Article
Ecology
Richard Flint Hughes, Dennis Grossman, Travis G. Sowards, Jonathan D. Marshall, Dieter Mueller-Dombois
Summary: This study investigated the carbon accumulation in secondary forests in the Puna District of Hawai'i Island and found that the native tree species M. polymorpha can rapidly accumulate carbon mass during secondary succession, but only if invasive species have not already colonized the area during the early stages of secondary succession.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Megan M. Seeley, Gregory P. Asner
Summary: The role of intraspecific trait variation in functional ecology has gained attention in recent years. This study used remote sensing data of the tree species Metrosideros polymorpha to quantify the environmental controls on intraspecific trait variation. The results showed that elevation was the most important predictor for all canopy traits.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Megan M. Seeley, Nicholas R. Vaughn, Brennon L. Shanks, Roberta E. Martin, Marcel Konig, Gregory P. Asner
Summary: This study provides accurate and high-resolution spatial data on the keystone species Metrosideros polymorpha in Hawai'i Island, using airborne imaging spectroscopy and LiDAR. The study compares two tree species classification techniques and finds that the support vector machine (SVM) model better reproduces the spatial distribution of M. polymorpha than spectral mixture analysis (SMA) model.
Article
Forestry
Marian M. Chau
Summary: Forest ecosystems are at risk from invasive fungal pathogens, such as Rapid 'Ohi'a Death (ROD) in Hawai'i. The ROD Seed Banking Initiative has successfully collected and stored seeds from thousands of trees, utilizing a combination of crowdfunding and community engagement.
JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
M. M. Seeley, E. A. Stacy, R. E. Martin, G. P. Asner
Summary: Imaging spectroscopy can be used to map closely related plant species at a larger scale. This research focused on understanding the differences in spectral reflectance between genotypes of a single species, Metrosideros polymorpha, and its hybrids. The study found that leaf reflectance patterns successfully distinguished different varieties of M. polymorpha on Hawaii Island and populations of the same variety on different islands. The findings contribute to the use of imaging spectroscopy in biodiversity studies at the genetic level.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alejandro de la Fuente, Alejandro Navarro, Stephen E. Williams
Summary: Climate-driven biodiversity erosion is escalating rapidly, especially in tropical ecosystems. The impact of different climatic stressors on rainforest bird populations in the Australian Wet Tropics between 2000 and 2016 was investigated. The study found that warming and changes in rainfall patterns had a strong effect on bird populations, with lowland species benefiting while upland species showing a negative response.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Catherine L. Pohlman, David Y. P. Tng, Singarayer K. Florentine
Summary: Restoring tropical rainforests is becoming increasingly urgent, but recruitment in many restoration projects remains dominated by low diversity pioneer species. Restoration efforts have had little effect on recruiting primary rainforest species, indicating further intervention will be necessary to restore these species in the region.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chris A. Boulton, Timothy M. Lenton, Niklas Boers
Summary: The resilience of the Amazon rainforest to climate and land-use change is crucial for biodiversity, regional climate, and the global carbon cycle. However, deforestation and climate change have led to a decrease in resilience of more than three-quarters of the rainforest since the early 2000s, indicating a potential tipping point.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Xiujuan Qiao, Jiaxin Zhang, Zhong Wang, Yaozhan Xu, Tianyang Zhou, Xiangcheng Mi, Min Cao, Wanhui Ye, Guangze Jin, Zhanqing Hao, Xugao Wang, Xihua Wang, Songyan Tian, Xiankun Li, Wusheng Xiang, Yankun Liu, Yingnan Shao, Kun Xu, Weiguo Sang, Fuping Zeng, Haibao Ren, Mingxi Jiang, Aaron M. Ellison
Summary: The study identified candidate foundation woody plant species in Chinese forests using statistical criteria, revealing that such species are more common in temperate forests. The research also found that the species diversity of co-occurring woody species had different associations with the basal area of candidate foundation species at different spatial scales.
