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The vulnerability of trees to insect herbivory can be influenced by forest structure and diversity. Associational resistance theory posits that trees surrounded by diverse neighbours are likely to suffer reduced herbivory. However, the underlying mechanisms of this effect are debated, with accumulating evidence suggesting that leaf traits could mediate the strength and direction of the diversity‐herbivory relationships.To determine the role of tree trait variation in mediating this relationship, we measured leaf herbivory and nine morphological and nutritional leaf traits known to influence herbivory on 394 focal trees of twelve species cultivated in monocultures and mixtures of four, eight, and sixteen species in a 4‐year‐old large‐scale manipulated tree diversity experiment.A reduction in the proportion of focal trees in species‐rich neighbourhoods resulted in increased leaf carbon: nitrogen ratio of focal trees, which mediated a reduction in insect herbivory. Moreover, an increase in plant height apparency, defined as the disparity in total height between a focal tree and its closest neighbours, indirectly amplified herbivory by reducing leaf phosphorus concentration.Synthesis: The study suggests that neighbourhood diversity and physical structure can indirectly affect herbivory on a focal plant by modifying its leaf trait. Accounting for the functional differences between forests could enhance our understanding of diversity–herbivory relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dryland restoration requires plant materials capable of performing well despite difficult growing conditions. Selecting plant materials with higher intraspecific trait variability (ITV) may support successful outcomes by enhancing the performance of those materials in restoration settings. However, maintaining ITV from wild populations is not well understood and requires further investigation if ITV is to be incorporated into native plant materials, which are often developed from wild‐collected seed grown in agricultural settings. We used two perennial plant species to explore whether (1) ITV measured at field sites predicts ITV in a common garden, (2) rankings of ITV among populations remain stable over time, and (3) higher levels of ITV promote survival and reproductive effort in a common garden. We measured ITV in specific leaf area and height for Bouteloua curtipendula and Heterotheca villosa at field sites and over 2 years in a common garden, as well as survival and flower production in the common garden. We also calculated climate distance between field sites, where seeds were originally sourced, and the common garden to account for the impact of climatic differences on ITV. We found that (1) ITV measured at field sites did not predict ITV in the common garden, (2) rankings of ITV across populations were inconsistent, and (3) relationships between ITV and performance were rare and differed by species. Our findings indicate that the utility of ITV in wild populations as a predictive tool may be limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization in Ethiopia is rapidly reducing green space and biodiversity, and placing ecological stress on trees. Urban street trees (UST) can provide multiple ecosystem services, but need to cope with challenging street ecology and future climate risks. However, UST selection in Ethiopia is poor, and conventional trials and modern breeding are costly and time consuming to apply in Ethiopia. The main objective of the study was to identify potential UST species for two Ethiopian cities; Addis Ababa, and Arba Minch, by studying interspecific differences in functional traits. For the purpose, we created a database with list of 120 candidate UST gathered from multi-stakeholder workshop, literature review, and senior experts survey, and their ecological with their phenological and morphological features. Then we filtered 25 potential UST through framework analysis considering ecomorphological features of the trees. For the 25 species, we measured three types of plant functional traits: conservative traits (leaf mass per area and leaf dry matter content), acquisitive traits (leaf area, specific leaf area and leaf water content) and drought tolerance traits (leaf turgor pressure loss point, and leaf succulence index). Our results showed a strong trade-off between conservative and acquisitive traits, particularly between leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and specific leaf area (SLA) (r = -0.71), consistent with plant economic spectrum theory. Using PCA analysis, we identified three groups of potential USTs (Type I, II and III) that exhibit different adaptation strategies, consistent with Grime's trait-based classification of universal plant adaptation strategies (CSR). Compared to species with high acquisitive traits (Type II and Type III), Type I species have high conservative and drought-tolerant traits shows better adaptation to harsh road environments, whereas Type II and Type III species may be more advantageous for urban parks and other resource-rich components of urban ecology. We also found significant variation in conservative, acquisitive and drought-tolerant traits among different species, indicating their different adaptation strategies. Our research advances the knowledge of plant adaptation in urban environments and provides a useful method for UST selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant roots represent about a quarter of global plant biomass and constitute a primary source of soil organic carbon (C). Yet, considerable uncertainty persists regarding root litter decomposition and their responses to global change factors (GCFs). Much of this uncertainty stems from a limited understanding of the multifactorial effects of GCFs and it remains unclear how these effects are mediated by litter quality, soil conditions and microbial functionality. Using complementary field decomposition and laboratory incubation approaches, we assessed the relative controls of GCF‐mediated changes in root litter traits and soil and microbial properties on fine‐root decomposition under warming, nitrogen (N) enrichment, and precipitation alteration. We found that warming and N enrichment accelerated fine‐root decomposition by over 10%, and their combination showed an additive effect, while precipitation reduction suppressed decomposition overall by 12%, with the suppressive effect being most significant under warming‐alone and N enrichment‐alone conditions. Significantly, changes in litter quality played a dominant role and accelerated fine‐root decomposition by 15% ~ 18% under warming and N enrichment, while changes in soil and microbial properties were predominant and reduced decomposition by 7% ~ 10% under precipitation reduction and the combined warming and N enrichment. Examining only the decomposition environment or litter properties in isolation can distort global change effects on root decomposition, underestimating precipitation reduction impacts by 38% and overstating warming and N effects by up to 73%. These findings highlight that the net impact of GCFs on root litter decomposition hinges on the interplay between GCF‐modulated root decomposability and decomposition environment, as well as on the synergistic or antagonistic relationships among GCFs themselves. Our study emphasizes that integrating the legacy effects of multiple GCFs on root traits, soil conditions and microbial functionality would improve our prediction of C and nutrient cycling under interactive global change scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grazing exerts a profound influence on both the plant diversity and productivity of grasslands, while simultaneously exerting a significant impact on regulating grassland soil carbon sequestration. Moreover, besides altering the taxonomic diversity of plant communities, grazing can also affect their diversity of functional traits. However, we still poorly understand how grazing modifies the relationship between plant functional diversity (FD) and soil carbon sequestration in grassland ecosystems. Here, we conducted a grazing manipulation experiment to investigate the effects of different grazing regimes (no grazing, sheep grazing (SG) and cattle grazing (CG)) on the relationships between plant FD and soil carbon sequestration in meadow and desert steppe. Our findings showed that different livestock species changed the relationships between plant FD and soil organic carbon (SOC) in the meadow steppe. SG decoupled the originally positive relationship between FD and SOC, whereas CG changed the relationship from positive to negative. In the desert steppe, both SG and CG strengthened the positive relationship between FD and SOC. Our study illuminates the considerable impact of livestock species on the intricate mechanisms of soil carbon sequestration, primarily mediated through the modulation of various measures of functional trait diversity. In ungrazed meadows and grazed deserts, maintaining high plant FD is conducive to soil carbon sequestration, whereas in grazed meadows and ungrazed deserts, this relationship may disappear or even reverse. By measuring the traits and controlling the grazing activities, we can accurately predict the carbon sequestration potential in grassland ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic-based amendments are promising, eco-friendly solutions among soil requalification strategies. In this context, the current study explored the application of compost to Technosols (2 kg m-2) to improve soil quality, making the substrate suitable for plant growth. Changes in soil quality have been assessed before compost addition (time zero, T0) and plant transplanting and at 2, 4 and 11 months (T2, T4, and T11) after plant establishment. To test the soil suitability for plant growth, we monitored (at T2, T4, and T11) structural and functional ecological traits in the herbaceous spontaneous species Malva sylvestris L. and in transplanted Mediterranean sclerophyllous Phillyrea angustifolia L., and Quercus ilex L., often used in the urban greening, also considering plant and soil relationships. Our study demonstrated that compost increased soil nutrients availability over time, favoring M. sylvestris physiological performance in long-lasting, compared to sclerophyllous, since the beginning of the application. M. sylvestris exhibited high photosynthetic efficiency and carbon investment in photosynthetic tissues (higher leaf area and lower leaf mass per area) on compost-enriched soil. On the other hand, P. angustifolia and Q. ilex, even if they did not benefit from compost addition for photosynthetic efficiency, after 11 months, maintained higher leaf water content despite limited soil water availability. These results encourage the use of compost in ameliorating the quality of Technosols for urban greening, also evidencing that the species'choice is pivotal in obtaining benefits from plants and a period longer than one year is needed for sclerophyllous to see beneficial effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal oak meadows are fragmented across an increasingly urbanized landscape in Greater Victoria with implications for common camas (qʷɫəɫ/KȽO,EL/Camassia quamash) fitness. Common camas, frequently present in coastal oak meadows, is an ecologically important cultural keystone species that forms the foundation of one of the most important Indigenous food systems in the region. Previous research has examined how the pressures associated with urbanization shape plant community composition and structure, but how these pressures influence individual plant fitness remains unclear. To improve our understanding, we assessed environmental conditions and common camas growth and reproductive traits across an urban-rural gradient in Greater Victoria. We found that urbanization on this landscape alters several key environmental variables (namely increased trampling and soil compaction, and decreased soil depth, canopy cover, and soil phosphorus) and