Functional Traits Help Predict Post-Disturbance Demography of Tropical Trees

How tropical tree species respond to disturbance is a central issue of forest ecology, conservation and resource management. We define a hierarchical model to investigate how functional traits measured in control plots relate to the population change rate and to demographic rates for recruitment and mortality after disturbance by logging operations. Population change and demographic rates were quantified on a 12-year period after disturbance and related to seven functional traits measured in control plots. The model was calibrated using a Bayesian Network approach on 53 species surveyed in permanent forest plots (37.5 ha) at Paracou in French Guiana. The network analysis allowed us to highlight both direct and indirect relationships among predictive variables. Overall, 89% of interspecific variability in the population change rate after disturbance were explained by the two demographic rates, the recruitment rate being the most explicative variable. Three direct drivers explained 45% of the variability in recruitment rates, including leaf phosphorus concentration, with a positive effect, and seed size and wood density with negative effects. Mortality rates were explained by interspecific variability in maximum diameter only (25%). Wood density, leaf nitrogen concentration, maximum diameter and seed size were not explained by variables in the analysis and thus appear as independent drivers of post-disturbance demography. Relationships between functional traits and demographic parameters were consistent with results found in undisturbed forests. Functional traits measured in control conditions can thus help predict the fate of tropical tree species after disturbance. Indirect relationships also suggest how different processes interact to mediate species demographic response.     

Periodicity of Wood Formation in Some Trees of Lowland Rainforest in Nigeria

Freshly prepared chlor-zinc-iodide was used to determine theperiodicity of wood formation at breast height (144 cm fromthe ground) in the trunks of some trees growing in the LowlandRainforest around Ibadan, Nigeria. Wood formation shows seasonal periodicity in the plants studied.The cambial derivates on the xylem side differentiate into woodcells, which at a certain stage of differentiation have abundantcellulose in their secondary walls. The cellulose stains deepblue in chlor-zinc-iodide. This has been used as a criterionfor deciding that wood formation has started. When no cellswith deep blue staining secondary walls are found the cambiumis known to be dormant or quiscent. The resumption of cambial activity is correlated positivelywith bud break and unfolding of new leaves. In Bombax buonopozenseP. Beauv. the relationship may be obscured by local cambialactivity induced by injury. Wood formation stops in the trunks either towards the end ofthe rainy season or at the early part of the dry season. Itstarts either during the dry season or at the beginning of therainy season; but the bulk of the wood is formed during therainy season. Cambial activity stops in most cases before leaffall. At the cessation of wood formation the fully lignifiedxylem elements abut on the xylem mother cells or on xylem cellswith incompletely thickened cell walls. Presence or absence of a starch-free-zone and the noding ofthe vascular rays also give indications of seasonal periodicityin wood formation. Growth rings are periodic and one growthring is generally formed each year.     

海南铜铁岭热带低地雨林群落特征研究

根据样方调查的结果,分析了海南岛铜铁岭热带低地雨林群落的种类组成、区系成分、外貌特征和年龄结构.结果表明,在2600m2样方中,有维管束植物88科186属258种;优势科为番荔枝科、大戟科、茜草科、樟科、芸香科、桃金娘科等.区系地理成分可分为10种类型,热带分布的属占绝对优势,达94.89%.群落的生活型以高位芽为主,群落外貌主要由革质、单叶和中型叶为主的常绿阔叶林高位芽植物决定.群落成层现象明显,可分为乔木层、灌木层、草本层,乔木层可再划分为2～3个亚层.种群频度分布规律为A>B>C>D>E 按Raunkiaer将频度指数划分 ,属于A级的种类占优势,为总种数的70.54%,大部分种类具有10个以下个体.乔木径级分布呈金字塔形,小径级占优势.     