Article
Plant Sciences
Carol C. Baskin, Jerry M. Baskin, Alvin Yoshinaga, Dustin Wolkis
Summary: This study focused on seed dormancy and germination of woody species in tropical montane regions in Hawaii, revealing that most seeds have physiological dormancy and prefer a temperature regime of 25/15°C for optimal germination. The research indicates that physiological dormancy is more common than non-dormancy in woody genera worldwide.
PLANT SPECIES BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Miguel Martinez-Ramos, Maria del Mar Gallego-Mahecha, Teresa Valverde, Ernesto Vega, Frans Bongers
Summary: Early pioneer species show differences in demographic attributes during succession, with population density, structure, and growth rates varying among Trema micrantha, Cecropia peltata, and Trichospermum mexicanum in tropical rainforest in Southeast Mexico. Demographic patterns indicated the moment each species reached peak density and the sequence of species replacement during succession. Inter-specific priority inhibitory effects may also play a role in colonization and replacement between species with similar regeneration strategies.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Ayako Izuno, Yusuke Onoda, Gaku Amada, Keito Kobayashi, Mana Mukai, Yuji Isagi, Kentaro K. Shimizu
Summary: This study examined how ecological divergence continues in the face of gene flow in the woody species Metrosideros polymorpha. The research found substantial genetic and phenotypic diversity among the three genetic clusters in different environments, and suggested that the ecological divergence possibly began before the species colonized the island of Hawaii.
Article
Biology
Jessica Pazzaglia, Emanuela Dattolo, Miriam Ruocco, Alex Santillan-Sarmiento, Lazaro Marin-Guirao, Gabriele Procaccini
Summary: This study analyzed the dynamics of DNA methylation (DNAm) in marine plants in response to environmental changes. The results showed that temperature and nutrient conditions had significant effects on DNAm, highlighting the potential role of environmental factors in regulating species adaptation and phenotypic differences.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Jianguo Chen, Xufang Chen, Lishen Qian, Yazhou Zhang, Bo Li, Honghua Shi, Lu Sun, Christian Schob, Hang Sun
Summary: Foundational cushion plants play a crucial role in maintaining alpine biodiversity and community structures. However, they are vulnerable to climate change. The population dynamics of the cushion plant Arenaria polytrichoides are influenced by ecological constraints and climate warming, which may result in significant changes in alpine plant communities.
SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Jurij Diaci, Tomaz Adamic, Gal Fidej, Dusan Rozenbergar
Summary: In the last century, synchronous beech expansion has been observed in many mixed mountain forests in southeastern Europe. The Pecka old-growth forest in Slovenia has undergone structural changes, with a decrease in silver fir density and an increase in beech dominance. These changes are likely due to disturbances such as air pollution, windthrows, overbrowsing, and climate change. The forest is expected to transition into a beech-dominated state in a few decades. Immediate reduction of ungulate populations is essential to facilitate this transition.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Brenda J. Lowry, John H. Lowry, Karl J. Jarvis, Gunnar Keppel, R. Randolph Thaman, Hans Juergen Boehmer
URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING
(2020)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Ken Schoutens, Maike Heuner, Elmar Fuchs, Vanessa Minden, Tilla Schulte-Ostermann, Jean-Philippe Belliard, Tjeerd J. Bouma, Stijn Temmerman
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Nathaly R. Guerrero-Ramirez, Liesje Mommer, Gregoire T. Freschet, Colleen M. Iversen, M. Luke McCormack, Jens Kattge, Hendrik Poorter, Fons van Der Plas, Joana Bergmann, Thom W. Kuyper, Larry M. York, Helge Bruelheide, Daniel C. Laughlin, Ina C. Meier, Catherine Roumet, Marina Semchenko, Christopher J. Sweeney, Jasper van Ruijven, Oscar J. Valverde-Barrantes, Isabelle Aubin, Jane A. Catford, Peter Manning, Adam Martin, Ruben Milla, Vanessa Minden, Juli G. Pausas, Stuart W. Smith, Nadejda A. Soudzilovskaia, Christian Ammer, Bradley Butterfield, Joseph Craine, Johannes H. C. Cornelissen, Franciska T. de Vries, Marney E. Isaac, Koen Kramer, Christian Koenig, Eric G. Lamb, Vladimir G. Onipchenko, Josep Penuelas, Peter B. Reich, Matthias C. Rillig, Lawren Sack, Bill Shipley, Leho Tedersoo, Fernando Valladares, Peter van Bodegom, Patrick Weigelt, Justin P. Wright, Alexandra Weigelt
Summary: Root trait data are essential for understanding plant form and function, yet they are often overlooked in large-scale studies and global models. The Global Root Trait (GRooT) Database was created to address this gap and provide readily available data for the integration of root trait data into large-scale analyses.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Vanessa Minden, Joerg Schaller, Harry Olde Venterink
Summary: The study found that silicon content in plant organs is affected under nutrient limitation conditions, and silicon plays an important role in different environments. Further research is needed to explore the role of silicon in different concepts of trait-environment relationships.
