencing organisms' survival and fitness; however, the role of phenology in community assembly processes has been less considered. Here we review the importance of phenology in environmental and biotic filtering, structuring priority effects, and species coexistence in the context of the assembly of native communities, as well as in invasions and restoration. We highlight the complexity of the life-history aspect of phenology, which makes simple trade-offs—such as between growth timing and competitive ability—part of larger plant strategies shaped by a framework of risk, reward, and investment over multiple timescales. Embracing this complexity could yield insights into how phenology shapes communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing ecosystems' natural recovery potential is crucial for enhancing the scale and efficacy of restoration efforts. However, this potential is currently underutilized in restoration ecology, and barriers to natural species recruitment remain poorly understood. In this study, we develop an analytical framework that combines trait‐based and dark diversity approaches to evaluate understory plant community recovery in smelter‐impacted forests and identify factors limiting recovery for absent species. A community completeness index (CCI) was calculated in 18 naturally recovering smelter‐impacted forests and three reference forests in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The CCI was used to identify sites that deviate the most from their target communities and was compared to traditionally used indicators of plant recovery. Community weighted means (CWM) of traits for observed and dark diversity species were compared, and principal components analysis was used to identify relationships between traits of observed and missing species among study sites. Species unable to recover passively (i.e. with high dark diversity probabilities) were generally tall and/or large seeded. Understory plant community recovery was structured along two functional gradients, plant economics and size, which both coincided with distance to the smelter. Dark diversity and trait analyses were useful for identifying barriers to natural recovery and, therefore, providing guidance on targeted restoration actions. We conclude by discussing the limitations and opportunities of the dark diversity approach in a restoration context, highlighting the importance of carefully defining habitat‐specific species pools and critically assessing the ecological significance of dark diversity probabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major factor hindering ecological restoration is uncertainty about which plant species will best establish. We account for this uncertainty in the design of seed mixes, though our developments are relevant to other planting mixes (e.g. root stock). We view seed mixes as being comprised of one or more species groups (e.g. shrubs, grasses, and nitrogen fixers). We mathematically establish that chances of relatively low densities decline as a species group's seeding rate (e.g. 100 seeds/m2) is divided more evenly among more species. This decline is sharpest if survival probabilities vary widely among species. To determine how much survival probabilities typically vary, we studied grasses commonly seeded in Great Plains grasslands and Mediterranean annual grasslands in the western United States. Survival probabilities varied extensively, so the chances of low densities declined markedly with increasing seeded species numbers. In the Great Plains, the chances of establishment failures (0 plants/m2) were 50% when the seeding rate was allocated to one species versus 0% when the seeding rate was divided evenly among five or more species. Similarly, in Mediterranean annual grasslands, the chances of very low densities (≤1.0 plants/m2) declined from 24% when one species was seeded to 0% when three or more species were seeded. The seeding rate for each plant group should be divided as evenly as possible among as many species as practical. Compared to increasing seeding rates to provide greater densities, dividing fixed rates more evenly among more species could prove less expensive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Heterogeneity of the Earth's abiotic surface and subsurface (geodiversity) is increasingly recognised as an important driver of biodiversity. Theoretically, species' traits should match to abiotic conditions in the local environment. Here, we test this for the first time at a continental extent by analysing the relationships between geodiversity and plant trait diversity in forested vegetation plots across Europe, at three plot sizes (100, 400 and 1000 m2). Location: Europe. Time Period: 1930–present. Major Taxa Studied: Plants. Methods: We analysed geodiversity–trait diversity relationships across Europe at 1 km resolution using 2637 forested vegetation plots from the sPlotOpen database. We computed geodiversity (topographic, landform, wetness and soil physical and chemical heterogeneity) variables, combined with climate and land use data to analyse the direct and indirect effects of geodiversity on plant trait diversity, using structural equation modelling. Results: Topographic heterogeneity, and annual temperature to a lesser degree, showed significant positive weak to moderately strong association with plant trait richness and evenness across all plot sizes. We also detected multiple highly significant but weak effects of geodiversity components on trait diversity dimensions. Some notable exceptions include moderate negative effects of soil silt heterogeneity on trait divergence across 1000 m2 plots and positive and weak negative effects of TWI and soil sand heterogeneity on trait evenness, respectively. Explained variance was low across models, but higher for models from 1000 m2 vegetation plots. Evidence for the indirect effects of geodiversity on trait diversity was extremely weak. Main Conclusions: Our findings suggest variable‐specific effects of geodiversity on trait diversity, with significant effects of multiple geodiversity components but dominated by topographic heterogeneity. Importantly, data precision is limited, and we are thus trying to detect signal amongst high noise. Hence, the significant but weak signals we detect may indicate more important underlying patterns than our effect sizes suggest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many plants rely on soil seedbanks to persist in fire‐prone ecosystems. However, knowledge of plant responses to fire is largely based on above‐ground dynamics. Quantifying how fire influences the seedbank of a diverse range of species will improve fire management.Here, we aim to understand how the timing of fires influences species occurrence in the soil seedbank, and how this relates to species traits, in a Mediterranean‐type ecosystem. We sampled the soil seedbank across 57 sites that represent a range of fire frequencies (1–9 fires in 81 years) and time since fire (1–81 years). Through a 15‐month germination experiment, we identified 39,701 germinates from 245 plant species. Using nonlinear models, we quantified the responses of 75 species' soil seedbanks to fire history and compared these to above‐ground responses.Fire influenced species' soil seedbanks according to seed longevity and species' life‐history traits. We observed a response of 15 species' seedbanks to time since fire: