Adaptive differences in plant physiology and ecosystem paradoxes: insights from metabolic scaling theory

The link between variation in species‐specific plant traits, larger scale patterns of productivity, and other ecosystem processes is an important focus for global change research. Understanding such linkages requires synthesis of evolutionary, biogeograpahic, and biogeochemical approaches to ecological research. Recent observations reveal several apparently paradoxical patterns across ecosystems. When compared with warmer low latitudes, ecosystems from cold northerly latitudes are described by (1) a greater temperature normalized instantaneous flux of CO₂ and energy; and (2) similar annual values of gross primary production (GPP), and possibly net primary production. Recently, several authors attributed constancy in GPP to historical and abiotic factors. Here, we show that metabolic scaling theory can be used to provide an alternative ‘biotically driven’ hypothesis. The model provides a baseline for understanding how potentially adaptive variation in plant size and traits associated with metabolism and biomass production in differing biomes can influence whole‐ecosystem processes. The implication is that one cannot extrapolate leaf/lab/forest level functional responses to the globe without considering evolutionary and geographic variation in traits associated with metabolism. We test one key implication of this model – that directional and adaptive changes in metabolic and stoichiometric traits of autotrophs may mediate patterns of plant growth across broad temperature gradients. In support of our model, on average, mass‐corrected whole‐plant growth rates are not related to differences in growing season temperature or latitude. Further, we show how these changes in autotrophic physiology and nutrient content across gradients may have important implications for understanding: (i) the origin of paradoxical ecosystem behavior; (ii) the potential efficiency of whole‐ecosystem carbon dynamics as measured by the quotient of system capacities for respiration, R, and assimilation, A; and (iii) the origin of several ‘ecosystem constants’– attributes of ecological systems that apparently do not vary with temperature (and thus with latitude). Together, these results highlight the potential critical importance of community ecology and functional evolutionary/physiological ecology for understanding the role of the biosphere within the integrated earth system.     

Biodiversity maintenance mechanisms differ between native and novel exotic-dominated communities

In many systems, native communities are being replaced by novel exotic-dominated ones. We experimentally compared species diversity decline between nine-species grassland communities under field conditions to test whether diversity maintenance mechanisms differed between communities containing all exotic or all native species using a pool of 40 species. Aboveground biomass was greater in exotic than native plots, and this difference was larger in mixtures than in monocultures. Species diversity declined more in exotic than native communities and declines were explained by different mechanisms. In exotic communities, overyielding species had high biomass in monoculture and diversity declined linearly as this selection effect increased. In native communities, however, overyielding species had low biomass in monoculture and there was no relationship between the selection effect and diversity decline. This suggests that, for this system, yielding behaviour is fundamentally different between presumably co-evolved natives and coevolutionarily naive exotic species, and that native-exotic status is important to consider.     

Strategies of leaf expansion in Ficus carica under semiarid conditions

Leaf area expansion, thickness and inclination, gas exchange parameters and relative chlorophyll content were analysed in field‐grown fig (Ficus carica L.) leaves over time, from emergence until after full leaf expansion (FLE). Ficus carica leaves showed a subtle change in shape during the early stages of development, and FLE was reached within ca. 30 days after emergence. Changes in leaf thickness and inclination after FLE demonstrated good adaptation to environmental conditions during summer in areas with a Mediterranean climate. Changes in gas exchange parameters and relative chlorophyll content showed that F. carica is a delayed‐greening species, reaching maximum values 20 days after FLE. Correlation analysis of datasets collected during leaf expansion, confirmed dependence among structural and functional traits in F. carica. Pn was directly correlated with stomatal conductance (Gs), transpiration (E), leaf area (LA) and relative chlorophyll content up to FLE. The effect of pruning on leaf expansion, a cultural technique commonly applied in this fruit tree, was also evaluated. Although leaf development in pruned branches gave a significantly higher relative leaf area growth rate (RGR_l) and higher LA than non‐pruned branches, no significant differences were found in other morphological and physiological traits, indicating no pruning effect on leaf development. All studied morphological and physiological characteristics indicate that F. carica is well adapted to semiarid conditions. The delayed greening strategy of this species is discussed.     

What are we missing with only ground‐level mist nets? Using elevated nets at a migration stopover site

ABSTRACT Mist nets deployed in a standard ground‐level fashion capture birds approximately 0.5–2.6 m above the ground. In habitats where the vegetation extends above this height, standard mist net deployment may inadequately sample the targeted avian community and age‐ and sex‐classes within species. Such sampling biases may raise questions regarding studies based on data from mist‐net captures. To determine if birds were equally likely to be captured by mist nets at different heights, we constructed a series of paired ground‐level and elevated mist nets (hereafter “net rigs”) at a research station in western New York State. Net rigs were operated during 14 migration seasons from 2000 to 2006 (spring and fall each year), and 19,735 birds of 118 species were captured. Capture rates were significantly higher in ground‐level nets, but 12 species were only captured in elevated nets. Of 44 species with at least 50 captures, 25 species were more likely to be captured in the ground‐level nets and two species in the elevated nets. For four of 18 species, more birds were captured in the elevated nets during fall migration than during spring migration. We conclude that standard ground‐level net placement was more efficient in capturing birds in the secondary growth habitats that we sampled. However, ground‐level nets may not adequately sample the entire targeted community or all age‐ or sex‐classes within species.     