Article
Plant Sciences
Lucas D. Gorne, Sandra Diaz, Vanessa Minden, Yusuke Onoda, Koen Kramer, Christopher Muir, Sean T. Michaletz, Sandra Lavorel, Joanne Sharpe, Steven Jansen, Martijn Slot, Eduardo Chacon, Gerhard Boenisch
Summary: This study found that the acquisitive-conservative leaf functional trait covariation pattern exists at the intraspecific level even in the absence of relevant environmental variation. This suggests a high degree of variation-covariation in leaf functional traits that is not driven solely by environmental variables.
Article
Ecology
Estelle Forey, Sherri Lodhar, Sunil Gopaul, Hans Juergen Boehmer, Matthieu Chauvat
Summary: The study revealed that the invasion by the alien palm tree P. coronata led to a significant decrease in native plant and Collembola taxonomic diversity, as well as reduced functional diversity in plant communities and, to a lesser extent, in Collembola communities. Additionally, the invasion altered plant properties, resulting in changes to litter properties and affecting the soil fauna. The strength of plant-soil relationships was higher in non-invaded plots compared to P. coronata-invaded plots, suggesting a more stable ecosystem in non-invaded areas.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Martin Ehbrecht, Dominik Seidel, Peter Annighoefer, Holger Kreft, Michael Koehler, Delphine Clara Zemp, Klaus Puettmann, Reuben Nilus, Fred Babweteera, Katharina Willim, Melissa Stiers, Daniel Soto, Hans Juergen Boehmer, Nicholas Fisichelli, Michael Burnett, Glenn Juday, Scott L. Stephens, Christian Ammer
Summary: This study utilizes a stand structural complexity index based on terrestrial laser scanning to quantify the structural complexity of boreal, temperate, subtropical and tropical primary forests. The global variation of forest structural complexity is mainly explained by annual precipitation and precipitation seasonality. The research reveals distinct latitudinal patterns of forest structure, with hotspots of high structural complexity coinciding with hotspots of plant diversity.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
K. Sudmeier-Rieux, T. Arce-Mojica, H. J. Boehmer, N. Doswald, L. Emerton, D. A. Friess, S. Galvin, M. Hagenlocher, H. James, P. Laban, C. Lacambra, W. Lange, B. G. McAdoo, C. Moos, J. Mysiak, L. Narvaez, U. Nehren, P. Peduzzi, F. G. Renaud, S. Sandholz, L. Schreyers, Z. Sebesvari, T. Tom, A. Triyanti, P. van Eijk, M. van Staveren, M. Vicarelli, Y. Walz
Summary: Ecosystems play a crucial role in reducing global disaster risk, but research in this area is still lacking, especially in the Global South. Many ecosystems can provide sustainable approaches to disaster risk reduction, but more research is needed to fill the gaps.