All were species with long‐lived seed, including eight annuals, five resprouters and an obligate seeder. Similarly, we observed a response of 17 species' seedbanks to fire frequency, 16 of which had long‐lived seed. Extensive periods without fire (>40 years) increase seedbank availability for annuals that form a long‐lived seedbank, and frequent fire (every ≤15 years) depletes it. We did not detect a consistent influence of fire on species from several other functional types. Many (53%) species found in the soil seedbank were not found in the above‐ground vegetation, and seven of the 22 modelled displayed an above‐ground influence of fire.Synthesis and applications: Fire frequency influences the probability of species occurrence in the soil seedbank. Frequent fire depletes seed availability of species that depend on long‐lived soil seedbanks for persistence. Yet, other species, including perennials with short‐lived seed storage, appear to be resilient to the frequency of fires experienced to date. We suggest fire management should aim to generate variation in fire frequencies within the landscape, including areas of low fire frequency, tailored to maintain rich plant diversity within the soil seedbank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. Using herbarium specimens spanning 133 years and field-collected measurements, we assessed intraspecific trait (leaf structural and stomatal) variability from grass species in the Great Plains of North America. We focused on two widespread, closely related grasses from the tribe Paniceae: Dichanthelium oligosanthes subsp. scribnerianum (C3) and Panicum virgatum (C4). Thirty-one specimens per taxon were sampled from local herbaria from the years 1887 to 2013 to assess trait responses across time to changes in atmospheric [CO2] and growing season precipitation and temperature. In 2021 and 2022, the species were measured from eight grasslands sites to explore how traits vary spatially across natural continental precipitation and temperature gradients. Δ13C increased with atmospheric [CO2] for D. oligosanthes but decreased for P. virgatum , likely linked to increases in precipitation in the study region over the past century. Notably, this is the first record of decreasing Δ13C over time for a C4 species illustrating 13C linkages to climate. As atmospheric [CO2] increased, C:N increased and δ15N decreased for both species and %N decreased for D. oligosanthes. Across a large precipitation gradient, D. oligosanthes leaf traits were more responsive to changes in precipitation than those of P. virgatum. In contrast, only two traits of P. virgatum responded to increases in temperature across a gradient: specific leaf area (increase) and leaf dry matter content (decrease). The only shared significant trend between species was increased C:N with precipitation. Our work demonstrates that these closely related grass species with different photosynthetic pathways exhibited various trait responses across temporal and spatial scales, illustrating the key role of scale of inquiry for forecasting leaf trait responses to future environmental change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalization of social and economic activities has led to the large-scale redistribution of plant species. It is still unclear how the traits aid the successful invasion of alien species. Here, we downloaded global plant trait data from the TRY-Plant Trait Database and classified alien species in China into four groups: high, medium, need attention and harmless according to their distribution and degree of harm to local plant communities based on existed studies. The relationship between plant functional traits and invasion level was clarified, and we established a prediction model based on plant functional traits and taxonomy. The results showed that species with smaller seeds, smaller individuals, lower special leaf area and longer seed bank longevity (SL) are more likely to be an invasive species after introduction to foreign ecosystems. In summary, exotic species with longer SL and lower seed dry mass are more likely to be invasive in China. We also trained two predictive models to check if we can predict a species' invasion. Combining the two models together, statistically, we could predict if a species is invasive from its traits and taxonomy with a 91.84% accuracy. This model could help local governments, managers and stakeholders to evaluate shall we introduce some plant species in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We tested whether one of the consequences predicted for alien plant invasion by the mutualism disruption hypothesis was true in the case of the ash-leaved maple Acer negundo L. The study aimed to determine whether the occurrences of mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal herbs varied similarly or differently in communities with varying degrees of A. negundo dominance. The analysis included the results of 78 vegetation descriptions carried out in Belarusian Polesia, the Middle Volga region, and the Middle Urals. Communities with or without A. negundo dominance were described in each region. The mycorrhizal status of plant species was determined using the FungalRoot Database. Species that are more likely to form arbuscular mycorrhiza were found to occur less frequently in A. negundo thickets. On the contrary, a higher probability of the nonmycorrhizal status was associated with a lower frequency of detection in A. negundo thickets. Therefore, the occurrence of arbuscular mycorrhizal herbs was found to selectively decrease in communities dominated by A. negundo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amid urbanization, studying leaf functional traits of woody plants in urban environments is essential for understanding how urban green spaces function and how they can be effectively managed sustainably. In this study, we investigated the effects of different growing conditions on the morpho-physiological traits of Populus laurifolia and Ulmus pumila across five contrasting urban sites. The leaf area (LA), leaf length (LL), leaf width (LW), leaf biomass (LB), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf chlorophyll concentration, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, leaf water potential at predawn (Ψpd) and midday (Ψmd), leaf performance index (PIabs), and phenotypic plasticity index (PPI) were compared across five contrasting urban sites. The soil chemical and physical properties were also compared between sites. There were significant differences in soil physicochemical characteristics between sites. We found significant effects of site on most of the morpho-physiological traits measured, except for Ψmd. The leaf chlorophyll concentration of P. laurifolia and U. pumila varied significantly between sites. The Ψpd was significantly different between years and sites. In U. pumila, the mean PPI for morphological traits (0.20) was lower than that for physiological traits (0.21). In conclusion, we revealed significant variations in the morpho-physiological traits of P. laurifolia and U. pumila across the five urban sites. Hence, long-term, large-scale studies are recommended to examine how diverse species respond to different urban growing conditions and to include other ecologically important plant traits for a better understanding of urban trees in a changing environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Angiosperms