Jiangshan Lai, Weijie Zhu, Dongfang Cui, Dayong Fan, Lingfeng Mao
{"title":"The use of R in forestry research","authors":"Jiangshan Lai, Weijie Zhu, Dongfang Cui, Dayong Fan, Lingfeng Mao","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtad047","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtad047","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The field of forestry research has greatly benefited from the integration of computational tools and statistical methods in recent years. Among these tools, the programming language R has emerged as a powerful and versatile platform for conducting various aspects of forestry research, from data analysis, modeling to visualization. However, the key trends in general reported R use and patterns in forestry research remains unknown. We conducted an analysis of R and R package usage frequencies across a span of ten years, from 2013 to 2022, within the context of more than 14,800 research articles published in eight top forestry journals. Among these articles, a notable amount of 6,790 (accounting for 45.7%) explicitly utilized R as their primary tool for data analysis. The adoption of R exhibited a linear growth trend, rising from 28.3% in 2013 to 60.9% in 2022. The top five used packages reported were vegan, lme4, nlme, MuMIn, and ggplot2. Diverse journals have their unique areas of emphasis, resulting in disparities in the frequency of R package application among journals. The average number of R packages used per article also shows an increasing trend over time. The study underscores the recognition that R, with its powerful statistical and data visualization capabilities, plays a pivotal role in enabling researchers to conduct in-depth analyses and gain comprehensive insights into various aspects of forestry science.","PeriodicalId":50085,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139008827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shuyan Hong, Jie Chen, Asim Biswas, Jianjun Cao, Xiaogang Dong
{"title":"Leaf stoichiometry of common species along altitude gradients in the Qilian Mountains, China","authors":"Shuyan Hong, Jie Chen, Asim Biswas, Jianjun Cao, Xiaogang Dong","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtad044","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtad044","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Investigating the variations in leaf stoichiometry among plant common species at different altitudes, along with the factors that influence these variations and the adaptation strategies employed, holds significant importance for comprehending biogeochemical cycles amidst global environmental changes. In this research, we measured soil organic carbon and nutrient concentrations, as well as leaf stoichiometry for plant common species at five altitudes (2400 - 3200 m with an interval of 200 m) within the Qilian Mountains of Northwest China. This study aims to enhance our understanding of how plant common species in mountainous regions exhibit adaptable responses to altitude variations and how potential environmental changes in the future might impact their leaf functions. Results showed that the leaf C: N: P stoichiometry of plant common species varied differently with increasing altitude. Across altitudes, mean annual temperature (MAT), soil total phosphorus (STP), mean annual precipitation (MAP), soil water content (SWC) and soil nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N) were the main factors influencing leaf element concentrations of plant common species. However, leaf stoichiometric ratios were mainly determined by MAT, MAP and soil total nitrogen (STN). The effects of MAT and MAP on both leaf element concentrations and leaf stoichiometric ratios of plant common species were found to be significant. Plant growth in the study area was mainly limited by P. The results not only highlight the adaptive strategies employed by plants, but also help deepen the understanding of leaf stoichiometry, establishing connections between individual plant species and broader plant community composed of these common species.","PeriodicalId":50085,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138585299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chaoqun Ba, S. Zhai, J. Qian, Bo Liu, Jinlei Zhu, Zhimin Liu
{"title":"Trade-offs in growth and reproduction of rhizomatous clonal plant Phragmites communis in response to aeolian processes","authors":"Chaoqun Ba, S. Zhai, J. Qian, Bo Liu, Jinlei Zhu, Zhimin Liu","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtad043","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtad043","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Trade-offs in growth and reproduction are essential parts of the adaptive strategies of clonal plants. How rhizomatous psammophytes respond to aeolian processes (sand burial and wind erosion) by means of trade-offs is supposed to be especially important for their colonization on the active sand dune. Despite the responses of rhizomatous species to aeolian processes have been partly documented, how these clonal species respond to aeolian processes by means of potential trade-offs in growth and reproduction still remains unclear. In this study we employed field investigation and biomass modelling to evaluate the trade-offs between vegetative and reproductive growth as well as between the number and size of ramets of Phragmites communis in response to sand burial and wind erosion. Sand burial promoted the accumulation of seed biomass and reproductive effort (RE). Wind erosion reduced RE but had no significant influence on seed biomass. Sand burial increased the biomass of ramets, while wind erosion increased ramet population density and accelerated ramet maturation. Our study demonstrates that rhizomatous psammophytes adjust their growth strategies in response to aeolian processes, i.e., reproductive growth and ramet size increase responding to sand burial, while vegetative growth and ramet numbers increase responding to wind erosion.","PeriodicalId":50085,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138585584","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
R. Wang, An-Na Shi, Xiao-Wei Zhang, Min Liu, K. C. Jandér, Derek W Dunn