that common camas appears to be responding to these altered conditions with a reduction in growth and reproductive trait values. By targeting the identified pressures, management can work towards supporting more successful urban camas populations into the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil and water conservation measures (SWCM) have wide-ranging effects on vegetation and soil, and their effects on the ecosystem are multifaceted, with complex mechanisms. While numerous studies have focused on the impact of such measures on soil, the improvement of plant functional traits is a major factor in the ecological recovery of the Loess Plateau. This survey extensively investigated no measure plots, vegetation measure plots, and engineering measure plots in the Loess Plateau. The impact of SWCM on plant functional traits was investigated using structural equation modeling. We examined six plant functional traits--leaf dry weight (LD), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf tissue density (LTD), leaf total phosphorus (LTP), leaf total nitrogen (LTN), and leaf volume (LV)--correlated with resource acquisition and allocation. In 122 plots, we explored the effects of measures, soil, diversity, and community structure on the weighted average of plant functional traits. The findings showed substantial positive correlations between LD and SLA, LD and LV, SLA and LV, SLA and LTP, and LTP and LTN. LTD has a substantial negative correlation with LD, LTD with SLA, and LTD with LV. SWCM limits diversity, and the mechanisms by which it affects plant functional traits vary. In the structural equation model (SEM) of vegetation measures, improving community structure enhances plant functional traits, but soil factors have the greatest influence on plant functional traits in SEM engineering measures. Plant functional trait differences on the Loess Plateau result are due to differential plant responses to diverse soil properties and community structure. Vegetation measures enhance the chemical properties of plant functional traits, while engineering measures improve physical properties. The study provides a theoretical foundation for vegetation restoration and management following the implementation of diverse SWCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To test the hypothesis that adaptive shifts leading to the assembly of tropical savannas involved coordination between bark and wood traits and to understand the underlying mechanisms. Location: Tropical South America. Taxon: Angiosperms (woody). Methods: We compiled data on three bark traits (total, inner and outer relative bark thickness), wood density, maximum height, five secondary xylem traits and on species' habitat information (light environment, climate, soil and fire history) for Neotropical savanna, forest and generalist species (biome groups). We tested for pairwise and multivariate associations among traits across species and if biome group and habitat conditions explained species positions along the resulting strategy axes. Results: Traits covaried along four different axes. The first axis was consistent with a trade‐off between fire (thick barks) and shade tolerance (low bark to diameter ratio, high vessel density) and contributed to differentiate the three biome groups according to the preference for shaded environments. Forest species also differed from savanna and generalist species in a separate axis by being more resource acquisitive. Maximum height and wood density did not strongly trade‐off with bark thickness, although maximum height was negatively covaried with relative outer bark thickness. Preference for shaded conditions was the main driver of variation in the two principal strategy axes, but temperature, fire and soil sand content also explained differences in plant stature between savanna and generalist species. Main Conclusions: Allocation to bark is constrained by trade‐offs with wood, opposing shade‐tolerant and acquisitive forest species to fire‐resistant and conservative savanna species. Rather than a single strategy axis, three axes are necessary to understand the functional differences among savanna, forest and generalist species. Because two of these axes are controlled by light availability, the associated traits tend to covary in space and time, but not across species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrestrial vegetation is a crucial component of the Earth system, and its changes not only represent one of the most distinct aspects of climate change but also exert significant feedback within the climate system by exchanging energy, moisture, and carbon dioxide. To quantitatively and mechanistically study climate-vegetation feedback, numerical vegetation models have been developed on the theory of ecophysiological constraints on plant functional types. The models eventually can simulate vegetation distribution and succession across different spatial and temporal scales, and associated terrestrial carbon cycle processes by categorizing vegetation into biomes according different plant functional types and their associated environmental factors. Here we review the developing history of vegetation models and provide recent advances and future directions. Before 21st century, static vegetation models, as developed statistical models, can only simulate equilibrated characteristics of vegetation distribution. In last several decades, Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) have been developed to simulate instantaneous responses of vegetation to climate change and associated dynamics, and can be coupled with Earth system models to investigate interactions among atmosphere, ocean, and land. DGVMs are also widely applied to investigate the dynamics accounting for changes in the geographic distribution patterns of land surface vegetation at different spatial and temporal scales and to assess the impacts of terrestrial carbon and water fluxes and land use changes. We suggest that future vegetation modeling could integrate with machine learning, and explore vegetation transient response and feedback as well as impacts of process hierarchies and human activities on climate and ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large-scale surface hardening has changed the urban environment and affected the normal growth of urban plants. However, it is still unclear how the urban hardened surface affects the functional urban plant traits. To explore whether the urban hardened surface affects the ecological strategies of plants by changing the urban soil properties and reflecting them on the plant traits, we studied the physical and chemical properties and plant functional traits of three different types of hardened surface in Shandong Province, China. Our results showed that the physical and chemical properties (soil bulk density, soil total porosity, capillary porosity, non-capillary porosity, soil moisture content, pH, organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, available phosphorus, and available potassium) of urban soils showed obvious differences with the increase of hardening strength. In this case, the plant functional traits (branch diameter, branch length, leaf thickness, branch weight, internode length, leaf dry weight, leafing intensity, leaf area, specific leaf area, and leaf dry matter content) were also differentiated to varying degrees. Meanwhile, there was a strong correlation among plant functional traits. Nevertheless, hardened surfaces break the quantitative relationship among functional traits of urban trees. They do not affect their stable correlation: as the hardening intensity gradually increases, its correlation weakens. In addition, plant functional traits have a significant response mechanism to soil physicochemical properties. There was a transformation of plant resource utilization strategy by changing plant functional traits to adapt to the hardened environment. Urban trees exhibit strong and rapid resource-allocation strategies. They are mainly reflected in the reduction of branch diameter, branch weight, leaf dry matter content, leaf area, mass ratio of branches and leaves, and the improvement of leafing intensity and leaf thickness. Overall, there were tight connections among urban soil properties, plant branches, and leaves functional properties. This finding reveals that urban trees can change their functional traits and the plasticity of their trait combinations under the background of hardened urban surface expansion, which is conducive to survival and growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Intraspecific variation in functional traits between native and introduced plant species may underlie resilience and invasiveness of introduced species. We explored if observed phenotypic variation of Iris pseudacorus L. between populations in the native vs. introduced ranges results from genetic differentiation and/or phenotypic plasticity. Seeds were collected from populations along estuarine stress gradients within populations in both Guadalquivir Estuary (Andalusia, Spain) and San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary (California, USA). Genetic analysis was performed on leaf tissue from plants in each seed donor population. Germinants (n = 48: 6 plants × 4 populations × 2 ranges) were grown for 12 months in a common garden experiment (CGE). We then evaluated 25 traits including growth, biomass allocation, morphological and biochemical responses. Geographic range explained relative intraspecific trait variation segregating native from introduced phenotypes. Native plants had lower specific leaf area (− 34%) and carbohydrate concentrations in rhizomes (− 63%) than introduced plants, providing evidence of genetic differentiation. Higher genetic diversity and 27% higher phenotypic variation (CGE) of native vs. introduced plants indicated longer-term adaptive processes in the native range. Genetic distance of introduced populations (field) increased along with their phenotypic distance (CGE), suggesting rapid genetic differentiation. Phenotypic plasticity also explained some observed inter-range differences under field conditions not expressed by plants in the CGE. Management of the introduced I. pseudacorus populations should be established urgently since they represent novel genotypes with key functional traits that can support invasiveness through increased competitive ability and physiological stress tolerances to sea level rise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] To reveal the regional variation of adaptation strategies of common species Populus alba, it can provide data support for predicting plant adaptation potential under the background of climate change. [Methods] Nine state-owned forest farms were selected along the precipitation gradient from southeast to northwest China, and 18 functional traits related to water and carbon status of the common species P . alba were measured. The methods of trait network and principal component analysis were used to quantify the regional differentiation of traits, and to clarify the main climatic factors driving the variation of traits and their habitat adaptation strategies. [Results] (1) The average coefficient of variation of each trait was 12.09%-60.35%, and the variation level of photosynthetic physiology and stomatal related traits was generally higher than that of other traits. (2) The importance percentage of photosynthetic active radiation, growing season mean temperature, annual mean precipitation, and aridity index on trait variation were 35.45%, 28.37%, 19.36%, and 16.93%, respectively. Among them, photosynthetic active radiation in the growing season was the most important climatic factor driving trait variation. (3) The central trait of the trait network was the maximum net photosynthetic rate. [Conclusion] There are differences in the adaptation strategies of P . alba in the precipitation gradient zone. From the humid/semi-humid region to the arid region, the carbon economy strategy changes from a relatively conservative type to an acquisition type.