with large genomes experience nuclear‐, cellular‐, and organism‐level constraints that may limit their phenotypic plasticity and ecological niche, which could increase their risk of extinction. Therefore, we test the hypotheses that large‐genomed species are more likely to be threatened with extinction than those with small genomes, and that the effect of genome size varies across three selected covariates: life form, endemism, and climatic zone.We collated genome size and extinction risk information for a representative sample of angiosperms comprising 3250 species, which we analyzed alongside life form, endemism, and climatic zone variables using a phylogenetic framework.Genome size is positively correlated with extinction risk, a pattern driven by a signal in herbaceous but not woody species, regardless of climate and endemism. The influence of genome size is stronger in endemic herbaceous species, but is relatively homogenous across different climates. Beyond its indirect link via endemism and climate, genome size is associated with extinction risk directly and significantly.Genome size may serve as a proxy for difficult‐to‐measure parameters associated with resilience and vulnerability in herbaceous angiosperms. Therefore, it merits further exploration as a useful biological attribute for understanding intrinsic extinction risk and augmenting plant conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) expansion in subalpine and alpine ecosystems is increasing due to climate change and reduced land management. This review examines bilberry traits, environmental responses, and ecosystem impacts. As a stress-tolerant chamaephyte, bilberry thrives in acidic, nutrient-poor soils across various habitats. It propagates effectively through rhizomes and demonstrates a phalanx growth form. Bilberry's growth and distribution are influenced by elevation, soil structure, pH, water availability, and nitrogen content. Mycorrhizal associations play a crucial role in nutrient uptake. The species modifies the microclimate, facilitates litter accumulation, and influences soil microbial communities, affecting nutrient turnover and biodiversity. Bilberry shows moderate tolerance to herbivory and frost, with the ability to recover through rapid emergence of new ramets. However, severe or repeated disturbances can significantly impact its abundance and reproductive success. Climate warming and atmospheric nitrogen deposition have accelerated bilberry growth in treeline ecotones. The management of bilberry expansion requires a nuanced approach, considering its resilience, historical land-use changes, and environmental factors. The goal should be to limit, not eliminate, bilberry, as it is a natural part of subalpine communities. Long-term comparative monitoring and experimental manipulation are necessary for effective management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Termites—one of the most abundant animal groups in tropical ecosystems—are vital in nutrient recycling, contributing significantly to maintaining ecosystem functioning. However, how selective they are in their litter food choice, and whether they prefer nutritious or less nutritious litter substrates, are still important unresolved questions.Here, we test the effect of litter traits on the removal of litter by fungus‐growing termites, a dominant group of macrodetritivores in the Serengeti‐Mara ecosystem. We used metal‐mesh litterbags to measure the mass loss of stem and leaf litter from 23 grass species after an incubation period of 61 days.Sheeting—soil deposits indicating termite presence—strongly increased with tannin and phenolic compounds, especially in leaf litter (R2 = 0.54), where highly aromatic species like Cymbopogon caesius and Bothriochloa insculpta exhibited the highest sheeting rates. Litterbags with sheeting displayed 66% higher mass loss on average compared to those without. Once termites had selected the substrate, mass loss increased consistently irrespective of litter traits.Quantifying the combined effects of sheeting frequency and differential mass loss, we found that fungus‐growing termites predominantly increased the mass loss of high‐nutrient litter. This was mainly due to additional mass loss in leaf litter, not stem litter, with tannin concentration being the primary predictor of enhanced overall decomposition by termites. This suggests termites ameliorate the otherwise adverse influence of plant secondary compounds on litter decomposition.Synthesis: Our results support the idea that fungus‐growing termites are generalists, as termites collected organic substrates with varying quality. The strong effect of phenolic compounds on sheeting rate implies that secondary compounds play an important role in termite substrate selection. The selective removal of substrates high in secondary compounds suggests fungus‐growing termites lift important constraints to microbial breakdown, potentially enhancing ecosystem‐level carbon and nutrient recycling rates. Termites play crucial roles in recycling organic matter across tropical biomes and our study highlights that the role of secondary compounds in their selection and detection in decomposition studies needs more attention [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To examine the climatic and biogeographic drivers of plant trait variation across Caribbean tropical dry forests, a system characterised by high rates of plant endemism despite low moisture availability, high rainfall variability and persistent exposure to hurricanes. Location: Caribbean tropical dry forests. Taxon: Woody plants. Methods: We used a database of 572 woody vegetation plots spanning across the Caribbean, including Florida. We then extracted seed mass, specific leaf area and wood density from global trait databases. We supplemented additional trait data from herbaria collections and calculated phylogenetic imputation of traits. Furthermore, we calculated presence–absence community means and functional diversity and correlated these metrics with bioclimatic variables in addition to island and dry forest area using generalised additive models. Results: Despite occurring in climatically distinct regions, Caribbean tropical dry forests are functionally similar, and the trait space of many dry forests are nested within the functional space of others. In line with island biogeographic theory, island area, dry forest area and island isolation were correlated with functional diversity. Although temperature and precipitation were important determinants of trait variation and functional diversity, environmental variables differently impacted trait variation and the variance explained was generally low. Main Conclusions: The high functional overlap among Caribbean dry forests is remarkable given the broad climatic gradient across these islands. High functional overlap suggests that environmental and biogeographic filters constrain plant form and function in these intrinsically fascinating systems. The trait space of these insular dry forest systems points to dispersal‐limitation, in addition to high temperature and water limitations, and favouring persistence strategies to withstand high frequency hurricane disturbance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The distribution of birds among islands is thought to be regulated by island physical geography (i.e. island area, isolation and