Article
Forestry
Liping Wei, Nelson Thiffault, Martin Barrette, Nicole J. Fenton, Yves Bergeron
Summary: The study found that different functional traits and diversity levels of understory vegetation have varying effects on tree growth. Morphological traits and regeneration strategies of understory plants significantly influence tree growth, while different harvesting methods also impact this relationship.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhaoju Zheng, Bernhard Schmid, Yuan Zeng, Meredith C. Schuman, Dan Zhao, Michael E. Schaepman, Felix Morsdorf
Summary: Functional diversity plays a critical role in ecosystem functioning. Spatially explicit data on plant functional traits and diversity are necessary for understanding the impact of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning. This study used data from airborne laser scanning and multispectral Sentinel-2 imagery to retrieve morphological and physiological traits, which were then used to estimate functional diversity indices in a subtropical mountainous forest. The study found that functional traits were important predictors of aboveground ecosystem carbon stocks and primary productivity, highlighting the potential of remotely-sensed functional traits in assessing the relationship between trait diversity and ecosystem functioning.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Yuan Feng, Yong Chai, Yangping Qin, Guixiang Li, Liping He, Zhenghai Zhang, Li Wu, Guangtao Meng
Summary: Tree height and diameter at breast height (DBH) are important survey factors in forest inventory. Measuring tree height is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly, especially in natural mixed forests. This study developed a nonlinear mixed effects height-diameter (H-D) model for a mid-montane humid evergreen broad-leaved forest in southwest China. The model accounted for 75% of the variation in tree height and showed no overfitting. Dominant height (Hd) and Margalef's index of DBH (DMg) were the most influential variables in the model. The study highlights the feasibility of using plant functional traits to categorize natural mixed forests and the importance of tree size inequality on tree height variation.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Feiyi Liu, Jinlong Wang, Yulin Shu, Guanghui Lv
Summary: Based on a study conducted in the Ebinur Lake Wetland Nature Reserve, it was found that the biomass ratio hypothesis was more suitable for explaining changes in soil respiration (Rs) in arid desert areas. Moreover, the correlation between biodiversity and Rs was influenced by both biotic and abiotic factors.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Li-Qiu Wang, Arshad Ali
Summary: The study reveals that the relationships between plant functional traits and aboveground biomass in global forests are influenced by climate and soil conditions. Conservative traits are sensitive to climate change, while the mass ratio effect of functional dominance has a positive impact on aboveground biomass stock.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jared D. Huxley, Caitlin T. White, Hope C. Humphries, Soren E. Weber, Marko J. Spasojevic
Summary: This study examines temporal dynamics in the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function using data from the alpine tundra of Colorado over a 13-year period.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Suwash Kunwar, Li-Qiu Wang, Maryam Kazempour Larsary, Rajeev Chaudhary, Puspa Raj Joshi, Arshad Ali
Summary: This study examines the influences of trait diversity and functional composition on aboveground biomass (AGB) in (sub-) tropical forests of Nepal. Findings suggest that functional composition has a greater impact on AGB than trait diversity and stem size inequality. Low trait diversity is associated with higher AGB, while increasing elevation leads to a decrease in AGB. Stem size inequality does not significantly affect AGB.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Benedicto Vargas-Larreta, Jorge Omar Lopez-Martinez, Edgar J. Gonzalez, Jose Javier Corral-Rivas, Francisco Javier Hernandez
Summary: The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem productivity in temperate mixed-species and uneven-aged forests of northern Mexico was investigated, showing that species richness, maximum height, functional richness, functional dispersion, and RaoQ indices are related to above-ground biomass production. A hump-shaped relationship between above-ground biomass and species richness was observed, with functional diversity explaining biomass production better than classical taxonomic diversity. Community weighted mean traits, particularly maximum tree height, play a key role in explaining stand biomass accumulation in these forests. The impact of forest management on biodiversity did not change the relationship between above-ground biomass and diversity in the forests of the Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Kier Mitchel E. Pitogo, Aljohn Jay L. Saavedra, Maria Eleanor B. Aurellado, Anna Pauline O. de Guia, Leticia E. Afuang
Summary: Montane amphibians in the southern Philippines are vulnerable to environmental changes. Habitat variables such as elevation, shrub foliar cover, and tree basal area play a significant role in determining the distribution patterns of montane amphibians. Endemism increases with elevation, highlighting the importance of incorporating functional traits in understanding amphibian distribution patterns and community assembly mechanisms.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Li-Qiu Wang, Arshad Ali
Summary: The study found that abiotic and biotic factors contributed respectively 45.39% and 54.07% to the explained variance in AGB, with abiotic factors shaping FTD, CWMCT, CWMAT, and FunDom through divergent effect sizes and directions.