Summary: Co‐occurring plants show wide variation in their hydraulic and photosynthetic traits. Here, we extended 'least‐cost' optimality theory to derive predictions for how variation in key hydraulic traits potentially affects the cost of acquiring and using water in photosynthesis and how this, in turn, should drive variation in photosynthetic traits.We tested these ideas across 18 woody species at a temperate woodland in eastern Australia, focusing on hydraulic traits representing different aspects of plant water balance, that is storage (sapwood capacitance, CS), demand vs supply (branch leaf : sapwood area ratio, AL : AS and leaf : sapwood mass ratio and ML : MS), access to soil water (proxied by predawn leaf water potential, ΨPD) and physical strength (sapwood density, WD).Species with higher AL : AS had higher ratio of leaf‐internal to ambient CO2 concentration during photosynthesis (ci : ca), a trait central to the least‐cost theory framework. CS and the daily operating range of tissue water potential (∆Ψ) had an interactive effect on ci : ca. CS, WD and ΨPD were significantly correlated with each other. These results, along with those from multivariate analyses, underscored the pivotal role leaf : sapwood allocation (AL : AS), and water storage (CS) play in coordination between plant hydraulic and photosynthetic systems.This study uniquely explored the role of hydraulic traits in predicting species‐specific photosynthetic variation based on optimality theory and highlights important mechanistic links within the plant carbon–water balance. See also the Commentary on this article by Macinnis‐Ng, 244: 1681–1683. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Various attributes are hypothesized to facilitate the dominance of an invasive species in non-native geographical and ecological regimes. To explore the characteristic invasive attributes of the family Asteraceae, a comparative study was conducted among nine species of this family, co-occurring in the western Himalayan region. Based on their nativity and invasion status, the species were categorized as “Invasive”, “Naturalized”, and “Native”. Fifteen plant functional traits, strongly linked with invasion, were examined in the test species. The analyses revealed a strong dissimilarity between all the plant functional traits (except leaf carbon [Leaf C]) represented by “Invasive” and “Native” categories and most of the traits (except leaf area [LA], leaf nitrogen [Leaf N], Leaf C, and leaf carbon-nitrogen ratio [C: N]) represented by the “Naturalized” and “Native” categories. Similarly, “Invasive” and “Naturalized” categories also varied significantly for most of the traits (except Leaf N, Leaf C, capitula per m² population [Cm²], seeds per capitula [Scapitula], and seed mass). Invasive species are characterized by high LA, specific leaf area [SLA] and germination, and low C:N and leaf construction costs [LCC]. Most of the traits represented by native species justify their non-invasive behavior; whereas the naturalized species, despite having better size metrics (plant height), resource investment strategy (aboveground non-reproductive biomass [BNR], and aboveground reproductive biomass [BR]), and reproductive output (capitula per individual plant [Cplant], and seeds per individual plant [Splant]) failed to invade, which implies that the role of these functional aspects in imparting invasion potential to a species is not consistent in all the ecosystems and/or phylogenetic groups. Results of PCA revealed that trait divergence plays a more imperative role in invasion success than naturalization in the species of the family Asteraceae. The present study is intended to refine the pre-generalized invasion concepts associated with family Asteraceae to ensure more accurate identification of the potential invaders and better management of the existing ones.

Abstract [Objective] Invasion of Trifolium repens occupies the living space of turfgrasses and has been seriously threatening the quality and function of turfs. Examining the impact of T . repens invasion on the functional traits of Poa pratensis and turf quality is helpful for understanding the invasion mechanism of T . repens and for establishing and maintaining gramineous turfgrass. [Methods] Taking the T . repens-invaded P . pratensis turf as object, the sample survey method was employed to investigate the differences in the functional traits and turf quality of P . pratensis under different degrees of T . repens invasion (control, low invasion, moderate invasion, and heavy invasion), and to evaluate turf quality by the membership function method. [Results] (1) With increase in degree of T . repens invasion, the carbon content of P . pratensis organs and the cost of leaf construction, as well as the ratio of carbon to nitrogen, carbon to phosphorus, and nitrogen to phosphorus were gradually decreased, while the specific leaf area and nitrogen and phosphorus content in the organs were increased. (2) At the same invasion level, the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus contents in the organs of P . pratensis were higher in leaves than in roots and stems, and the carbon to nitrogen ratio and carbon to phosphorus ratio were higher in roots and stems than in leaves, while the nitrogen to phosphorus ratio was higher in stems and leaves than in roots. (3) The density, texture, greenness index, and uniformity of P . pratensis turf were decreased with increase in T . repens invasion, while the aboveground biomass and belowground biomass were increased. (4) The comprehensive evaluation by the membership function method showed that turf quality was the best without T . repens invasion but the worst under heavy T . repens invasion. Leaf carbon content had the greatest influence on turf quality. [Conclusion] T . repens invasion alters P . pratensis functional traits as well as affects turf quality, landscape, and function.

Various attributes are hypothesized to facilitate the dominance of an invasive species in non-native geographical and ecological regimes. To explore the characteristic invasive attributes of the family Asteraceae, a comparative study was conducted among nine species of this family, co-occurring in the western Himalayan region. Based on their nativity and invasion status, the species were categorized as "Invasive", "Naturalized", and "Native". Fifteen plant functional traits, strongly linked with invasion, were examined in the test species. The analyses revealed a strong dissimilarity between all the plant functional traits (except leaf carbon [Leaf C]) represented by "Invasive" and "Native" categories and most of the traits (except leaf area [LA], leaf nitrogen [Leaf N], Leaf C, and leaf carbon-nitrogen ratio [C: N]) represented by the "Naturalized" and "Native" categories. Similarly, "Invasive" and "Naturalized" categories also varied significantly for most of the traits (except Leaf N, Leaf C, capitula per m² population [Cm²], seeds per capitula [Scapitula], and seed mass). Invasive species are characterized by high LA, specific leaf area [SLA] and germination, and low C:N and leaf construction costs [LCC]. Most of the traits represented by native species justify their non-invasive behavior; whereas the naturalized species, despite having better size metrics (plant height), resource investment strategy (aboveground non-reproductive biomass [BNR], and aboveground reproductive biomass [BR]), and reproductive output (capitula per individual plant [Cplant], and seeds per individual plant [Splant]) failed to invade, which implies that the role of these functional aspects in imparting invasion potential to a species is not consistent in all the ecosystems and/or phylogenetic groups. Results of PCA revealed that trait divergence plays a more imperative role in invasion success than naturalization in the species of the family Asteraceae. The present study is intended to refine the pre-generalized invasion concepts associated with family Asteraceae to ensure more accurate identification of the potential invaders and better management of the existing ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is exerting growing pressure on natural ecosystems, but its impact on biological interactions remains unclear. This study aimed to assess how ALAN influences leaf functional traits and herbivory in two prevalent street tree species (Styphnolobium japonicum (L.) Schott and Fraxinus pennsylvanica) through field surveys and paired experiments in the urban areas of Beijing, China. We found that ALAN led to increased leaf toughness and decreased levels of leaf herbivory. Additionally, ALAN showed species-specific effects on leaf nutrients, size as well as defense substances. The findings illustrate that ALAN can significantly alter some key functional traits and ecological processes (nutrient cycling, energy flow). In general, we suggest that high ALAN intensity will be detrimental to the energy flow from urban plants to higher trophic levels, posing a potential threat to the maintenance of biodiversity (e.g., arthropod diversity, bird diversity) in urban ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due of the potential of species to determine ecosystem properties, it is important to understand how species abundance influences community assembly. Using vegetation surveys on 35 dry grasslands in north-east Slovenia, we defined dominant (8) and subordinate (61) plant species. They were compared on 14 traits to test for differences in community-weighted mean (CWM) and functional diversity (FD). We found that dominants and subordinates differed strongly in their functional traits. Dominants showed higher leaf dry matter content and a more pronounced stress tolerance strategy and were all clonal with a large proportion of species with rhizomes and a rich bud bank, while other species showed a higher specific leaf area, a longer flowering period and more ruderals. For most traits, FD was higher in subordinates. Our results suggest that dominants drive community structure by limited susceptibility to non-competitive processes. Dominants may have positive effects on subordinates by mitigating environmental stressors. Subordinates are able to assemble together by being dissimilar and use different fine-scale niches that are engineered and homogenised by dominants. Our results show that there are fundamental differences in the relative importance of ecological processes between dominant and subordinate plants in species-rich grasslands, which is also important for their conservational management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional traits reflect plants' adaptability to their environment, and environmental gradients influence their distribution. But few studies have investigated the link between these traits and species substitution patterns or the