latitude). In contrast, work on continents indicates that bird diversity is often regulated by plant diversity. Consequently, the (statistical) direct and indirect effects of physical geography on island bird distribution are poorly understood. We investigated the relative roles of physical geography and vegetation in determining island bird diversity in the South West Pacific at two taxonomic scales of resolution: total bird diversity and bird diversity within functional guilds. Location: Eleven archipelagos in the South West Pacific. Taxon: Land birds. Methods: We created a dataset characterising total and functional guild diversity for land birds and seed plants (i.e. Spermatophytes) among archipelagos. We then used mediation analysis to disentangle the direct and indirect (i.e. mediated) effects of physical geography and vegetation on bird diversity. Results: On a broad taxonomic scale, total bird diversity was directly determined by total plant diversity, not the area, isolation or latitude of islands. On a fine taxonomic scale results differed between functional guilds. The diversity of herbivorous and frugivorous birds was directly determined by physical geography rather than plant total and trait diversity. Woody and herbaceous plant species diversity mediated the effect of physical geography on forest‐dwelling, above ground nesting and ground nesting bird diversity. Granivorous, nectarivorous and grassland‐dwelling bird diversities were unrelated to both physical geography and herbaceous plant diversity. Main Conclusions: Physical geography and vegetation can have both direct and indirect effects on island bird diversity. Furthermore, relationships between physical geography, vegetation and bird diversity can vary markedly among functional guilds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire-adaptive traits in plants of tropical and subtropical grassy ecosystems have been the subject of considerable global research, but only recently studied in pyrogenic Florida subtropical grasslands. Plant growth forms, belowground organs, and post-fire recovery strategies were studied for 198 grassland specialists in peninsular Florida. Community types (dry-mesic, mesic, wet-mesic, and wet) were sampled with 1m2 plots along the edaphic-hydrologic gradient and the association between these variables and fire-related plant traits was tested using fourth-corner analysis. Caulescent herbs (43), cespitose graminoids (27), and rosette herbs (31) are the most common growth forms among species sampled. Plants with epigeogenous and hypogeogenous rhizomes dominate the sample plots, including matrix graminoids, shrub geoxyles, and an acaulescent rhizomatous fire-resilient palm (Serenoa repens). Most species (163; 82%) exhibit resprouting, including 30 facultative resprouters and 133 obligate resprouters. All woody rhizomatous species are obligate resprouters, and 35 ephemeral herbaceous species are obligate reseeders. Community type was a better predictor of species abundances than hydrology, however, hydrology was significantly associated with species traits measured, particularly rhizome texture, with woody rhizomes prevalent in all but the wet sites. Belowground organs (xylopodia, geoxylic suffructices) and growth form were associated with frequent fire and phylogeny, suggesting fire regime as a driver of community phylogenetic diversity. Persistence, rapid resilience and co-occurrence of geoxyles align Florida subtropical grasslands with other global geoxyle grasslands. The old-growth, pyrogenic grassy ecosystems of peninsular Florida are the center of geoxyle diversification on the southeastern US coastal plain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal dune landscapes are dynamic systems shaped by complex biotic-abiotic interactions and impacted by human disturbances. This study focuses on Mediterranean coastal dunes, analyzing spatial distribution and ecological characteristics of their plant communities through an innovative approach that integrates vegetation functional traits with UAV-based remote sensing. Using synchronized vegetation sampling and UAV surveys along the central Adriatic coast, we identified and mapped distinct eco-functional types within the dune landscape. Field sampling recorded 46 taxa, reflecting diverse habitat types according to the EUNIS classification system. Clustering based on community traits revealed four eco-functional classes with notable differences in seed mass, taxonomic diversity, and species composition, as well as variations in remotely sensed environmental parameters. The first class, situated near the drift-line, included Thinopyrum junceum, a species adapted to wind and sand movement. The second class bridged dynamic foredune and more stable areas, featuring ruderal species like Scabiosa atropurpurea. The third class, impacted by moderate environmental stresses, included Silene colorata and Bromus madritensis, with a scattered, transitional distribution. Finally, the fourth class, characterized by dense, stable vegetation, was typified by Festuca fasciculata, indicating mature dune grasslands. Our findings underscore the potential of integrating UAV remote sensing with functional trait analysis to enhance vegetation classification accuracy and enable fine-scale spatial mapping of coastal dunes. This approach offers a valuable tool for ecosystem monitoring, supporting conservation management amid rising environmental pressures.

ABSTRACT The role of trait evolution in shaping the functional and ecological diversity of tropical forests remains poorly understood. Analyses of trait variation as a function of evolutionary history and environmental variables should reveal the drivers of species distributions, as well as generate insights valuable to conservation. Here, we focus on the Dipterocarpaceae, the key plant family underpinning the hyperdiversity of South‐East Asian tropical forest canopies and of major conservation concern due to over‐exploitation for timber, cultivation, and climate change. Our objectives are to (i) assess whether dipterocarp species traits are phylogenetically conserved through a phylogenetic signal, indicating phylogenetic niche conservatism (PNC); (ii) determine the drivers of dipterocarp species distribution; (iii) examine the relationship between morphological traits with habitat factors; and (iv) assess the correlation between conservation status and phylogeny. We compiled a dataset of species‐level plant traits of the Dipterocarpaceae together with population‐level ecological trends. We found substantial evidence of phylogenetic conservatism of plant traits in dipterocarp species, with a moderate to strong phylogenetic signal, and that the elevational gradient shapes dipterocarp species distribution pan‐tropically. Morphological traits including height and diameter show phylogenetically dependent relationships with soil type, while shade tolerance traits are related to survival. We find that conservation status is related to phylogeny and correlated with population trend status, suggesting that decreasing population trends correlated with conservation status. Overall, our analyses show that functional traits and ecological trends of dipterocarp species are shaped by the phylogenetic history. Our study highlights that conservation strategies require consideration of the consequences of these relationships for long‐term population changes.