热带雨林木质藤本植物叶片性状及其关联

热带雨林中木质藤本植物较为丰富。随着全球气候变化加剧,木质藤本植物的丰富度具有不断增加的趋势,有可能对热带森林的结构、功能和动态产生重要影响。然而,目前对木质藤本响应环境变化的机制所知甚少。本研究以13个科20种热带雨林常见木质藤本植物为材料,测定了冠层叶片的17个形态特征及结构性状,并分析了性状间的相互关系。结果表明,叶片相对含水量的种间变异最小（变异系数为5%）,而上表皮厚度的种间变异最大（变异系数为80%）,其它性状的种间变异系数为24%~61%。木质藤本植物的叶脉密度、叶片密度均与气孔密度呈显著正相关,叶片干物质含量与比叶面积呈显著负相关。与相同生境的树木相比,木质藤本的叶面积更小、气孔密度和叶片密度更低、比叶面积更高,但两种植物类群的叶片横切面组织结构厚度无显著差异。研究结果对理解木质藤本植物的生态适应性具有重要意义。     

Aboveground vs. Belowground Carbon Stocks in African Tropical Lowland Rainforest: Drivers and Implications

BackgroundAfrican tropical rainforests are one of the most important hotspots to look for changes in the upcoming decades when it comes to C storage and release. The focus of studying C dynamics in these systems lies traditionally on living aboveground biomass. Belowground soil organic carbon stocks have received little attention and estimates of the size, controls and distribution of soil organic carbon stocks are highly uncertain. In our study on lowland rainforest in the central Congo basin, we combine both an assessment of the aboveground C stock with an assessment of the belowground C stock and analyze the latter in terms of functional pools and controlling factors.Conclusions/SignificanceWe suggest nutrient limitation, especially potassium, as the driver for aboveground versus belowground C allocation. However, other drivers such as C turnover, tree functional traits or demographic considerations cannot be excluded. We argue that large and unaccounted variability in C stocks is to be expected in African tropical rain-forests. Currently, these differences in aboveground and belowground C stocks are not adequately verified and implemented mechanistically into Earth System Models. This will, hence, introduce additional uncertainty to models and predictions of the response of C storage of the Congo basin forest to climate change and its contribution to the terrestrial C budget.     

Foliar Stoichiometry is Marginally Sensitive to Soil Phosphorus Across a Lowland Tropical Rainforest

Ecosystems - The distribution of nutrients, both vertically and horizontally in a forest, has long been theorized to influence primary productivity. Working at La Selva Biological Station, Costa...     

西双版纳石灰山热带季节性湿润林内几种植物的水分利用策略

对两双版纳生境严酷的石灰山热带季节性湿润林内几种植物(潺槁木姜子、羽叶白头树、高榕、豆果榕、清香木等)的水分利用策略进行了研究.结果表明,石灰山热带季节性湿润林内土壤水势在于热季(2月～4月)75 cm深度处达到最低值,为-O.055MPa,雨季(5～10月)在30 cm处出现最低值为-O.039MPa.测定不同深度土壤体积含水量昼夜变化表明,白大和夜间各层深度土壤体积含水量没有显著变化(P>0.05),说明本林内植物没有水分再分配现象的发生.通过对雨水、土壤水、地下水、雾水、穿透水以及植物木质部水分的稳定性同位素分析得出,在干季,滴落雾水能够补给土壤表层水,在雨季,降雨则是地下水的主要水分输入.植物在昼夜尺度上虽然没有对水分进行时空区分利用,但是植物有更为长久有效的水分利用策略,即植物通过自身发达的根系统利用深层土壤水和地下水.目前,热带雨林的乱砍滥伐,森林片段化特别严重,尤其是生长在石灰山严酷生境的热带季节性湿润林受到破坏后,森林的重建和恢复是相当困难的.因此,对脆弱石厌山热带季节性湿润林的保护是十分必要的,而对石灰山热带季节性湿润林植物的水分利用方式和策略的研究将为此目标提供理论依据.     

Variations and Trade‐offs in Functional Traits of Tree Seedlings during Secondary Succession in a Tropical Lowland Rain Forest

The seedling stage is generally the most important bottleneck for the successful regeneration of trees in forests. The traits of seedlings, particularly biomass allocation and root traits, are more easily quantified than the traits of adults. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that seedling traits vary and trade‐off tracking the changing environment during secondary succession. We measured the major morphological traits of 27 dominant species and the major environmental factors in a chronosequence (30‐yr‐old fallow, 60‐yr‐old fallow, and old growth forest) after shifting cultivation in a tropical lowland rain forest on Hainan Island, China. The 30‐yr‐old fallow had higher light and nutrient availability, and the older forests had higher soil water content. Redundancy analysis based on species abundance and environmental factors revealed groups of seedlings that dominate in different stages of succession. Seedlings in different stages of succession had different strategies of biomass allocation for harvesting resources that varied in availability. Species characteristic of younger forest had higher allocation to roots and higher specific leaf area, while species characteristic of older forest had higher allocation to leaves. Our study suggests that the variations and trade‐offs in the major functional traits of tree seedlings among successional classes may reflect changes in environmental conditions during succession.     