relevant ecological factors. We measured the aboveground (leaf) and belowground (root) functional traits of Stipa species in 17 plots across natural grasslands in Ningxia in Northern China. Redundancy analysis was used to explore the relationships between Stipa's functional traits and its species substitution distribution. Then, on the species substitution gradient, principal component analysis (PCA) was used to verify and quantify the leaf economic spectrum (LES), root economic spectrum (RES), and whole‐plant economic spectrum (WPES), with the relation between these spectra investigated by fitting standardized major axis regressions. The effects of aboveground, belowground, and whole‐plant ecological factors were quantified and ranked by variance decomposition and hierarchical partitioning. Our results showed that functional traits drive the substitution distribution of Stipa species, in being variously coupled with its desert, typical, and meadow steppe habitat types. The leaf, root, and whole‐plant economic spectra of Stipa species in desert steppe exhibit a "quick investment‐acquisition" strategy. In typical steppe, the leaf and whole‐plant economic spectra of Stipa species correspond to a "fast investment‐acquisition" strategy, whereas the root economic spectrum adopts a "slow investment‐acquisition" strategy. On meadow steppe, the leaf, root, and whole‐plant economic spectra of Stipa species similarly adopt a "slow investment‐acquisition" strategy. Finally, when considering the environmental factors involved, we find that the substitution distribution of Stipa spp. is chiefly a response to shifting soil patterns, these mainly driven by soil total nitrogen and nitrogen/phosphorus ratio. Collectively, these findings provide an important reference for the ecological restoration and reconstruction of grassland ecosystems, to better understand the relationship between plant functional traits and ecological niche attributes, and thus guide the reasonable restoration of grassland vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing density of woody plants threatens the integrity of grassy ecosystems. It remains unclear if such encroachment can be explained mostly by direct effects of resources on woody plant growth or by indirect effects of disturbances imposing tree recruitment limitation. Here, we investigate whether woody plant functional traits provide a mechanistic understanding of the complex relationships between these resource and disturbance effects. We first assess the role of rainfall, soil fertility, texture, and geomorphology to explain variation in woody plant encroachment (WPE) following livestock grazing and consequent fire suppression across the Serengeti ecosystem. Second, we explore trait‐environment relationships and how these mediate vegetation response to fire suppression. We find that WPE is strongest in areas with high soil fertility, high rainfall, and intermediate catena positions. These conditions also promote woody plant communities characterized by small stature and seed sizes smaller relative to a comparative baseline within the Serengeti ecosystem, alongside high recruit densities (linked to a recruitment‐stature trade‐off). The positioning of species along this "recruitment‐stature axis" predicted woody stem density increase in livestock sites. Structural equation modeling suggested a causal pathway where environmental factors shape the community trait composition, subsequently influencing woody recruit numbers. These numbers, in turn, predicted an area's vulnerability to WPE. Our study underscores the importance of trait‐environment relationships in predicting the impact of human alterations on local vegetation change. Understanding how environmental factors directly (resources) and indirectly (legacy effects and plant traits) determine WPE supports the development of process‐based ecosystem structure and function models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomes are large‐scale ecosystems occupying large spaces. The biome concept should theoretically facilitate scientific synthesis of global‐scale studies of the past, present, and future biosphere. However, there is neither a consensus biome map nor universally accepted definition of terrestrial biomes, making joint interpretation and comparison of biome‐related studies difficult. "Desert," "rainforest," "tundra," "grassland," or "savanna," while widely used terms in common language, have multiple definitions and no universally accepted spatial distribution. Fit‐for‐purpose classification schemes are necessary, so multiple biome‐mapping methods should for now co‐exist. In this review, we compare biome‐mapping methods, first conceptually, then quantitatively. To facilitate the description of the diversity of approaches, we group the extant diversity of past, present, and future global‐scale biome‐mapping methods into three main families that differ by the feature captured, the mapping technique, and the nature of observation used: (1) compilation biome maps from expert elicitation, (2) functional biome maps from vegetation physiognomy, and (3) simulated biome maps from vegetation modeling. We design a protocol to measure and quantify spatially the pairwise agreement between biome maps. We then illustrate the use of such a protocol with a real‐world application by investigating the potential ecological drivers of disagreement between four broadly used, modern global biome maps. In this example, we quantify that the strongest disagreement among biome maps generally occurs in landscapes altered by human activities and moderately covered by vegetation. Such disagreements are sources of bias when combining several biome classifications. When aiming to produce realistic biome maps, biases could be minimized by promoting schemes using observations rather than predictions, while simultaneously considering the effect of humans and other ecosystem engineers in the definition. Throughout this review, we provide comparison and decision tools to navigate the diversity of approaches to encourage a more effective use of the biome concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel in Europe, but the excavation of hard coal has covered large areas with disposed rock waste, and turned the natural habitats into disturbed novel ecosystems with harsh conditions differ in time and space. To examine the spontaneous complex successional gradient, we studied a large number of post coalmine heaps in Upper Silesia, which differ in vegetation type and age. Cluster analysis based on plant community composition (367 species in total) separated all surveyed plots on coal mining spoil heaps with herbaceous vegetation from Late Stage (LS) forests aged 14--56 years. Furthermore, the herbaceous vegetation was sub-grouped to three stages: Initial Stage (IS) aged 2--5 years, Early Stage (ES) aged 3--8 years and Mid-Stage (MS) aged 5--12 years. MS vegetation was characterised by the highest species richness and diversity (47 and 2.79) compared to ES (30 and 2.18) and IS (9 and 1.6), but higher species number and a similar diversity index occurred in LS (37 and 2.81). Functional diversity (FD) and community weighted mean (CWM) of nine functional traits showed higher (23.1) functional richness, higher (0.72) functional divergence, higher (4.5) functional dispersion, and higher value (24.4) of Rao's quadratic entropy in LS compared to those calculated from the first three stages. Species at the initial successional stage (IS) were characterised by lower canopy height, seed mass, higher lateral spread, and specific leaf area (SLA). Additionally, the lowest (0.22 mg CO2 per hour per square metre) soil respiration (Sr) rate was recorded from IS compared to (0.53, 0.82 and 1.00) from ES, LS and MS, respectively. The soil water content (SWC) was the most important factor affecting the soil respiration, while the soil temperature (St) did not follow the well-studied relationship between soil respiration and soil temperature. Our spatial and temporal analyses illustrated changes in plant community assembly processes in the course of spontaneous vegetation succession on post coalmine spoil heaps. The importance of trait mediated abiotic filtration in community assembly in initial-, early-, and mid-stages of succession with an increase in competitive exclusion at the late successional stage was emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This insight article comments on: Ziegler C, Cochard, H, Stahl C, Bastien Gérard LF, Goret J, Heuret P, Levionnois S, Maillard P, Bonal D, Coste S. 2024. Residual water losses mediate the trade-off between growth and drought survival across saplings of 12 tropical rainforest tree species with contrasting hydraulic strategies. Journal of Experimental Botany 75, 4128–4147. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite their claimed low intraspecific variability, plant reproductive traits are less frequently used in functional ecology. Here we focused on underrepresented plant organs, i.e. flowers and fruits, by comparing their traits with well‐established leaf traits. We evaluated 16 functional traits (six floral, six fruit, and four leaf traits) in a randomly selected group of woody species under comparable environmental conditions. We aimed to assess interspecific and intraspecimen variability and explore the potential of the proposed flower and fruit traits for ecological research. Traits related to the dry mass of flowers and fruits exhibited the highest interspecific variability, while carbon content traits in flowers and leaves had the lowest. At a specimen level, specific leaf area revealed the highest variation. Carbon content traits for all organs demonstrated the least intraspecimen variability, with flower carbon content being the least variable. Our study revealed connections between the newly proposed traits and widely recognized functional traits, uncovering intriguing links between the established traits and the floral and fruit traits upon which we focused. This complements the already well‐recognized variability in plant form and function with additional insights into reproductive processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise: While many studies have measured the aboveground responses of plants to mycorrhizal fungi at a single time point, little is known about how plants respond belowground or across time to mycorrhizal symbiosis. By measuring belowground responses and growth over time in many plant species, we create a more complete picture of how mycorrhizal fungi benefit their hosts. Methods: We grew 26 prairie plant species with and without mycorrhizal fungi and measured 14 functional traits to assess above‐ and belowground tissue quality and quantity responses and changes in resource allocation. We used function‐valued trait (FVT) modeling to