This article is a Commentary on Fortin & Friedman (2024), 245: 40–48. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a Commentary on Robbins et al. (2024), 244: 2239–2250. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants display a range of temporal patterns of inter‐annual reproduction, from relatively constant seed production to “mast seeding,” the synchronized and highly variable interannual seed production of plants within a population. Previous efforts have compiled global records of seed production in long‐lived plants to gain insight into seed production, forest and animal population dynamics, and the effects of global change on masting. Existing datasets focus on seed production dynamics at the population scale but are limited in their ability to examine community‐level mast seeding dynamics across different plant species at the continental scale. We harmonized decades of plant reproduction data for 141 woody plant species across nine Long‐Term Ecological Research (LTER) or long‐term ecological monitoring sites from a wide range of habitats across the United States. Plant reproduction data are reported annually between 1957 and 2021 and based on either seed traps or seed and/or cone counts on individual trees. A wide range of woody plant species including trees, shrubs, and lianas are represented within sites allowing for direct community‐level comparisons among species. We share code for filtering of data that enables the comparison of plot and individual tree data across sites. For each species, we compiled relevant life history attributes (e.g., seed mass, dispersal syndrome, seed longevity, sexual system) that may serve as important predictors of mast seeding in future analyses. To aid in phylogenetically informed analyses, we also share a phylogeny and phylogenetic distance matrix for all species in the dataset. These data can be used to investigate continent‐scale ecological properties of seed production, including individual and population variability, synchrony within and across species, and how these properties of seed production vary in relation to plant species traits and environmental conditions. In addition, these data can be used to assess how annual variability in seed production is associated with climate conditions and how that varies across populations, species, and regions. The dataset is released under a CC0 1.0 Universal public domain license. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endophytic bacteria live asymptomatically inside the tissues of host plants without inflicting any damage. Endophytes can confer several beneficial traits to plants, which can contribute to their growth, development, and overall health. They have been found to stimulate plant growth by enhancing nutrient uptake and availability. They can produce plant growth-promoting substances such as auxins, cytokinins, and gibberellins, which regulate various aspects of plant growth and development. Endophytes can also improve root system architecture, leading to increased nutrient and water absorption. Some endophytes possess the ability to solubilize nutrients, such as phosphorus and potassium, making them more available for plant uptake, and fixing atmospheric nitrogen. Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is a major legume crop that has mutualistic interactions with endophytes. These endophytes can benefit the chickpea plant in various ways, including higher growth, improved nutrient uptake, increased tolerance to abiotic and biotic stressors, and disease suppression. They can produce enzymes and metabolites that scavenge harmful reactive oxygen species, thus reducing oxidative stress. Moreover, several studies reported that endophytes produce antimicrobial compounds, lytic enzymes, and volatile organic compounds that inhibit the growth of fungal pathogens and trigger systemic defense responses in plants, leading to increased resistance against a broad range of pathogens. They can activate plant defense pathways, including the production of defense-related enzymes, phytoalexins, and pathogenesis-related proteins, thereby providing long-lasting protection. It is important to note that the diversity and function of chickpea-associated endophytes can vary depending on factors such as variety, geographical location, and environmental conditions. The mechanisms behind the plant-beneficial interactions are still being intensively explored. In this review, new biotechnologies in agricultural production and ecosystem stability were presented. Thus, harnessing chickpea endophytes could be exploited in developing drought-resistant cultivars that can maintain productivity in arid and semi-arid environments, crucial for meeting the global demand for chickpeas.

Abstract As natural landscapes are modified and converted into simplified agricultural landscapes, the community composition and interactions of organisms persisting in these modified landscapes are altered. While many studies examine the consequences of these changing interactions for crops, few have evaluated the effects on wild plants. Here, we examine how pollinator and herbivore interactions affect reproductive success for wild resident and phytometer plants at sites along a landscape gradient ranging from natural to highly simplified. We tested the direct and indirect effects of landscape composition on plant traits and reproduction mediated by insect interactions. For phytometer plants exposed to herbivores, we found that greater landscape complexity corresponded with elevated herbivore damage, which reduced total flower production but increased individual flower size. Though larger flowers increased pollination, the reduction in flowers ultimately reduced plant reproductive success. Herbivory was also higher in complex landscapes for resident plants, but overall damage was low and therefore did not have a cascading effect on floral display and reproduction. This work highlights that landscape composition directly affects patterns of herbivory with cascading effects on pollination and wild plant reproduction. Further, the absence of an effect on reproduction for resident plants suggests that they may be adapted to their local insect community.