海南东寨港两种红树植物旱季和雨季的光合生理特征比较

植物光合生理生态特性是退化植物群落恢复、重建植物种选择的重要依据。为研究不同红树植物光合生理生态特性，该研究于2021年旱季的4—5月、雨季的7—9月利用LI-6400光合仪，测定红树植物秋茄和海莲的光合生理参数和主要生态因子，并采用通径分析方法分析主要生态因子对净光合速率的影响。结果表明：(1)秋茄旱季净光合速率日均值(8.43μmol^-2·s^-1)略低于雨季(8.67μmol^-2·s^-1),差异不显著；海莲旱季净光合速率日均值(7.03μmol^-2·s^-1)显著低于雨季(9.41μmol^-2·s^-1);旱季秋茄净光合速率日均值显著高于海莲，而雨季秋茄净光合速率日均值显著低于海莲。(2)旱季、雨季秋茄蒸腾速率、气孔导度、胞间CO₂浓度等光合生理因子日均值变化幅度小于海莲，水分利用效率也低于海莲。(3)旱季、雨季两种红树植物均存在“光合午休”现象。旱季，秋茄属于非气孔限制，而海莲属于气孔限制...     

Effect of stand age on greenhouse gas fluxes from a Sitka spruce [Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.] chronosequence on a peaty gley soil

The influence of forest stand age in a Picea sitchensis plantation on (1) soil fluxes of three greenhouse gases (GHGs – CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O) and (2) overall net ecosystem global warming potential (GWP), was investigated in a 2‐year study. The objective was to isolate the effect of forest stand age on soil edaphic characteristics (temperature, water table and volumetric moisture) and the consequent influence of these characteristics on the GHG fluxes. Fluxes were measured in a chronosequence in Harwood, England, with sites comprising 30‐ and 20‐year‐old second rotation forest and a site clearfelled (CF) some 18 months before measurement. Adjoining unforested grassland (UN) acted as a control. Comparisons were made between flux data, soil temperature and moisture data and, at the 30‐year‐old and CF sites, eddy covariance data for net ecosystem carbon (C) exchange (NEE). The main findings were: firstly, integrated CO₂ efflux was the dominant influence on the GHG budget, contributing 93–94% of the total GHG flux across the chronosequence compared with 6–7% from CH₄ and N₂O combined. Secondly, there were clear links between the trends in edaphic factors as the forest matured, or after clearfelling, and the emission of GHGs. In the chronosequence sites, annual fluxes of CO₂ were lower at the 20‐year‐old (20y) site than at the 30‐year‐old (30y) and CF sites, with soil temperature the dominant control. CH₄ efflux was highest at the CF site, with peak flux 491±54.5 μg m⁻² h⁻¹ and maximum annual flux 18.0±1.1 kg CH₄ ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. No consistent uptake of CH₄ was noted at any site. A linear relationship was found between log CH₄ flux and the closeness of the water table to the soil surface across all sites. N₂O efflux was highest in the 30y site, reaching 108±38.3 μg N₂O‐N m⁻² h⁻¹ (171 μg N₂O m⁻² h⁻¹) in midsummer and a maximum annual flux of 4.7±1.2 kg N₂O ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in 2001. Automatic chamber data showed a positive exponential relationship between N₂O flux and soil temperature at this site. The relationship between N₂O emission and soil volumetric moisture indicated an optimum moisture content for N₂O flux of 40–50% by volume. The relationship between C : N ratio data and integrated N₂O flux was consistent with a pattern previously noted across temperate and boreal forest soils.     

Environmental controls over carbon exchange of three forest ecosystems in eastern China

Net ecosystem productivity (NEP) was continuously measured using the eddy covariance (EC) technique from 2003 to 2005 at three forest sites of ChinaFLUX. The forests include Changbaishan temperate mixed forest (CBS), Qianyanzhou subtropical coniferous plantation (QYZ), and Dinghushan subtropical evergreen broad‐leaved forest (DHS). They span wide ranges of temperature and precipitation and are influenced by the eastern Asian monsoon climate to varying extent. In this study, we estimated ecosystem respiration (RE) and gross ecosystem productivity (GEP). Comparison of ecosystem carbon exchange among the three forests shows that RE was mainly determined by temperature, with the forest at CBS exhibiting the highest temperature sensitivity among the three ecosystems. The RE was highly dependent on GEP across the three forests, and the ratio of RE to GEP decreased along the North–South Transect of Eastern China (NSTEC) (i.e. from the CBS to the DHS), with an average of 0.77 ± 0.06. Daily GEP was mainly influenced by temperature at CBS, whereas photosynthetic photon flux density was the dominant factor affecting the daily GEP at both QYZ and DHS. Temperature mainly determined the pattern of the interannual variations of ecosystem carbon exchange at CBS. However, water availability primarily controlled the interannual variations of ecosystem carbon exchange at QYZ. At DHS, NEP attained the highest values at the beginning of the dry seasons (autumn) rather than the rainy seasons (summer), probably because insufficient radiation and frequent fog during the rainy seasons hindered canopy photosynthesis. All the three forest ecosystems acted as a carbon sink from 2003 to 2005. The annual average values of NEP at CBS, QYZ, and DHS were 259 ± 19, 354 ± 34, and 434 ± 66 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹, respectively. The slope of NEP that decreased with increasing latitude along the NSTEC was markedly different from that observed on the forest transect in the European continent. Long‐term flux measurements over more forest ecosystems along the NSTEC will further help verify such a difference between the European forest transect and the NSTEC and provide insights into the responses of ecosystem carbon exchange to climate change in China.     

