Adaptive characteristics of grassland community structure and leaf traits along an altitudinal gradient on a subtropical mountain in Chongqing,China |
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Authors: | Lu-lu Song Jiang-wen Fan Warwick Harris Shao-hong Wu Hua-ping Zhong Yong-chun Zhou Ning Wang Xu-dong Zhu |
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Institution: | (1) Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, People’s Republic of China;(2) Landcare Research, P.O. Box 40, Lincoln, 7640, New Zealand;(3) Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; |
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Abstract: | Community structure and leaf traits are important elements of terrestrial ecosystems. Changes of community structure and leaf
traits are of particular use in the study of the influence of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems. Patterns of community
structure (including species richness, above- and below-ground biomass) and leaf traits (including leaf mass per area (LMA),
nitrogen content both on mass and area bases (N
mass and N
area), and foliar δ13C) from 19 grassland plots along an altitudinal transect at Hongchiba in Chongqing, China, were analyzed. Species richness
along the altitudinal transect had a hump-shaped pattern. Above-ground biomass had a quadratic decrease along the altitudinal
gradient whereas below-ground biomass had the opposite pattern. Change of above-ground biomass of various taxonomic groups
with altitude was also studied. Poaceae showed strong negative relationships and Asteraceae showed a hump-shaped relationship
with increase of altitude. Five common species of the grassland, Trifolium pratense, Geranium wilfordii,
Aster tataricus, Leontopodium leontopodioides, and Spiraea prunifolia, were particularly studied for variation of leaf traits along the altitudinal gradient. Averaged for all species, LMA, N
area and foliar δ13C had positive correlations with altitude. N
mass did not change significantly as altitude increased. LMA and N
area showed significant positive relationships with foliar δ13C. The adaptive features of leaf traits among different species were not consistent. The study highlights specific adaptation
patterns in relation to altitude for different plant species, provides further insights into adaptive trends of community
structure and leaf traits in a specific ecological region filling a gap in the definition of global patterns, and adds to
the understanding of how adaptive patterns of plants may respond to global climate change. |
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