Plastic traits are argued to favor the establishment of invasive alien plants and to evolve during the invasion process, so that invasions may be favored by both plasticity and evolutionary changes in plasticity. Despite this aspect being pivotal to understanding invasion processes, no information is available about the effect of residence time on the evolution of phenotypic plasticity of aliens to produce locally adapted phenotypes. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate changes in the morpho-functional traits of the invasive alien Ambrosia trifida L. over time. Specifically, we grew A. trifida plants under laboratory (at different temperatures: 10 °C, 20 °C and 25 °C) and field conditions by using seeds collected from 2011 to 2020 from an Eastern European population. Data about seedling emergence, vegetative (laboratory and field) and reproductive (field) traits were collected, e.g., maximum plant height (cm), total dry biomass (g), number of flowers (n) and number of new seeds (n). Analysis of variance (ANOVA), linear regressions and a plasticity index were applied to assess differences in plant performances when grown from seeds of different ages. An auto-regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model was applied to predict future trends of some key plant traits (maximum height, total dry biomass and number of new seeds). Overall, the time of seedling emergence was not statistically different among seeds of different age, and regression analyses exhibited a positive relationship between residence time (seed age) and vegetative and reproductive parameters of A. trifida. Only male flower production exhibited a negative trend over time. At all temperatures (especially at 25 °C), the vegetative parameters increased with the decrease in residence time. The plasticity index of the measured traits tended to decrease over time for most traits both in the field and in the laboratory trials. The ARIMA model predicted that plant traits will continue to increase in size over time by 2030, suggesting further plastic adaptation of A. trifida. The results highlighted that residence time influences the evolution of phenotypic plasticity of A. trifida, which has strengthened its adaptability to the new conditions over a decade, also demonstrating a great adaptive and invasion potential for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize northern leaf blight (MNLB), characterized by a bottom-up progression, is a prevalent and damaging disease affecting maize growth. Early monitoring is crucial for timely interventions, thus mitigating yield losses. Hyperspectral remote sensing technology is an effective means of early crop disease monitoring. However, traditional single-angle vertical hyperspectral remote sensing methods face challenges in monitoring early MNLB in the lower part of maize canopy due to obstruction by upper canopy leaves. Therefore, we propose a multiangle hyperspectral remote sensing method for early MNLB monitoring. From multiangle hyperspectral data (−60° to 60°), we extracted and selected vegetation indices (VIs) and plant traits (PTs) that show significant differences between healthy and diseased maize samples. Our findings indicate that besides structural PTs (LAI and FIDF), other PTs like Cab, Car, Anth, Cw, Cp, and CBC show strong disease discrimination capabilities. Using these selected features, we developed a disease monitoring model with the random forest (RF) algorithm, integrating VIs and PTs (PTVI-RF). The results showed that PTVI-RF outperformed models based solely on VIs or PTs. For instance, the overall accuracy (OA) of the PTVI-RF model at 0° was 80%, which was 4% and 6% higher than models relying solely on VIs and PTs, respectively. Additionally, we explored the impact of viewing angles on model accuracy. The results show that compared to the accuracy at the nadir angle (0°), higher accuracy is obtained at smaller off-nadir angles (±10° to ±30°), while lower accuracy is obtained at larger angles (±40° to ±60°). Specifically, the OA of the PTVI-RF model ranges from 80% to 88% and the Kappa ranges from 0.6 to 0.76 at ±10° to ±30°, with the highest accuracy at −10° (OA = 88%, Kappa = 0.76). In contrast, the OA ranges from 72% to 80% and the Kappa ranges from 0.44 to 0.6 at ±40° to ±60°. In conclusion, this research demonstrates that PTVI-RF, constructed by fusing VIs and PTs extracted from multiangle hyperspectral data, can effectively monitor early MNLB. This provides a basis for the early prevention and control of MNLB and offers a valuable reference for early monitoring crop diseases with similar bottom-up progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successful invasion of biological entities does not merely depend on the rigorous habitat attributes of invaded regions, besides, the intrinsic traits of the invader species also play a significant role in the process of invasion. Evaluation of plants' functioning across habitats helps in understanding which traits are contributing to invasion success in response to changing environmental factors as well as the habitat preference and vulnerability of invasive plants. This study analyzed the effects of forest types on the growth and reproduction capacity of a dreadful invasive alien weed Ageratina adenophora (Spreng.) King and Rob. Different forest types selected for the present study were Sal, Sal-mixed, Chir-Pine, Banj-Oak, Cypress, and Kharsu-Oak forests in Kumaun Himalaya, India. At each forest site, twenty-four 1 × 1 m size quadrats were randomly laid during the peak growth period of A. adenophora (mid-March–April). The numbers of A. adenophora individuals/quadrats were also counted to compute the density of this weed in each forest type. Three plants were chosen at random from each quadrat and uprooted carefully followed by their morphological and reproductive traits assessment in each forest type following standard methods. To check the variability in soil physicochemical properties, the soil was collected from the surface layer (0–15 cm depth) of each forest type in replicates of three using soil corer. Other environmental variables like aspect, elevation, and solar irradiance were also recorded for selected forest types. ANOVA results showed a significant effect of forest types on all the measured plant traits except root length (p = 0.427), root/shoot ratio (p = 0.201), and root weight ratio (p = 0.225). Soil physicochemical properties also showed considerable variations across forest types except for soil pH. The maximum density (109 individuals/m2), plant height, (149.6 cm/plant), aboveground biomass (19.59 g/plant), and belowground biomass (2.82 g/plant) were recorded in the Cypress forest population, while the lowest growth was recorded in the Kharsu-Oak forest population with 10 individuals/m2 density, 57.94 cm plant height, 3.36 g aboveground biomass, and 0.30 g belowground biomass/plant. Generally, A. adenophora allocated maximum biomass to shoots (57–81%), thus increasing carbon assimilation, while minimum biomass was allocated to reproductive parts (0–17%) indicating higher growth through vegetative propagation. Leaf area was highest in the Banj-Oak forest (2266.04 cm2), while reproductive performance in terms of seed numbers (13,646 seeds/plant), seed weight (0.54 g/plant), and reproductive index (119.26) was highest in the Sal-mixed forest. This study concluded that A. adenophora acclimates to heterogeneous environments in different forest ecosystems through higher plasticity in most of the observed traits. The maximum growth performance of A. adenophora recorded in open-canopied Cypress forest suggested some kind of shade treatment before the emergence of the invader as a control measure to check the invasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The folia content of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) were studied in five monocot