The biomass and aboveground net primary productivity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Schima superba-Castanopsis carlesii</Emphasis> forests in east China

The biomass and productivity of Schima superba-Castanopsis carlesii forests in Tiantong, Zhejiang Province, were determined using overlapping quadrants and stem analyses. The total community biomass was (225.3±30.1) t hm⁻², of which the aboveground parts accounted for 72.0% and the underground parts accounted for 28.0%. About 87.2% of biomass existed in the tree layer. The resprouting biomass was small, of which over 95.0% occurred in the shrub layer. The productivity of the aboveground parts of the community was (386.8±98.9) g m⁻²a⁻¹, in which more than 96.0% was present at the tree level. The trunk’s contribution to productivity was the greatest, while that of leaves was the smallest. In China, the community biomass of subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests differs significantly with the age of the forest. The community biomass of the 52-year-old S. superba-C. carlesii forests in this study was lower than the average biomass of subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests in China, and was lower than the biomass of other subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests elsewhere in the world. Moreover, its productivity was lower than the model estimate, indicating that without disturbance, this community has great developmental potential in terms of community biomass and productivity.     

Cross validation of open-top chamber and eddy covariance measurements of ecosystem CO2 exchange in a Florida scrub-oak ecosystem

Simultaneous measurements of net ecosystem CO₂ exchange (NEE) were made in a Florida scrub‐oak ecosystem in August 1997 and then every month between April 2000 to July 2001, using open top chambers (NEE_O) and eddy covariance (NEE_E). This study provided a cross validation of these two different techniques for measuring NEE. Unique characteristics of the comparison were that the measurements were made simultaneously, in the same stand, with large replicated chambers enclosing a representative portion of the ecosystem (75 m², compared to approximately 1–2 ha measured by the eddy covariance system). The value of the comparison was greatest at night, when the microclimate was minimally affected by the chambers. For six of the 12 measurement periods, night NEE_O was not significantly different to night NEE_E, and for the other periods the maximum difference was 1.1 µ mol m ^{? 2}s ^{? 1}, with an average of 0.72 ± 0.09 µ mol m ^{? 2}s ^{? 1}. The comparison was more difficult during the photoperiod, because of differences between the microclimate inside and outside the chambers. During the photoperiod, air temperature (T_air) and air vapour pressure deficits (VPD) became progressively higher inside the chambers until mid‐afternoon. In the morning NEE_O was higher than NEE_E by about 26%, consistent with increased temperature inside the chambers. Over the mid‐day period and the afternoon, NEE_O was 8% higher that NEE_E, regardless of the large differences in microclimate. This study demonstrates both the uses and difficulties associated with attempting to cross validate NEE measurements made in chambers and using eddy covariance. The exercise was most useful at night when the chamber had a minimal effect on microclimate, and when the measurement of NEE is most difficult.     

Biophysical stratification of the Amazon basin

In field measurement programmes, stratified sampling can optimize sampling efficiency, but stratification is often undertaken subjectively, and is frequently based on a priori classification schemes such as those used for vegetation maps. In order to avoid the problems associated with a priori subjective schemes, we explore here an objective procedure, Regression Tree Analysis (RTA). RTA has previously been used in local-scale studies, but here we apply it to a very large study domain, namely the entire humid tropical zone of South America. The aim of the study was to develop an optimal sampling design in preparation for the Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA). Co-registered spatially continuous fields of rainfall, temperature, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), the normalized difference index (NDVI), an index of surface moisture, and other independent variables were used to predict three dependent variables, annual net radiation (Rn), latent heat (LE) and net primary production (NPP). Rather than simply dividing the study area based on differing levels of the three dependent variables, empirical models were developed using RTA to indicate how the relationships between these and possible forcing variables vary across the study area. For each variable long-term seasonal indices such as annual average, monthly minimum and amplitude were used to exclude effects of temporal phase differences between the hemispheres. The resulting hierarchical models revealed variations in the interdependence of the forcing variables throughout the study area and therefore provided a basis for a stratified sampling and identifying the most important variables to be collected in LBA for the Amazon basin as a whole as well as optimizing the sampling scheme for scaling up findings from the field scale to larger areas.