characterize changes in species growth rate when colonized. Results: While aboveground biomass responses were positive, the response of traits belowground were much more variable. Changes in aboveground biomass accounted for 60.8% of the variation in mycorrhizal responses, supporting the use of aboveground biomass response as the primary response trait. Responses belowground were not associated with aboveground responses and accounted for 18.3% of the variation. Growth responses over time were highly variable across species. Interestingly, none of the measured responses were phylogenetically conserved. Conclusions: Mycorrhizal fungi increase plant growth in most scenarios, but the effects of these fungi belowground and across time are more complicated. This study highlights how differences in plant allocation priorities might affect how they utilize the benefits from mycorrhizal fungi. Identifying and characterizing these differences is a key step to understanding the effects of mycorrhizal mutualisms on whole plant physiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is often speculated that non-native invasive species undergo rapid changes in their phenotypic properties (i.e., traits) that provide adaptive advantage in their new environment. However, few studies have directly compared traits of invasive non-native species with their native counterparts to reveal whether such phenotypic changes occur, and which stages of initial introduction and subsequent invasion contribute to these shifts. We studied trait variation of an invasive tree, Pinus contorta, which is native to northwestern North America and invasive in the Patagonia region of South America (i.e., Argentina and Chile). Commercial plantations of P. contorta were introduced extensively in Patagonia from the 1970s onward, from an unknown seed origin within the Pacific Northwest, USA, where three sub-species are found, including subsp. contorta, latifolia, and murrayana. We employed a home-versus-away study approach, where we compared mean growth, defense, and reproduction trait values, and mean within-stand trait variation (Coefficient of Variation, CV) of Patagonia plantations, with the three native sub-species. We further compared mean traits, and trait CVs between invasive P. contorta and the Patagonia plantations from which they escaped. Patagonia plantations shared the most similar mean trait values with subsp. latifolia and murrayana, suggesting possible source populations. However, both mean trait values and trait CVs of Patagonia plantations differed from all three native sub-species, indicating potential founder effects, population bottlenecks, and/or plastic responses to their new environment that occurred during or after introduction. We also found evidence for selective change during invasion; however, these differences did not suggest growth traits were prioritized over defense traits, which was inconsistent with hypotheses that invaders exhibit an evolutionary trade-off between defense traits and growth traits. Our study highlights that processes occurring both at first introduction and establishment, as well as the subsequent invasion phase can influence the phenotype of successful invaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing number of studies in botanical gardens are investigating species' responses to climate change. However, the influence of local environmental or habitat conditions such as soil nutrient status or microclimate on phenology and the link between morpho‐physiological functional traits and phenological stages are poorly understood, making it difficult to extrapolate patterns from botanical gardens to natural environments. Therefore, we selected herbaceous species growing in two semi‐natural habitats, namely, semi‐dry grasslands (SDGs) and mesophilic grasslands (MGs) and the botanical garden of Jena (Germany) to investigate the influence of habitat conditions on interspecific and intraspecific patterns in phenology, functional traits and their associations. For 16 species, we monitored leaf and flowering phenology weekly for 133 populations from the three habitats, measured morpho‐physiological traits (i.e., whole plant, leaf and reproductive traits), as well as habitat conditions and compared the measurements across habitats. Multivariate analyses revealed that morpho‐physiological traits conspicuously showed stronger differences between habitats compared to phenological traits. Populations on MG showed temporal niche segregation, whereas populations on SDG showed flowering synchrony. Boosted Regression Trees showed that morpho‐physiological traits, especially reproductive traits, strongly influenced phenological traits and that the trait‐phenology relationships were highly habitat‐specific. We conclude that species phenology is broadly similar between botanical gardens and local habitats. However, phenological responses to the environment may be constrained by a certain suite of correlated traits due to ecological plant strategies that vary across habitats. The effect of habitat conditions on morpho‐physiological functional traits and phenology‐trait relationships is important and should not be neglected at local scales, implying consequences at larger scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Land surface phenology (LSP), the characterization of plant phenology with satellite data, is essential for understanding the effects of climate change on ecosystem functions. Considerable LSP variation is observed within local landscapes, and the role of biotic factors in regulating such variation remains underexplored.In this study, we selected four National Ecological Observatory Network terrestrial sites with minor topographic relief to investigate how biotic factors regulate intra‐site LSP variability. We utilized plant functional type (PFT) maps, functional traits, and LSP data to assess the explanatory power of biotic factors for the start and end of season (SOS and EOS) variability.Our results indicate that PFTs alone explain only 0.8–23.4% of intra‐site SOS and EOS variation, whereas including functional traits significantly improves explanatory power, with cross‐validation correlations ranging from 0.50 to 0.85. While functional traits exhibited diverse effects on SOS and EOS across different sites, traits related to competitive ability and productivity were important for explaining both SOS and EOS variation at these sites.These findings reveal that plants exhibit diverse phenological responses to comparable environmental conditions, and functional traits significantly contribute to intra‐site LSP variability, highlighting the importance of intrinsic biotic properties in regulating plant phenology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gymnosperms encompass a diverse group of mostly woody plants with high ecological and economic value, yet little is known about the scope and organization of fine‐root trait diversity among gymnosperms due to the undersampling of most gymnosperm families and the dominance of angiosperm groups in recent syntheses.New and existing data were compiled for morphological traits (root diameter, length, tissue density, specific root length [SRL] and specific root area [SRA]), the architectural trait branching ratio, root nitrogen content [N] and mycorrhizal colonization. We used phylogenetic least squares regression and principal component analysis to determine trait–trait relationships and coordination across 66 species, representing 11 of the 12 extant gymnosperm families from boreal, temperate, subtropical and tropical biomes. Finally, we compared the relationship between family divergence time and mean trait values to determine whether evolutionary history structured variation in fine‐root traits within the gymnosperm phylogeny.Wide variation in gymnosperm root traits could be largely captured by two primary axes of variation defined by SRL and diameter, and root tissue density and root nitrogen, respectively. However, individual root length and SRA each had significant correlations with traits defining both main axes of variation. Neither mycorrhizal colonization nor root branching ratio were closely related to other traits. We did not observe a directional evolution of mean trait values from older to more recently diverged gymnosperm families.Synthesis. Despite their unique evolutionary history, gymnosperms display a root economic space similar to that identified in angiosperms, likely reflecting common constraints on plants adapting to diverse environments in both groups. These findings provide greater confidence that patterns observed in broad syntheses justly capture patterns of trait diversity among multiple, distinct lineages. Additionally, independence between root architecture and other traits may support greater diversity in below‐ground resource acquisition strategies. Unlike angiosperms, there were no clear trends towards increasingly thin roots over evolutionary time, possibly because of lower diversification rates or unique biogeographic history among gymnosperms, though additional observations are needed to more richly test evolutionary trends among gymnosperms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species traits may determine plant interactions along with soil microbiome, further shaping plant–soil feedbacks (PSFs). However, how plant traits modulate PSFs and, consequently, the dominance of plant functional groups remains unclear. We used a combination of field surveys and a two‐phase PSF experiment to investigate whether forbs and graminoids differed in PSFs and in their trait–PSF associations. When grown in forb‐conditioned soils, forbs experienced stronger negative feedbacks, while graminoids experienced positive feedbacks. Graminoid‐conditioned soil resulted in neutral PSFs for both functional types. Forbs with thin roots and small seeds showed more‐negative PSFs than those with thick roots and large seeds. Conversely, graminoids with acquisitive root and leaf traits (i.e., thin roots and thin leaves) demonstrated greater positive PSFs than graminoids with thick roots and tough leaves. By distinguishing overall and soil biota‐mediated PSFs, we found that the associations between plant traits and PSFs within both functional groups were mainly mediated by soil biota. A simulation model demonstrated that such differences in PSFs could lead to a dominance of graminoids over forbs in natural plant communities, which might explain why graminoids dominate in grasslands. Our study provides new insights into the differentiation and adaptation of plant life‐history strategies under selection pressures imposed by soil biota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crown closure of Platycladus orientalis forests has a wide-ranging impact on vegetation and soil, thereby affecting the overall functioning