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Maurizio Bagnara, Larissa Nowak, Hans Juergen Boehmer, Franz Scholl, Frank M. Schurr, Hanno Seebens
Summary: The study introduced the CASPIAN model to simulate the dispersal and establishment of alien species along transportation infrastructure, providing a tool for identifying and predicting major spread routes of alien species to aid in achieving international biodiversity goals.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ethan E. Butler, Kirk R. Wythers, Habacuc Flores-Moreno, Daniel M. Ricciuto, Abhirup Datta, Arindam Banerjee, Owen K. Atkin, Jens Kattge, Peter E. Thornton, Madhur Anand, Sabina Burrascano, Chaeho Byun, J. H. C. Cornelissen, Estelle Forey, Steven Jansen, Koen Kramer, Vanessa Minden, Peter B. Reich
Summary: Simulations of the land surface carbon cycle often simplify functional diversity, but accounting for it better can significantly impact carbon uptake. The best predictors of gross primary production depend on vegetation phenology.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wen-Yong Guo, Josep M. Serra-Diaz, Franziska Schrodt, Wolf L. Eiserhardt, Brian S. Maitner, Cory Merow, Cyrille Violle, Madhur Anand, Michael Belluau, Hans Henrik Bruun, Chaeho Byun, Jane A. Catford, Bruno E. L. Cerabolini, Eduardo Chacon-Madrigal, Daniela Ciccarelli, J. Hans C. Cornelissen, Anh Tuan Dang-Le, Angel de Frutos, Arildo S. Dias, Aelton B. Giroldo, Kun Guo, Alvaro G. Gutierrez, Wesley Hattingh, Tianhua He, Peter Hietz, Nate Hough-Snee, Steven Jansen, Jens Kattge, Tamir Klein, Benjamin Komac, Nathan J. B. Kraft, Koen Kramer, Sandra Lavorel, Christopher H. Lusk, Adam R. Martin, Maurizio Mencuccini, Sean T. Michaletz, Vanessa Minden, Akira S. Mori, Ulo Niinemets, Yusuke Onoda, Josep Penuelas, Valerio D. Pillar, Jan Pisek, Bjorn J. M. Robroek, Brandon Schamp, Martijn Slot, Enio Egon Sosinski, Nadejda A. Soudzilovskaia, Nelson Thiffault, Peter van Bodegom, Fons van der Plas, Ian J. Wright, Wu-Bing Xu, Jingming Zheng, Brian J. Enquist, Jens-Christian Svenning
Summary: Safeguarding Earth's tree diversity is crucial for biodiversity and ecosystem functions. However, current protected areas provide limited protection for a large number of tree species, which are under significant human pressure. Including priority areas in conservation efforts can greatly improve the protection of tree species and overall terrestrial biodiversity.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Julia Bass, Dirk Granse, Ingo Hache, Kai Jensen, Volker Karius, Vanessa Minden, Martin Stock, Sigrid Suchrow, Michael Kleyer
Summary: The current climate crisis is leading to sea level rise, which poses a threat to coastal ecosystems. Salt marshes can only persist if their vertical accretion exceeds the rate of sea level rise. Plant functional traits, particularly leaf traits, have an impact on vertical accretion in salt marshes.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Estelle Forey, Sherri Y. F. Lodhar, Stephen D. Galvin, John H. Lowry, Sunil Gopaul, Geon Hanson, Marta Carboni, Matthieu Chauvat, Hans Juergen Boehmer
