Prediction of coastal barren plant species richness and functional diversity by environmental variability across scales

IF 2.2 3区 环境科学与生态学 Q2 ECOLOGY
Madeline Clarke, Amy Heim, Jeremy Lundholm
{"title":"Prediction of coastal barren plant species richness and functional diversity by environmental variability across scales","authors":"Madeline Clarke,&nbsp;Amy Heim,&nbsp;Jeremy Lundholm","doi":"10.1111/jvs.70004","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Questions</h3>\n \n <p>The relationships between environmental heterogeneity and plant diversity may be negative or neutral at fine spatial scales but positive across broader areas. How do the relationships between spatial environmental variability and mean environmental conditions, plant species richness and functional diversity change across spatial scales?</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Location</h3>\n \n <p>Coastal barrens landscape in Nova Scotia, eastern Canada.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Methods</h3>\n \n <p>We sampled plant species composition and environmental variables in nested areas at three scales: 0.25 m<sup>2</sup>, 1 m<sup>2</sup> and 50 m<sup>2</sup>. At each scale, subsamples of environmental variables (including elevation, soil moisture and depth) were used to calculate average and standard deviation; plant species richness was also determined for each sample. Plant traits at the species level were used to calculate functional dispersion for each of five traits (specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf thickness, plant height and canopy width) and a combined index of total functional dispersion. Functional dispersion and species richness were predicted at each scale by environmental variables using linear mixed models.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Results</h3>\n \n <p>Environmental heterogeneity had low predictive power for plant diversity at the 0.25-m<sup>2</sup> scale but was unimodally related to species richness and functional-diversity variables at the 1-m<sup>2</sup> scale. The shape of the unimodal relationships suggested a leveling off of diversity at higher levels of environmental variability rather than a decline in diversity (monotonic or asymptotic). There was a strong positive relationship between elevation (topographic) variability and species richness at the 50-m<sup>2</sup> scale. Functional dispersion was most strongly related to environmental variables at the 1-m<sup>2</sup> scale.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Conclusions</h3>\n \n <p>Positive or non-linear asymptotic relationships between environmental heterogeneity, richness and functional diversity at the 1-m<sup>2</sup> scale provide some support for niche-based explanations of species coexistence in plant neighborhoods. At broader sampling extents, greater topographic heterogeneity may allow distinct plant communities to co-occur within a sample, increasing richness but not functional diversity because functional diversity in leaf and canopy traits are already high within each plant community.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":49965,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vegetation Science","volume":"36 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jvs.70004","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Vegetation Science","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvs.70004","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ECOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

Questions

The relationships between environmental heterogeneity and plant diversity may be negative or neutral at fine spatial scales but positive across broader areas. How do the relationships between spatial environmental variability and mean environmental conditions, plant species richness and functional diversity change across spatial scales?

Location

Coastal barrens landscape in Nova Scotia, eastern Canada.

Methods

We sampled plant species composition and environmental variables in nested areas at three scales: 0.25 m2, 1 m2 and 50 m2. At each scale, subsamples of environmental variables (including elevation, soil moisture and depth) were used to calculate average and standard deviation; plant species richness was also determined for each sample. Plant traits at the species level were used to calculate functional dispersion for each of five traits (specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf thickness, plant height and canopy width) and a combined index of total functional dispersion. Functional dispersion and species richness were predicted at each scale by environmental variables using linear mixed models.

Results

Environmental heterogeneity had low predictive power for plant diversity at the 0.25-m2 scale but was unimodally related to species richness and functional-diversity variables at the 1-m2 scale. The shape of the unimodal relationships suggested a leveling off of diversity at higher levels of environmental variability rather than a decline in diversity (monotonic or asymptotic). There was a strong positive relationship between elevation (topographic) variability and species richness at the 50-m2 scale. Functional dispersion was most strongly related to environmental variables at the 1-m2 scale.

Conclusions

Positive or non-linear asymptotic relationships between environmental heterogeneity, richness and functional diversity at the 1-m2 scale provide some support for niche-based explanations of species coexistence in plant neighborhoods. At broader sampling extents, greater topographic heterogeneity may allow distinct plant communities to co-occur within a sample, increasing richness but not functional diversity because functional diversity in leaf and canopy traits are already high within each plant community.

Abstract Image

求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
Journal of Vegetation Science
Journal of Vegetation Science 环境科学-林学
CiteScore
6.00
自引率
3.60%
发文量
60
审稿时长
2 months
期刊介绍: The Journal of Vegetation Science publishes papers on all aspects of plant community ecology, with particular emphasis on papers that develop new concepts or methods, test theory, identify general patterns, or that are otherwise likely to interest a broad international readership. Papers may focus on any aspect of vegetation science, e.g. community structure (including community assembly and plant functional types), biodiversity (including species richness and composition), spatial patterns (including plant geography and landscape ecology), temporal changes (including demography, community dynamics and palaeoecology) and processes (including ecophysiology), provided the focus is on increasing our understanding of plant communities. The Journal publishes papers on the ecology of a single species only if it plays a key role in structuring plant communities. Papers that apply ecological concepts, theories and methods to the vegetation management, conservation and restoration, and papers on vegetation survey should be directed to our associate journal, Applied Vegetation Science journal.
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术官方微信