of the ecosystem. There is limited research on the effects of the Platycladus orientalis forest crown closure on changes in community plant functional traits, and their interactions are not yet clear. Therefore, we investigated 50 plots of different types of Platycladus orientalis crown closure, and we measured the functional traits of nine shrub species and 68 herb species in 50 plots under five different densities of Platycladus orientalis forests in the Loess Plateau. The consequence of Pearson's correlation analysis showed significant positive correlations between LC and LTD, LN and LP, LN and LNP, LN and LV, LN and H, LP and LV, LP and H, and SLA and LV (p < 0.05). LC was significantly negatively correlated with LP, LC with SLA, LC with LV, LN with LTD, LP with LNP, LP with LTD, and LTD with H (p < 0.05). Only the soil phosphorus content (SP) and soil water content (SWC) showed a significant positive correlation with multiple plant functional traits. The crown closure of Platycladus orientalis forests increased significantly, as did the plant functional features. Changes in the Platycladus orientalis forest crown closure significantly increased the LC, LV, LN, LP, and SLA in plant functional traits. An increase in Platycladus orientalis forest crown closure significantly increased the soil organic carbon (SC), soil phosphorus content (SP), soil nitrogen content (SN), soil water content (SWC), field capacity (FC), and soil porosity (PO). Based on a structural equation model, we found that, while changes in the Platycladus orientalis forest crown closure did not directly affect plant functional traits, they could indirectly influence these traits through soil factors, primarily the soil water content (SWC) and soil phosphorus content (SP) (p < 0.05). Additionally, the mechanisms of the Platycladus orientalis forest crown closure's impact on different functional traits vary. The research results provide scientific elements for the ecological restoration of Platycladus orientalis forests on the Loess Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetlands, integral constituents of natural ecosystems, play a pivotal role in bolstering biodiversity and providing habitats. Diminished lake expanses, degradation of wetlands, and pollution in arid and semi-arid regions present threats to the structural and functional aspects of wetland ecosystems. This study employed plant functional traits to assess changes in the functional composition of plant communities in lakeshore wetland ecosystems in the arid and semi-arid regions of the Mongolian Plateau in northern China, as well as to explore the effects of climatic and soil heterogeneity gradients on wetland ecosystem function. Our findings reveal that all trait metrics can be categorized into three primary trait groups: plant nutrient traits, plant structural traits, and plant energy acquisition traits. Environmental heterogeneity drove variations in plant functional traits across different spatial scales. Soil and climatic factors combine to explain variation in wetland plant community characteristics and functional diversity, with soil moisture content as a key factor influencing functional diversity. In some lake lakeshore region habitats that were seasonally waterlogged for an extended period, seasonal precipitation might impact plant structural traits. The functioning of the ecosystem is predominantly shaped by community structural traits, functional diversity, and soil factors. This study extensively examines the interplay among the functional traits, functional structure, and ecosystem function within lakeshore plant communities. This exploration holds paramount significance in establishing a scientific foundation for the restoration and reconstruction of wetland ecosystem vegetation in the lakeshore regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization in Ethiopia is rapidly reducing green space and biodiversity, and placing ecological stress on trees. Urban street trees (UST) can provide multiple ecosystem services, but need to cope with challenging street ecology and future climate risks. However, UST selection in Ethiopia is poor, and conventional trials and modern breeding are costly and time consuming to apply in Ethiopia. The main objective of the study was to identify potential UST species for two Ethiopian cities; Addis Ababa, and Arba Minch, by studying interspecific differences in functional traits. For the purpose, we created a database with list of 120 candidate UST gathered from multi-stakeholder workshop, literature review, and senior experts survey, and their ecological with their phenological and morphological features. Then we filtered 25 potential UST through framework analysis considering eco-morphological features of the trees. For the 25 species, we measured three types of plant functional traits: conservative traits (leaf mass per area and leaf dry matter content), acquisitive traits (leaf area, specific leaf area and leaf water content) and drought tolerance traits (leaf turgor pressure loss point, and leaf succulence index). Our results showed a strong trade-off between conservative and acquisitive traits, particularly between leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and specific leaf area (SLA) (r = −0.71), consistent with plant economic spectrum theory. Using PCA analysis, we identified three groups of potential USTs (Type I, II and III) that exhibit different adaptation strategies, consistent with Grime’s trait-based classification of universal plant adaptation strategies (CSR). Compared to species with high acquisitive traits (Type II and Type III), Type I species have high conservative and drought-tolerant traits shows better adaptation to harsh road environments, whereas Type II and Type III species may be more advantageous for urban parks and other resource-rich components of urban ecology. We also found significant variation in conservative, acquisitive and drought-tolerant traits among different species, indicating their different adaptation strategies. Our research advances the knowledge of plant adaptation in urban environments and provides a useful method for UST selection.

Mediterranean plants are facing increased periods of drought, potentially jeopardizing their survival. Despite the known influence of intraspecific variability on plants’ responses to the environment, most studies focus on differences between species and overlook short distances. Following the observation of three nearby populations of Quercus ilex and Cistus salviifolius inheriting different sets of drought-related functional traits in common garden, we tested if these populations could perform differently under water stress. We observed drought responses on plantlets from both species, measuring key physiological traits such as gas exchanges and spectrometric indexes. Our results show similar responses from populations of C. salviifolius while Q. ilex had high intraspecific variability, with increased drought-resistance in plants hailing from dry provenances, reflected by improved water use efficiency, photosynthetic capacity, and reduced metabolic response to stress. These observations support the idea that, despite the short distances, neighbouring plant populations can adapt differently to drought, changing the way they withstand climate and its changes.

Riparian hardwood forests, now rare in Europe, occur in small patches within agricultural landscapes and are important biodiversity hotspots protected by the EU Habitats Directive and monitored. They play a vital ecological role and provide essential ecosystem services (ES). Recent studies indicate their unfavourable conservation status with a negative trend reported by EU Member States. One of the most visible symptoms of the degradation of riparian hardwood forest is the invasion of alien plant species which can radically change ecosystem functions. In this work, we use plant functional trait analysis to develop proxies and quantify an impact of invasive alien species, specifically invasive neophytes, on specific functions of riparian hardwood forests and their potential to provide five relevant regulating services. Data from 249 phytosociological relevés across 83 Natura 2000 habitat monitoring sites in Poland were analyzed.Our findings indicate that invasive neophytes negatively affect the potential for maintaining nursery populations and habitats, as well as regulation of the chemical condition of freshwaters by these forests. On the other hand, they do not significantly influence the local climate conditions and the forests’ potential to produce antimicrobial compounds. We recommend integrating an ES assessment based on plant functional traits into habitat monitoring. This approach is cost-effective, leveraging existing data, and its results could be used in some cases as a premise for initiating additional environmental monitoring based on direct field measurements.

An ecosystem’s potential to deliver goods and services, primarily determined by the functional traits of the species, is crucial for assessing its health and conservation value. This study uses a trait-based approach to evaluate the spatial and temporal variation in the ecosystem services delivery potentials (ESDPs) of the Sundarbans mangrove. We analyzed abundance data from 81 permanent sample plots (PSPs), spread over different saline zones, collected between 1986 and 2014, paired with species-specific plant functional traits. Seventeen traits were examined, with species-level data sourced from secondary literature, linking traits to ecosystem services. Study revealed that plant height, specific leaf area, and root length are key traits for assessing ESDPs. The Sundarbans’ ESDPs varied spatially across different saline zones but remained stable over time. Notably, ESDPs were significantly higher in low saline zones compared to ESDPs in high saline zones. This spatial variation is partly explained by differences in plant species composition among saline zones and the relatively stable species composition over time. Results from mixed effect models showed that PSP as a random factor for all four models is attributed to the nested effect. The study highlights the value of functional traits in ecosystem service assessments, providing a robust method to predict how changes in biodiversity and environmental conditions affect service delivery. The observed trend of decreasing ESDPs with increasing salinity offers insights into the potential impacts of sea-level rise on mangrove forest functions. These findings are essential for developing conservation strategies and policies to preserve the Sundarbans’ ecological integrity and support local livelihoods. This research advocates for a trait-based framework as a critical tool for the sustainable management of mangrove ecosystems globally.