Article
Ecology
Li Zhang, Seraina Lisa Cappelli, Mengjiao Huang, Xiang Liu, Yao Xiao, Francoise Cardou, Yizhong Rong, Shurong Zhou
Summary: Recent studies have shown that intraspecific trait variability contributes significantly to total trait variation. However, the role of intraspecific variability in ecosystem functions under global change is still unclear. In this study, we examined the effects of nitrogen addition and warming on the productivity of a Tibetan alpine meadow and found that both intra- and inter-specific functional changes influenced productivity. Specifically, plant height variation among species promoted niche complementarity, while individuals with larger leaf area exerted dominance effects. Warming directly reduced productivity and indirectly suppressed it through a decrease in leaf area. Our findings highlight the importance of plant intraspecific trait variability in maintaining ecosystem functions, particularly in the face of global change.
Article
Ecology
Lina Aoyama, E. Ashley Shaw, Caitlin T. White, Katherine N. Suding, Lauren M. Hallett
Summary: Understanding the relationship between functional diversity and biomass production under different rainfall conditions is crucial for predicting the effects of changing rainfall patterns on plant productivity. Trait-based approaches can provide useful insights into the behavior and interaction of species within a community. However, the specific mechanisms driving the relationships between functional diversity and biomass production remain unclear, particularly in the context of variable rainfall.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Claire M. Tortorelli, Becky K. Kerns, Meg A. Krawchuk
Summary: This research examines how plant traits and community type interact to influence community resistance to the invasion of Ventenata dubia. The results show that resistance is highly dependent on the environment, with resistance increasing in wet meadows with higher productivity and more similar trait values to V. dubia. However, in less productive vegetation types, there was no evidence that neighboring species influenced invasion resistance.
Article
Soil Science
Xiaohua Wan, Zaipeng Yu, Mengjuan Wang, Yu Zhang, Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja, Zhiqun Huang
Summary: This study explored how tree species richness affects soil microbial biomass and community composition through functional trait variation and community-weighted trait means. The findings indicated that an increase in tree species richness decreased total microbial biomass in the soil, with implications on gram-positive to gram-negative bacteria ratio and fungi to bacteria ratio based on leaf nitrogen content and leaf dry matter content traits.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Review
Agronomy
Z. Homulle, T. S. George, A. J. Karley
Summary: This review summarizes the current evidence for belowground plant-plant interactions in intercropping, focusing on competition, niche differentiation, and facilitation. The study identifies a range of complementary root traits that can enhance the performance of intercrops compared to monocultures. It highlights the importance of examining belowground interactions and considers spatial and temporal distribution of roots and rhizosphere mechanisms to promote the adoption of intercropping as a sustainable farming practice.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shao-Kun Wang, Xiao-An Zuo, Xue-Yong Zhao, Yu-Qiang Li, Xin Zhou, Peng Lv, Yong-Qing Luo, Jian-Ying Yun
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
(2016)
Article
Ecology
Xiaoan Zuo, Shaokun Wang, Peng Lv, Xin Zhou, Xueyong Zhao, Tonghui Zhang, Jing Zhang
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2016)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Xiaoan Zuo, Jing Zhang, Peng Lv, Xin Zhou, Yulin Li, Yayong Luo, Yongqing Luo, Jie Lian, Xiyuan Yue
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2016)
Article
Ecology
Yongqing Luo, Xueyong Zhao, Yuqiang Li, Xiaoan Zuo, Jie Lian, Tao Wang
ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2016)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hao Qu, Ha-Lin Zhao, Xue-Yong Zhao, Xiao-An Zuo, Shao-Kun Wang, Min Chen
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
(2017)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jing Zhang, Xiaoan Zuo, Xin Zhou, Peng Lv, Jie Lian, Xiyuan Yue
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
(2017)
Article
Ecology
Xiaoan Zuo, Xiyuan Yue, Peng Lv, Qiang Yu, Min Chen, Jing Zhang, Yongqing Luo, Shaokun Wang, Jing Zhang
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2017)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Xiaoan Zuo, Jing Zhang, Peng Lv, Shaokun Wang, Yang Yang, Xiyuan Yue, Xin Zhou, Yulin Li, Min Chen, Jie Lian, Hao Qu, Lianxu Liu, Xujun Ma
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2018)
Article
Ecology
Shaokun Wang, Xiaoan Zuo, Xueyong Zhao, Tala Awada, Yongqing Luo, Yuqiang Li, Hao Qu
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2018)
Article
Ecology
Xiaoan Zuo, Johannes M. H. Knops
Article
Ecology
Wentao Luo, Xiaoan Zuo, Wang Ma, Chong Xu, Ang Li, Qiang Yu, Alan K. Knapp, Roberto Tognetti, Feike A. Dijkstra, Mai-He Li, Guodong Han, Zhengwen Wang, Xingguo Han
Article
Ecology
Wentao Luo, Chong Xu, Wang Ma, Xiyuan Yue, Xiaosa Liang, Xiaoan Zuo, Alan K. Knapp, Melinda D. Smith, Jordi Sardans, Feike A. Dijkstra, Josep Peuelas, Yongfei Bai, Zhengwen Wang, Qiang Yu, Xingguo Han
Article
Ecology
Min Chen, Xue-Yong Zhao, Xiao-An Zuo
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2018)
Article
Ecology
Min Chen, Xiao-An Zuo
Article
Ecology
Yongqing Luo, Xueyong Zhao, Xiaoan Zuo, Yuqiang Li, Tao Wang
ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2017)