families: Amaryllidaceae, Cyperaceae, Iridaceae, Orchidacea, and Poaceae. The species of different monocot families were found to have different amount of N and P and their ratio in the leaves. The lowest N content was in Iridaceae and the highest was in Amaryllidaceae. The lowest P content was in Cyperaceae and Poaceae while the highest was in Amaryllidaceae and Iridaceae. A minimum N/P ratio was observed in Iridaceae; a maximum N/P ratio, was in Poaceae. Thus, certain specifics were detected in the content of N and P and their ratio in the monocot families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The island syndrome is defined as a suite of predictable and consistent differences between island and mainland organisms. In seed plants, much of what we know about the island syndrome comes from work in the Southwest Pacific, which is comprised of the three main islands of New Zealand and ten surrounding archipelagos. These surrounding archipelagos are all remote and relatively small. They were never connected to another landmass and their floras are derived by overwater dispersal, mostly from the main islands of New Zealand, making them an ideal system for the study of island evolution. In this review, we summarise work on the island syndrome conducted on New Zealand’s outlying islands, establish whether these findings are in line with global patterns of island biology or whether they are unique to this region, and propose directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Crops generally have seeds larger than their wild progenitors´ and with reduced dormancy. In wild plants, seed mass and allocation to the seed coat (a proxy for physical dormancy) scale allometrically so that larger seeds tend to allocate less to the coats. Larger seeds and lightweight coats might thus have evolved as correlated traits in crops.We tested whether 34 crops and 22 of their wild progenitors fit the allometry described in the literature, which would indicate co‐selection of both traits during crop evolution. Deviations from the allometry would suggest that other evolutionary processes contribute to explain the emergence of larger, lightweight‐coated seeds in crops.Crops fitted the scaling slope but deviated from its intercept in a consistent way: Seed coats of crops were lighter than expected by their seed size. The wild progenitors of crops displayed the same trend, indicating that deviations cannot be solely attributed to artificial selection during or after domestication.The evolution of seeds with small coats in crops likely resulted from a combination of various pressures, including the selection of wild progenitors with coats smaller than other wild plants, further decreases during early evolution under cultivation, and indirect selection due to the seed coat‐seed size allometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging knowledge of plant–soil biotic interactions and the role of soil organisms in shaping the world aboveground is advancing our understanding of ecosystem function. Nematodes are the most abundant animals on Earth. They are morphologically and functionally diverse, and play key roles in ecosystem function, making them ideal for developing a trait-based understanding of adaptation to the environment and for assessing their contributions to ecosystem function. Trait-based approaches allow us to capture the functional attributes of organisms beyond their taxonomic identity, provide insights on evolutionary fitness, and make global comparisons possible. We propose the nematode economics spectrum (NES), analogous to the plant economic spectrum, which describes the tradeoffs among growth, reproduction, and survival, potentially enabling us to predict the impacts of global change on nematode ecological strategies and the associated changes in ecosystem function. Trait-based approaches are being increasingly adopted to understand species' ecological strategies and how organisms influence ecosystem function. Trait-based research on soil organisms, however, remains poorly developed compared with that for plants. The abundant and diverse soil nematodes are prime candidates to advance trait-based approaches belowground, but a unified trait framework to describe nematode ecological strategies and assess their linkages with ecosystem function is lacking. We categorized nematode traits as morphological, physiological, life history, and community clusters, and proposed the nematode economics spectrum (NES) to better understand nematode ecological strategies and their association with ecosystem function. We argue that bridging the NES and the plant economics spectrum will facilitate a more holistic understanding of ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling under global change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until the late 20th century, the idea of identifying wildfires in deep time was not generally accepted. One of the basic problems was the fact that charcoal-like wood fragments, so often found in sedimentary rocks and in coals, were termed fusain and, in addition, many researchers could not envision wildfires in peat-forming systems. The advent of Scanning Electron Microscopy and studies on modern charcoals and fossil fusains demonstrated beyond doubt that wildfire residues may be recognized in rocks dating back to at least 350 million years. Increasing numbers of studies on modern and fossil charcoal assemblages from the 1970s through the 1990s established the potential importance of wildfires in the fossil record, using Carboniferous examples in particular. Since the 1990s, extensive progress has been made in understanding modern wildfires and their byproducts. New techniques to study ancient charcoals have allowed considerable progress to be made to integrate modern and ancient fire studies, both before and after the evolution of mankind. Four important developments have made a reassessment of Carboniferous wildfires necessary: the recognition of the role of atmospheric oxygen in controlling the occurrence of wildfire; the development of new microscopical techniques allowing more detailed anatomical data to be obtained from charcoal; the integration of molecular studies with the evolution of fire traits; and new developments in or understanding of post-fire erosion/deposition systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Mediterranean grasslands are semi‐natural ecosystems that have been affected by land‐use intensification and abandonment during the past decades. Adaptative multi‐paddock grazing regimes, where grazing alternates with long periods of vegetation recovery, have been proposed as a more biodiversity‐friendly management compared with continuous grazing. This study aimed to compare the effect of these two different grazing regimes on a set of plant traits in mediterranean grassland vegetation over time. Location: Central part of Sardinia (Italy) at 350 m a.s.l. in a permanent grassland system. Methods: We applied the point quadrat method to quantify the specific contribution of each species along permanent transects in spring and winter from 2018 to 2022. We considered the following plant traits: leaf dry matter content, life forms, flowering start and length of flowering. Overall, we performed 128 surveys and measured traits for 61 species. We ran a linear mixed model to test the effect of season, grazing regimes and years on functional diversity and community‐weighted mean for single traits. Results: Adaptative multi‐paddock regimes over time increased the leaf dry matter content. However, compared with grazing regimes, seasonality through time had the greatest effect on flowering traits and life forms. Conclusion: The relatively small variation in the plant traits suggests that the mediterranean grassland was rather stable despite wide variation in grazing regimes, probably linked to their long history of human