Abstract Background Woody bamboos are the only diverse large perennial grasses in mesic-wet forests and are widely distributed in the understory and canopy. The functional trait variations and trade-offs in this taxon remain unclear due to woody bamboo syndromes (represented by lignified culm of composed internodes and nodes). Here, we examined the effects of heritable legacy and occurrence site climates on functional trait variations in leaf and culm across 77 woody bamboo species in a common garden. We explored the trade-offs among leaf functional traits, the connection between leaf nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) concentrations and functional niche traits, and the correlation of functional traits between leaves and culms. Results The Bayesian mixed models reveal that the combined effects of heritable legacy (phylogenetic distances and other evolutionary processes) and occurrence site climates accounted for 55.10–90.89% of the total variation among species for each studied trait. The standardized major axis analysis identified trade-offs among leaf functional traits in woody bamboo consistent with the global leaf economics spectrum; however, compared to non-bamboo species, the woody bamboo exhibited lower leaf mass per area but higher N, P concentrations and assimilation, dark respiration rates. The canonical correlation analysis demonstrated a positive correlation (ρ = 0.57, P-value

Invasive plants are threats to biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and services. Previous studies have reported that the impacts of biological invasions on ecosystem characteristics can be scale- and ecosystem-dependent. Current methods to assess the impacts of biological invasions have mainly focused on traditional field observations, limiting the scale at which biological invasions can be studied. With its synoptic view, remote sensing can contribute to improving our understanding of the impacts of biological invasions across large spatial scales. However, the application of remote sensing to determine the impacts of invasive plants on ecosystem characteristics, including aboveground and belowground, has not yet been explored. Therefore, our goals were to (1) determine the impacts of invasive plants on aboveground functional traits and productivity, (2) assess the underlying mechanisms through which species invasion impacts belowground characteristics, and (3) determine the capability of remotely-sensed data to capture the impacts of species invasion on aboveground and belowground characteristics. To address our goals, we focused on Lespedeza cuneata (L. cuneata), an invasive legume at the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Oklahoma, U.S. We measured percent cover of L. cuneata, quantified aboveground biomass, collected top-of-canopy foliage samples and soil samples in the field, and collected airborne imaging spectroscopy. We used remotely-sensed spectral data and in situ-measured traits to estimate plant functional traits and aboveground biomass. We then assessed the impacts of L. cuneata invasion on aboveground functional traits and biomass using generalized additive models. We also identified the mechanisms through which L. cuneata impacted belowground characteristics using structural equation models. We developed generalized joint attribute models using in situ aboveground and belowground characteristics and predicted belowground characteristics throughout our study site by applying the developed model to remotely-sensed aboveground characteristics. Our findings showed that L. cuneata invasion shifted aboveground functional traits toward those of L. cuneata by significantly increasing community-weighted mean (CWM) foliar nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations. Moreover, L. cuneata significantly increased aboveground biomass, a proxy for aboveground productivity. We also showed that imaging spectroscopy captured the impacts of species invasion on aboveground functional traits and productivity. More importantly, we provided substantial evidence suggesting that imaging spectroscopy can be used to predict belowground characteristics through the aboveground-belowground linkages. These findings can significantly advance our understanding of the impacts of biological invasions on belowground characteristics across large scales which is often challenging to quantify using field methods.

Background: Woody bamboos are the only diverse large perennial grasses in mesic-wet forests and are widely distributed in the understory and canopy. The functional trait variations and trade-offs in this taxon remain unclear due to woody bamboo syndromes (represented by lignified culm of composed internodes and nodes). Here, we examined the effects of heritable legacy and occurrence site climates on functional trait variations in leaf and culm across 77 woody bamboo species in a common garden. We explored the trade-offs among leaf functional traits, the connection between leaf nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) concentrations and functional niche traits, and the correlation of functional traits between leaves and culms. Results: The Bayesian mixed models reveal that the combined effects of heritable legacy (phylogenetic distances and other evolutionary processes) and occurrence site climates accounted for 55.10–90.89% of the total variation among species for each studied trait. The standardized major axis analysis identified trade-offs among leaf functional traits in woody bamboo consistent with the global leaf economics spectrum; however, compared to non-bamboo species, the woody bamboo exhibited lower leaf mass per area but higher N, P concentrations and assimilation, dark respiration rates. The canonical correlation analysis demonstrated a positive correlation (ρ = 0.57, P-value < 0.001) between leaf N, P concentrations and morphophysiology traits. The phylogenetic principal components and trait network analyses indicated that leaf and culm traits were clustered separately, with leaf assimilation and respiration rates associated with culm ground diameter. Conclusion: Our study confirms the applicability of the leaf economics spectrum and the biogeochemical niche in woody bamboo taxa, improves the understanding of woody bamboo leaf and culm functional trait variations and trade-offs, and broadens the taxonomic units considered in plant functional trait studies, which contributes to our comprehensive understanding of terrestrial forest ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although belowground invasive species are probably equally widespread and as important as their aboveground counterparts, they remain understudied, and their impacts are likely to be stronger when these invaders act as ecosystem engineers and differ functionally from native species. This is the case in regions historically devoid of native earthworms, such as parts of northern North America, which are now experiencing an invasion by European earthworms. Although invasive earthworms have been reported to have multiple consequences for native communities and ecosystem functioning, this knowledge is mostly based on observational studies, and the mechanisms underlying their cascading impacts need to be investigated. Here, we thus investigated the sequence of events, i.e., ecological cascades following earthworm invasion, that have rarely been studied before, in a two-year field experiment. We expected that the changes in soil abiotic properties observed following invasion would coincide with changes in plant community diversity and community trait composition, as well as in alterations in above- and belowground ecosystem functions. To test these hypotheses, we set up a field experiment that ran for two years in a forest in Alberta (Canada) to investigate soil properties and understory plant community composition in response to invasive earthworms. Our study shows that invasive European earthworms alter several soil abiotic properties (i.e., soil nutrient content, and pH) after two years of experiment. Invasive earthworm effects varied with soil depth for some soil properties (i.e., soil pH, water-stable aggregates, nitrogen, and microbial basal respiration), but we did not find any significant earthworm effect on soil water content, bulk density, or the total soil microbial biomass independently of the soil layer. Moreover, invasive earthworms did not affect plant community composition and only slightly affected community diversity in this short-term experiment. The minor changes observed in plant functional group composition are thus potentially the first signs of invasive-earthworm effects on plant communities. Our research provides experimental evidence that previously reported observational effects of invasive earthworms on soil properties are indeed causal and already significant after two years of invasion. These changes in soil properties are likely to have cascading effects on plant community composition, functional diversity, and ecosystem functioning, but such effects may take longer than two years to materialize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions: In the alpine region of the Himalaya, shrubs play a vital role in maintaining the diversity and functional composition of associated herbaceous communities through competition–facilitation interactions under varying environmental stress conditions. In this study, we specified the following questions: (1) what is the mode of interaction between dominant shrubs and the associated herbaceous communities; (2) how do differences in resource availability between contrasting microhabitats mediate interactions between shrub and herbaceous communities; and (3) how do dominant shrubs influence the functional composition of herbaceous communities under the canopy as compared to ones in the open? Study area: An alpine region of the western Himalaya, in India (32.24–33.15° N, 76.51–78.13° E). Methods: Field studies were conducted to evaluate the canopy effects of alpine shrubs such as Caragana versicolor, Juniperus polycarpos and Rhododendron anthopogon on species richness, abundance and functional composition of coexisting herbaceous communities. Results: The dominant alpine shrubs of the western Himalaya exert competitive interactions with associated herbaceous communities and have low species richness and abundance under their canopies compared to open habitats. Further, contrary to expectations, competitive interactions were more prominent at higher elevations than at lower ones, especially for J. polycarpos and C. versicolor. Although the shrub undercanopies possessed richer soil nutrient pools, this did not contribute toward the facilitation of herbaceous species under the canopies. Moreover, herbaceous species under the canopies were found to exhibit resource‐acquisitive functional strategies, whereas those in the open were resource‐conservative. Conclusions: The interaction between dominant alpine shrubs and the herbaceous community of the western Himalaya is competitive in nature, which influences species and functional composition and reorganizes herbaceous community assembly. Moreover, under future climate change scenarios the dominance of these shrubs will favour those herbaceous species that possess more competitive and resource‐acquisitive functional strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Question: Changes caused by climate warming and nitrogen pollution are observed in forest, grassland and alpine ecosystems worldwide. However, still little is known about the impact of these globally influencing factors on natural rocky plant communities. Has