Summary: Biological invasions have detrimental effects on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in tropical islands. This study focused on the non-native palm species, Pinanga coronata, and examined its impact on the taxonomic and functional assemblages of understory plant species in a Fijian rainforest. The results showed that an increase in P. coronata density led to a significant decrease in taxonomic diversity and functional richness of the plant communities. Moreover, the resident species adapted to the competition by converging towards more competitive strategies. This study highlights the strong filtering effect of P. coronata on species loss and functional changes in the ecosystem.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sandra Diaz, Jens Kattge, Johannes H. C. Cornelissen, Ian J. Wright, Sandra Lavorel, Stephane Dray, Bjoern Reu, Michael Kleyer, Christian Wirth, I. Colin Prentice, Eric Garnier, Gerhard Boenisch, Mark Westoby, Hendrik Poorter, Peter B. Reich, Angela T. Moles, John Dickie, Amy E. Zanne, Jerome Chave, S. Joseph Wright, Serge N. Sheremetiev, Herve Jactel, Christopher Baraloto, Bruno E. L. Cerabolini, Simon Pierce, Bill Shipley, Fernando Casanoves, Julia S. Joswig, Angela Guenther, Valeria Falczuk, Nadja Rueger, Miguel D. Mahecha, Lucas D. Gorne, Bernard Amiaud, Owen K. Atkin, Michael Bahn, Dennis Baldocchi, Michael Beckmann, Benjamin Blonder, William Bond, Ben Bond-Lamberty, Kerry Brown, Sabina Burrascano, Chaeho Byun, Giandiego Campetella, Jeannine Cavender-Bares, F. Stuart Chapin, Brendan Choat, David Anthony Coomes, William K. Cornwell, Joseph Craine, Dylan Craven, Matteo Dainese, Alessandro Carioca de Araujo, Franciska T. de Vries, Tomas Ferreira Domingues, Brian J. Enquist, Jaime Fagundez, Jingyun Fang, Fernando Fernandez-Mendez, Maria T. Fernandez-Piedade, Henry Ford, Estelle Forey, Gregoire T. Freschet, Sophie Gachet, Rachael Gallagher, Walton Green, Greg R. Guerin, Alvaro G. Gutierrez, Sandy P. Harrison, Wesley Neil Hattingh, Tianhua He, Thomas Hickler, Steven I. Higgins, Pedro Higuchi, Jugo Ilic, Robert B. Jackson, Adel Jalili, Steven Jansen, Fumito Koike, Christian Koenig, Nathan Kraft, Koen Kramer, Holger Kreft, Ingolf Kuehn, Hiroko Kurokawa, Eric G. Lamb, Daniel C. Laughlin, Michelle Leishman, Simon Lewis, Frederique Louault, Ana C. M. Malhado, Peter Manning, Patrick Meir, Maurizio Mencuccini, Julie Messier, Regis Miller, Vanessa Minden, Jane Molofsky, Rebecca Montgomery, Gabriel Montserrat-Marti, Marco Moretti, Sandra Mueller, UElo Niinemets, Roma Ogaya, Kinga Oellerer, Vladimir Onipchenko, Yusuke Onoda, Wim A. Ozinga, Juli G. Pausas, Begona Peco, Josep Penuelas, Valerio D. Pillar, Clara Pladevall, Christine Roemermann, Lawren Sack, Norma Salinas, Brody Sandel, Jordi Sardans, Brandon Schamp, Michael Scherer-Lorenzen, Ernst-Detlef Schulze, Fritz Schweingruber, Satomi Shiodera, Enio Sosinski, Nadejda Soudzilovskaia, Marko J. Spasojevic, Emily Swaine, Nathan Swenson, Susanne Tautenhahn, Ken Thompson, Alexia Totte, Rocio Urrutia-Jalabert, Fernando Valladares, Peter van Bodegom, Francois Vasseur, Kris Verheyen, Denis Vile, Cyrille Violle, Betsy von Holle, Patrick Weigelt, Evan Weiher, Michael C. Wiemann, Mathew Williams, Justin Wright, Gerhard Zotz
Summary: The 'Global Spectrum of Plant Form and Function Dataset' provides species mean values for six vascular plant traits on a global scale. Based on a large number of trait records, the dataset is the largest and most accurate compilation of vascular plant species mean traits to date, with comprehensive quality control.
Article
Ecology
Vanessa Minden, Koen Verhoeven, Harry Olde Venterink
Summary: Global change drivers create novel environments for plant species, and through adaptive trait plasticity, plants can maintain their performance and outcompete those with low-adaptive trait plasticity.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)