Bird Community Changes in Response to Single and Repeated Fires in a Lowland Tropical Rainforest of Eastern Borneo

Our current understanding of bird community responses to tropical forest fires is limited and strongly geographically biased towards South America. Here we used the circular plot method to carry out complete bird inventories in undisturbed, once burned (1998) and twice burned forests (1983 and 1998) in East Kalimantan (Indonesia). Additionally, environmental variables were measured within a 25 m radius of each plot. Three years after fire the number of birds and bird species were similar for undisturbed and burned forests, but species diversity and turnover were significantly lower in the burned forests. The bird species composition also differed significantly between undisturbed and burned forests, with a strong decline of closed forest preferring bird species accompanied by a strong increase in degraded forest preferring species in burned forests. These differences were strongly related to differences in environmental conditions such as shifts in vegetation cover and layering and differences in ground and understorey vegetation structure. We also found significant shifts in body mass distribution, foraging height and feeding guilds between the bird communities in unburned and burned forests. Surprisingly, repeated burning did not lead to increasing impoverishment of the avifauna, and both once and twice burned forests still contained most of the bird species that were also present in undisturbed forest, even though their densities were considerably lowered.     

Large Canopy Exchange Fluxes of Inorganic and Organic Nitrogen and Preferential Retention of Nitrogen by Epiphytes in a Tropical Lowland Rainforest

Little is known about how tropical forest canopies interact with atmospheric nitrogen deposition and how this affects the internal nutrient dynamics and the processing of external nutrient inputs. The objectives of this study therefore were (1) to investigate gross and net canopy nitrogen (N) fluxes (retention and leaching) and (2) the effect of canopy components on net canopy N retention. Tracers were applied on detached branches in a tropical wet lowland rainforest, Costa Rica. A novel ¹⁵N pool dilution method showed that gross canopy fluxes (retention and leaching) of NO₃ ^?, NH₄ ⁺, and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) were remarkably higher than net throughfall fluxes. Gross fluxes of NH₄ ⁺ and NO₃ ^? resulted in a negligible net flux whereas DON showed net uptake by the canopy. The highest quantity of ¹⁵N was recovered in epiphytic bryophytes (16.4%) although the largest biomass fraction was made up of leaves. The study demonstrates that tracer applications allow investigation of the dynamic and complex canopy exchange processes and that epiphytic communities play a major role in solute fluxes in tree canopies and therefore in the nutrient dynamics of tropical rain forests.     

Functional Trait Strategies of Trees in Dry and Wet Tropical Forests Are Similar but Differ in Their Consequences for Succession

Global plant trait studies have revealed fundamental trade-offs in plant resource economics. We evaluated such trait trade-offs during secondary succession in two species-rich tropical ecosystems that contrast in precipitation: dry deciduous and wet evergreen forests of Mexico. Species turnover with succession in dry forest largely relates to increasing water availability and in wet forest to decreasing light availability. We hypothesized that while functional trait trade-offs are similar in the two forest systems, the successful plant strategies in these communities will be different, as contrasting filters affect species turnover. Research was carried out in 15 dry secondary forest sites (5-63 years after abandonment) and in 17 wet secondary forest sites (<1-25 years after abandonment). We used 11 functional traits measured on 132 species to make species-trait PCA biplots for dry and wet forest and compare trait trade-offs. We evaluated whether multivariate plant strategies changed during succession, by calculating a ‘Community-Weighted Mean’ plant strategy, based on species scores on the first two PCA-axes. Trait spectra reflected two main trade-off axes that were similar for dry and wet forest species: acquisitive versus conservative species, and drought avoiding species versus evergreen species with large animal-dispersed seeds. These trait associations were consistent when accounting for evolutionary history. Successional changes in the most successful plant strategies reflected different functional trait spectra depending on the forest type. In dry forest the community changed from having drought avoiding strategies early in succession to increased abundance of evergreen strategies with larger seeds late in succession. In wet forest the community changed from species having mainly acquisitive strategies to those with more conservative strategies during succession. These strategy changes were explained by increasing water availability during dry forest succession and increasing light scarcity during wet forest succession. Although similar trait spectra were observed among dry and wet secondary forest species, the consequences for succession were different resulting from contrasting environmental filters.     