species composition of natural rocky communities changed over time? What is the role of large‐scale and fine‐scale environmental factors in shaping the compositional, functional and habitat patterns in studied plant communities over time? Location: Sudetes Mountains, southwestern Poland. Methods: We used 214 pairs of replots (collected between 1989 and 2022) of rocky plant communities, with a mean timespan of 14.2 years. The changes in species composition, environmental conditions and functional traits were analysed using ordination techniques and generalised additive models (GAMs) and with reference to large‐scale factors (mean maximum temperatures, actual evapotranspiration, N deposition) and fine‐scale factors (light availability, bedrock type, initial site conditions) for each locality. Results: Species composition of the studied communities has not changed significantly over time. Only for 11 out of 258 species, statistically significant increases (from 2% to 8%) in their proportion were recorded. The changes in environmental conditions were significantly influenced mainly by fine‐scale factors such as changes in light availability and baseline site conditions. Plots that were initially less thermophilic or nitrophilic showed stronger signals of thermophilisation and eutrophication in the resurvey. The influence of large‐scale factors was considerably less pronounced. Similarly, the key role in explaining changes in plant traits for the data set under study falls to local factors, particularly changes in light availability. Conclusions: Our study confirms the validity of considering both large‐ and fine‐scale factors as well as initial site conditions in research on long‐term changes in plant communities. Rocky plant communities respond to global changes in a different way than other types of phytocoenose, showing high stability of species composition and functional traits over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant–soil feedback—feedback from plant‐induced changes in soil properties to plant fitness—is increasingly shown to drive the maintenance of local plant diversity at both interspecific and intraspecific levels. A robust understanding of the relationships between plant–soil feedback and functional plant traits, which would improve our ability to generalize plant–soil feedback results beyond specific study systems, is, however, still lacking. This is especially true at the intraspecific plant level.We assessed the relationship between plant–soil feedback and several functional traits in 13 co‐occurring grassland species, including 20 genotypes of the dominant grass, Festuca rubra. The traits encompassed various aspects of growth, root properties and root exudate variability. Combining these traits into principal gradients of functional trait variation, we also tested the potential for the conservation and collaboration gradients to explain variation in PSF.Between‐species plant–soil feedback variation was explained by differences in biomass production and exudate composition, as well as contrasting strategies along the collaboration gradient. Within‐species plant–soil feedback variation—that is between Festuca rubra genotypes—was associated with exudate variability, especially contrasting amounts of exuded phenols. Several traits had a significant effect on plant–soil feedback only via their interaction with exudate composition.Overall, PSF was associated with different traits at between‐species versus within‐species levels. Root exudate variability was, however, involved at both diversity levels. Our results put forth the role of root exudation patterns as an important driver of variation in plant–soil feedback. Better integration between research on plant–soil feedback and on root exudation would therefore improve our understanding of the processes—both ecological and evolutionary—supporting the maintenance of plant diversity within grassland communities. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenological traits, such as leaf and flowering dates, are proven to be phylogenetically conserved. The relationship between phylogenetic conservation, plant phenology, and climatic factors remains unknown. Here, we assessed phenological features among flowering plants as evidence for phylogenetic conservatism, the tendency for closely related species to share similar ecological and biological attributes. We use spring phenological traits data from 1968-2018 of 65 trees and 49 shrubs in Xi'an (temperate climate) and Guiyang (subtropical climate) to understand plant phenological traits' relationship with phylogeny. Molecular datasets are employed in evolutionary models to test the phylogenetic conservatism in spring phenological characteristics in response to climate-sensitive phenological features. Significant phylogenetic conservation was found in the Xi'an plant's phenological traits, while there was a non-significant conservation in the Guiyang plant species. Phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) models correlate with phenological features significantly in Xi'an while non-significantly in Guiyang. Based on the findings of molecular dating, it was suggested that the Guiyang species split off from their relatives around 46.0 mya during the middle Eocene of the Tertiary Cenozoic Era, while Xi'an species showed a long evolutionary history and diverged from their relatives around 95 mya during the late Cretaceous Mesozoic Era. First leaf dates (FLD) indicative of spring phenology, show that Xi'an adjourned the case later than Guiyang. Unlike FLD, first flower dates (FFD) yield different results as Guiyang flowers appear later than Xi'an's. Our research revealed that various factors, including phylogeny, growth form, and functional features, influenced the diversity of flowering phenology within species in conjunction with local climate circumstances. These results are conducive to understanding evolutionary conservation mechanisms in plant phenology concerning evolutionary processes in different geographical and climate zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-latitude warming is increasing soil temperatures and driving permafrost thaw, potentially altering soil nutrient conditions by enhancing microbial mineralization and making nutrients from previously frozen soils accessible for plant and microbial use. Increases in soil nutrient concentrations may alter plant community processes and, consequently, carbon (C) fluxes. We conducted an experiment in a boreal permafrost peatland, monitoring forest floor C flux and functional traits of the entire moss and vascular plant communities to the addition of nutrients at 20 and 40 cm soil depths and under closed and open canopy conditions. Plant functional trait responses were investigated at both community level (using community-weighted means) and intraspecific scales. Using fertilizer additions, we emulated nutrient increases at different depths in the soil profile, replicated at high and low canopy cover sites to assess the influence of light availability. Our results demonstrate rapid responses of vascular plant community-level traits as well as ecosystem respiration and gross primary productivity to fertilization treatments under low canopy cover, suggesting an influence of local environmental variation. We found that moss community-level traits played a more important role in mediating C flux response to nutrient fertilization than vascular plants but led to little change in C sink–source dynamics. This provides insight into existing ambiguities of the response of boreal C fluxes to increased nutrient availability following soil warming and permafrost thaw: Local environmental conditions and moss community can strongly mediate the response, whereas vascular plant communities may play a more minor role. However, our results suggest that these changes may not alter overall C sink–source dynamics of peatlands in the near term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many plant species are well-adapted to historical fire regimes. An increase in the severity, frequency, and extent of wildfires could compromise the regenerative capacity of species, resulting in permanent shifts in plant diversity. We surveyed extant vegetation and soil seed banks across two forest types with contrasting historical fire regimes—Shrubby Dry Forest (fire return interval: 10–20 years) and Sub-Alpine Woodland (50–100 years). Over the past 20 years, both forests have been subject to repeated, high-severity wildfires at intervals significantly shorter than their historical return intervals. We examined the soil seed bank response to fire-cued germination, and whether the plant diversity in soil seed banks and extant vegetation demonstrated similar responses to short-interval, high-severity wildfires. The soil seed bank demonstrated a positive response to heat in combination with smoke, and for the Sub-Alpine Woodland, this was limited to sites more frequently burnt by fire. With an increase in fire frequency, there was a decline in species richness and Shannon's Diversity and a shift in species composition in both extant vegetation and the soil seed bank. The fire frequency effects on the relative richness of trait associations were restricted to the Shrubby Dry Forest, and included an increase in short-lived obligate seeders, wind-dispersed species, and ant-dispersed shrubs in burnt relative to long unburnt sites in both extant vegetation and the soil seed bank. Graminoids were the most abundant component of the soil seed banks of Sub-Alpine Woodlands, and this increased with more frequent fire, with a similar trend (p = 0.06) in extant vegetation. Clear shifts in plant diversity in both soil seed banks and extant vegetation in forest types with contrasting historical fire regimes suggest that emerging fire regimes are pushing ecosystems beyond their historical range of variability, including potentially more flammable states and a decline in the buffering capacity of soil seed banks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1): The Upper Silesia region of Poland is one of the most extensively altered regions of Europe due to human activity, especially coal mining. (2): We used cluster analysis to examine the floristic composition of three classified forest communities: forests developed on post-coal mine mineral heaps (HF), mixed deciduous forests (DECI), and managed secondary coniferous forests (CON). Vegetation data were collected from 44 randomly selected plots, and plant traits connected with persistence, dispersal, and regeneration were taken from commonly used plant trait databases. (3): Higher species richness, species diversity, and evenness (36, 2.7, and 0.76, respectively) were calculated for HF plots compared with those plots from DECI (22, 1.9, and 0.62) and CON (18, 2.0, and 0.71) plots. Higher functional richness (0.173, 0.76) and functional divergence were determined for HF compared with those calculated for DECI (FRic 0.090, FDiv 0.71) and CON (FRic 0.026, FDiv 0.69). In contrast, the substrate from HF forests had significantly lower soil respiration (0.76 mg-CO2 h/m2) compared with substrates from both CON and DECI forests (0.90 and 0.96 mg-CO2 h/m2, respectively); (4): A set of complex abiotic stresses which plants suffer from on coal mine spoil heaps shaped different patterns of taxonomic and functional diversity. These findings demonstrate the importance of investigating successional aspects and carbon dynamics of de novo forests which have developed on post-coal mine spoil heaps in urban industrial areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]