association. Nonetheless, adaptative multi‐paddock regimes may have higher beneficial effects compared with continuous grazing, favouring more palatable species and improving soil fertility. By contrast, the high variation in the plant traits over time suggests a high vulnerability of the same grassland to climatic changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes FloraVeg.EU, a new online database with open‐access information on European vegetation units (phytosociological syntaxa), vegetated habitats, and plant taxa. It consists of three modules. (1) The Vegetation module includes 149 phytosociological classes, 378 orders and 1305 alliances of an updated version of the EuroVegChecklist modified based on the decisions of the European Vegetation Classification Committee. Vegetation units dominated by vascular plants are characterized by country‐based distribution maps and data on the dominant life forms, phenology, soil properties, relationships to vegetation regions, elevational vegetation belts and azonal habitats, successional status, and degree of naturalness. A list of diagnostic taxa is also provided for each class. (2) The Habitats module includes vascular‐plant‐dominated terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitat types from the first to the third or fourth highest hierarchical levels of the EUNIS classification. Of these, 249 vegetated habitats are characterized by a brief description, a point‐based distribution map, diagnostic, constant, and dominant taxa, and a list of the corresponding alliances. (3) The Species module provides information on 37 characteristics of European vascular plant species and some infrageneric or infraspecific taxa, including functional traits (habitus and growth type, leaf, flower, fruit and seed traits, and trophic mode), taxon origin (native vs alien), and ecological information (environmental relationships, Ellenberg‐type indicator values, disturbance indicator values, and relationships to vegetation units and habitat types). Values for at least three variables are available for 36,404 species. Individual taxa, vegetation units, and habitats in these three modules are illustrated by more than 34,000 photographs. The Download section of FloraVeg.EU provides open‐access data sets in a spreadsheet format that can be used for analyses. FloraVeg.EU is a new resource with easily accessible data that can be used for research in vegetation science, ecology, and biogeography, as well as for education and conservation applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endophytic bacteria live asymptomatically inside the tissues of host plants without inflicting any damage. Endophytes can confer several beneficial traits to plants, which can contribute to their growth, development, and overall health. They have been found to stimulate plant growth by enhancing nutrient uptake and availability. They can produce plant growth -promoting substances such as auxins, cytokinins, and gibberellins, which regulate various aspects of plant growth and development. Endophytes can also improve root system architecture, leading to increased nutrient and water absorption. Some endophytes possess the ability to solubilize nutrients, such as phosphorus and potassium, making them more available for plant uptake, and fixing atmospheric nitrogen. Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is a major legume crop that has mutualistic interactions with endophytes. These endophytes can benefit the chickpea plant in various ways, including higher growth, improved nutrient uptake, increased tolerance to abiotic and biotic stressors, and disease suppression. They can produce enzymes and metabolites that scavenge harmful reactive oxygen species, thus reducing oxidative stress. Moreover, several studies reported that endophytes produce antimicrobial compounds, lytic enzymes, and volatile organic compounds that inhibit the growth of fungal pathogens and trigger systemic defense responses in plants, leading to increased resistance against a broad range of pathogens. They can activate plant defense pathways, including the production of defense-related enzymes, phytoalexins, and pathogenesis-related proteins, thereby providing long-lasting protection. It is important to note that the diversity and function of chickpea-associated endophytes can vary depending on factors such as variety, geographical location, and environmental conditions. The mechanisms behind the plant-beneficial interactions are still being intensively explored. In this review, new biotechnologies in agricultural production and ecosystem stability were presented. Thus, harnessing chickpea endophytes could be exploited in developing drought-resistant cultivars that can maintain productivity in arid and semi-arid environments, crucial for meeting the global demand for chickpeas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research in fluvial biogeomorphology largely aims to promote our understanding of the interactions between riparian vegetation and fluvial morphodynamics within riverine ecosystems. Starting at the end of the last century, Angela M. Gurnell has made a major contribution to fluvial geomorphology by considering water flow and sediment transport in combinaton with riparian and later also aquatic vegetation and thus significantly promoting the fluvial biogeomorphological approach from its early days until today. The objective of the present paper is to present a set of studies and results obtained over the last 20 years mainly by the authors and many collaborators, including Angela M. Gurnell, on a panel of French rivers: the Tech, Garonne, Isère and Allier. In particular, feedback mechanisms between fluvial morphodynamics and riparian vegetation dynamics were investigated directly in the field and by using high‐resolution remote sensor systems at the scale of individual plants, populations, communities and landscapes as well as during semi‐controlled ex‐situ experiments at the scale of individual plants. Collectively, the authors' research conducted over the past 20 years has helped to elucidate some key aspects of the feedback dynamics between the lowest and highest levels of the riparian ecosystem organization. This article reviews and discusses those key aspects. The gradually obtained results have contributed to a better understanding and quantification of feedback between river morphodynamics and vegetation at nested spatiotemporal scales, from plant species traits to the riverine landscape. Furthermore, the biogeomorphological approach advocated for more than 20 years now has clearly facilitated the extension of the discipline of geomorphology to ecology in general and evolutionary ecology in particular and thus contributed to a more integrative vision of earth surface processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.), the principal oilseed crop in Europe, is notably vulnerable to spring frosts that can drastically reduce yields in ways that are challenging to predict with standard techniques. Our research focused on evaluating the efficacy of photosynthetic efficiency analysis in this crop and identifying specific chlorophyll fluorescence parameters severely impacted by frost, which could serve as noninvasive biomarkers for yield decline. The experiments were carried out in semi-controlled conditions with several treatments: a control, one day at -3°C, three days at -3°C, one day at -6°C, and three days at -6°C. We employed continuous-excitation and pulse-amplitude-modulation chlorophyll fluorescence measurements to assess plant sensitivity to frost. Also, plant gas exchange and chlorophyll content index measurements were performed. Certain parameters strongly correlated with final yield losses, thereby establishing a basis for developing new agricultural protocols to predict and mitigate frost damage in rapeseed crops accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]