Habitat Fragmentation and Ecological Traits Influence the Prevalence of Avian Blood Parasites in a Tropical Rainforest Landscape

In the tropical rainforests of northern Australia, we investigated the effects of habitat fragmentation and ecological parameters on the prevalence of blood-borne parasites (Plasmodium and Haemoproteus) in bird communities. Using mist-nets on forest edges and interiors, we sampled bird communities across six study sites: 3 large fragments (20–85 ha) and 3 continuous-forest sites. From 335 mist-net captures, we recorded 28 bird species and screened 299 bird samples with PCR to amplify and detect target DNA. Of the 28 bird species sampled, 19 were infected with Plasmodium and/or Haemoproteus and 9 species were without infection. Over one third of screened birds (99 individuals) were positive for Haemoproteus and/or Plasmodium. In forest fragments, bird capture rates were significantly higher than in continuous forests, but bird species richness did not differ. Unexpectedly, we found that the prevalence of the dominant haemosporidian infection, Haemoproteus, was significantly higher in continuous forest than in habitat fragments. Further, we found that ecological traits such as diet, foraging height, habitat specialisation and distributional ranges were significantly associated with blood-borne infections.     

西双版纳热带季节雨林145个树种繁殖体特征

分析了西双版纳热带季节雨林20公顷动态监测样地中145个树种的繁殖体特征。结果表明：雨季散布的种类最多（71.03%）,在雾凉季及干热季散布的种类相对较少;果实类型以核果,蒴果,浆果居多,黑色、黄色、褐色果实最为常见;动物散布的种类最多（56.55%）,其次为机械散布,独立散布,风力散布;大种子树种（种子最大长度〉10mm）较占优势（53.10%）;树种单粒种子重量从2.3×10^-5～22.29g不等,但76.55%的种子的重量集中在0.01～10g之间;干热季散布的种子平均重量显著高于雨季和雾凉季;独立散布的种子重量最大,风力散布的种子重量最小,而机械弹射的种子重量和动物散布的种子重量之间差异不显著;树种的成年个体最大胸径与种子重量之间存在显著正相关。     

Incidence of Extrafloral Nectaries and Their Relationship with Growth and Survival of Lowland Tropical Rain Forest Trees

Mutualistic relationships between organisms have long captivated biologists, and extrafloral nectaries, or nectar‐producing glands, found on many plants are a good example. The nectar produced from these glands provides food for ants, which may defend the plant from potential herbivores in turn. However, relatively little is known about their impact on the long‐term growth and survival of plants that produce them. To better understand the ecological significance of extrafloral nectaries, we examined their incidence on lowland tropical rain forest trees in Yasuní National Park in Amazonian Ecuador, and collated data from two other tropical lowland forest sites (Barro Colorado Island, Panamá and Pasoh Forest Reserve, Malaysia). At Yasuní, extrafloral nectaries were found on 137 of 1123 species censused (12.2%), widely distributed among different angiosperm families. This rate of incidence is high but consistent with other tropical locations. Furthermore, this study adds 18 new genera and two new families (Urticaceae and Caricaceae) to the list of taxa exhibiting extrafloral nectaries. Using demographic data from long‐term forest dynamics plots at each site, we compared the growth and mortality rates of species with extrafloral nectaries to those without. After controlling for phylogeny, no general relationship between extrafloral nectary presence and demographic rates could be detected, suggesting little demographic signal from any community‐wide ecological effects.     

Plant Traits Demonstrate That Temperate and Tropical Giant Eucalypt Forests Are Ecologically Convergent with Rainforest Not Savanna

Ecological theory differentiates rainforest and open vegetation in many regions as functionally divergent alternative stable states with transitional (ecotonal) vegetation between the two forming transient unstable states. This transitional vegetation is of considerable significance, not only as a test case for theories of vegetation dynamics, but also because this type of vegetation is of major economic importance, and is home to a suite of species of conservation significance, including the world’s tallest flowering plants. We therefore created predictions of patterns in plant functional traits that would test the alternative stable states model of these systems. We measured functional traits of 128 trees and shrubs across tropical and temperate rainforest – open vegetation transitions in Australia, with giant eucalypt forests situated between these vegetation types. We analysed a set of functional traits: leaf carbon isotopes, leaf area, leaf mass per area, leaf slenderness, wood density, maximum height and bark thickness, using univariate and multivariate methods. For most traits, giant eucalypt forest was similar to rainforest, while rainforest, particularly tropical rainforest, was significantly different from the open vegetation. In multivariate analyses, tropical and temperate rainforest diverged functionally, and both segregated from open vegetation. Furthermore, the giant eucalypt forests overlapped in function with their respective rainforests. The two types of giant eucalypt forests also exhibited greater overall functional similarity to each other than to any of the open vegetation types. We conclude that tropical and temperate giant eucalypt forests are ecologically and functionally convergent. The lack of clear functional differentiation from rainforest suggests that giant eucalypt forests are unstable states within the basin of attraction of rainforest. Our results have important implications for giant eucalypt forest management.     

4种木本植物对热带珊瑚岛极端环境的适应策略解析

为探索适生木本植物对热带珊瑚岛极端环境的适应策略，从海南文昌移栽夹竹桃(Nerium indicum)、黄金香柳(Melaleuca bracteata)、桑树(Morus alba)和银叶树(Heritiera littoralis)到热带珊瑚岛，对两地植物的叶片形态解剖学特性和抗性生理特征进行比较研究。结果表明，与文昌相比，热带珊瑚岛桑树的比叶面积显著增高；夹竹桃的栅栏海绵组织比无显著差异，而其他3种植物则显著降低；夹竹桃和桑树的叶绿素含量显著增高，黄金香柳和银叶树则显著降低；桑树的总抗氧化能力显著降低，其他3种植物则显著升高；夹竹桃的脯氨酸含量显著降低，其他3种植物则显著升高。因此，4种木本植物为适应热带珊瑚岛生境，夹竹桃和桑树呈现出“提高碳同化潜力-承受更高伤害”策略；而黄金香柳和银叶树呈现为“提高抵抗力-降低碳同化潜力”策略。     

海南铜铁岭低地雨林蕨类植物区系及其特点

对海南铜铁岭热带低地雨林地区的蕨类植物区系进行了研究,结果表明铜铁岭共有蕨类植物117种,隶属40科、71属.含6种以上的科有水龙骨科、金星蕨科、铁角蕨科、叉蕨科、陵齿蕨科、膜蕨科和凤尾蕨科,它们是组成铜铁岭蕨类植物的优势科.根据植物的现代地理分布,本区的蕨类植物属和种的分布区类型中热带成分分别占非世界分布的95.31%和75.21%,说明了该地区蕨类植物区系与热带植物区系有着广泛的联系,热带性较强;本区蕨类植物大多数是林荫湿生或附生类型.七指蕨种群是该区珍稀蕨类植物,应该加强保护.     

Degradation of Root Community Traits as Indicator for Transformation of Tropical Lowland Rain Forests into Oil Palm and Rubber Plantations

Conversion of tropical forests into intensely managed plantations is a threat to ecosystem functions. On Sumatra, Indonesia, oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations are rapidly expanding, displacing rain forests and extensively used rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) agro-forests. Here, we tested the influence of land use systems on root traits including chemical traits (carbon, nitrogen, mineral nutrients, potentially toxic elements [aluminium, iron] and performance traits (root mass, vitality, mycorrhizal colonization). Traits were measured as root community-weighed traits (RCWTs) in lowland rain forests, in rubber agro-forests mixed with rain forest trees, in rubber and oil palm plantations in two landscapes (Bukit Duabelas and Harapan, Sumatra). We hypothesized that RCWTs vary with land use system indicating increasing transformation intensity and loss of ecosystem functions. The main factors found to be related to increasing transformation intensity were declining root vitality and root sulfur, nitrogen, carbon, manganese concentrations and increasing root aluminium and iron concentrations as well as increasing spore densities of arbuscular mycorrhizas. Mycorrhizal abundance was high for arbuscular and low for ectomycorrhizas and unrelated to changes in RCWTs. The decline in RCWTs showed significant correlations with soil nitrogen, soil pH and litter carbon. Thus, our study uncovered a relationship between deteriorating root community traits and loss of ecosystem functionality and showed that increasing transformation intensity resulted in decreasing root nutrition and health. Based on these results we suggest that land management that improves root vitality may enhance the ecological functions of intense tropical production systems.