{"title":"Asymmetric and uncertain interactions within mutualisms","authors":"R. Wang, An-Na Shi, Xiao-Wei Zhang, Min Liu, K. C. Jandér, Derek W Dunn","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtad042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtad042","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Although understanding mutualism stability has advanced over the last few decades, two fundamental problems still remain in explaining how mutualisms maintain stable. 1) What resolves conflict between mutualists over resources and 2) in the presence of less cooperative and / or un-cooperative symbionts, what prevents symbiont populations from becoming dominated by un-cooperative individuals? Many past explanations of mutualism stability have assumed that interactions between mutualists are symmetrical. However, in most mutualisms, interactions between hosts and symbionts show varying degrees of asymmetry at different levels. Here we review three major types of asymmetric interactions within obligate mutualisms: i) asymmetric payoffs, which is also defined as individual power differences, ii) asymmetric potential rates of evolutionary change, and iii) asymmetric information states between hosts and symbionts. We suggest that these asymmetries between mutualists help explain why cooperation and conflict is inherent in the evolution of mutualisms, and why both hosts and symbionts present diversified phenotypes whilst cooperation predominates.","PeriodicalId":50085,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138586091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ziqi Wang, Jie Wang, Honghui Wu, Tian Yang, Yixin An, Yunlong Zhang, Jianlin Bian, Ying Li, Haiyan Ren, A. Lkhagva, Xu Wang, Qiang Yu
{"title":"Nitrogen addition alters aboveground C:N:P stoichiometry of plants but not for belowground in an Inner Mongolia grassland","authors":"Ziqi Wang, Jie Wang, Honghui Wu, Tian Yang, Yixin An, Yunlong Zhang, Jianlin Bian, Ying Li, Haiyan Ren, A. Lkhagva, Xu Wang, Qiang Yu","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtad041","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtad041","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Nitrogen (N) deposition exhibits significant impacts on ecosystem functions and processes. Previous studies have indicated that N addition has an impact on the stoichiometry of plant leaf C:N:P ratios. However, few studies have focused on effects of N addition on belowground systems. This study aims to examine the impact of seven years of N addition on aboveground and belowground C:N:P stoichiometry at plant community level in a temperate grassland located in Inner Mongolia. A 7-year field N addition experiment was conducted, which included six treatments: Cont: control; N1: 0.4 mol·m-2 N; N2: 0.8 mol·m-2 N; N3: 1.6 mol·m-2 N; N4: 2.8 mol·m-2 N; N5: 4 mol·m-2 N with six replicates. Aboveground and belowground plant biomass and C:N:P stoichiometry were measured and analyzed. Our results showed that N addition resulted in a reduction of aboveground C concentration, but an increase in aboveground N and P concentrations, with a decrease in C:N and C:P ratios and an increase in N:P ratio. Furthermore, the aboveground C, N, and P pools all exhibited an increase as a result of N addition. However, N addition did not have any significant effect on belowground C, N, P concentrations, ratios, pools, or stoichiometric characteristics in the soil layers of 0-10 cm, 10-30 cm, 30-50 cm and 50-100 cm. These results suggest that increasing levels of N deposition significantly alter the aboveground C:N:P stoichiometry at the plant community level, which may affect functions and processes in the grassland ecosystem, but have little effect on belowground C:N:P stoichiometry.","PeriodicalId":50085,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138600305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Soil prokaryotic characterization in response to natural moisture gradient in the temperate grassland ecosystems","authors":"Xin Chen, Yujue Wang, Yuting Shen, Weiguo Sang, Nengwen Xiao, Chun Xiao","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtad040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtad040","url":null,"abstract":"Soil moisture is an important factor affecting ecosystem function, which can maintain microbial activity and ultimately change the microbial community by altering vegetation diversity and controlling the diffusion and transport of soil nutrients. To explore the effects of soil water content (SWC) on soil prokaryotic community, we established a study area covering the natural soil moisture gradient and subdivided it into high (HW, 4.80 ± 1.18 %), medium (MW, 2.17 ± 0.09 %), and low water contents (LW, 1.85 ± 0.14 %) in the grassland ecosystem along the south shore of Hulun Lake in Inner Mongolia, China. Environmental factors were determined by field surveys and laboratory analyses. Soil prokaryotes were determined by high-throughput sequencing techniques. Vegetation characteristics and soil physicochemical properties had a significant effect on prokaryotic richness diversity, and SWC was the most important influencing factor. In the MW, the number of differential prokaryotes was lowest, and prokaryotic microorganisms had the highest diversity and relative abundance at the phylum level, which reflects less intrinsic variation and higher overall activity of the prokaryotic community in the MW. In addition, HW and LW had lower prokaryotic diversity and relative abundance at the phylum level, and phenotypic predictions for both groups indicated a more tolerant prokaryotic community. In summary, the prokaryotic community responded significantly to the natural moisture gradient in grassland ecosystems along the south shore of Hulun Lake, and either too high or too low soil moisture increased prokaryotic stress resistance.","PeriodicalId":50085,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139237420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jiangshan Lai, Weijie Zhu, Dongfang Cui, Lingfeng Mao
{"title":"Extension of the glmm.hp package to Zero-Inflated Generalized Linear Mixed Models and multiple regression","authors":"Jiangshan Lai, Weijie Zhu, Dongfang Cui, Lingfeng Mao","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtad038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtad038","url":null,"abstract":"glmm.hp is an R package designed to evaluate the relative importance of collinear predictors within generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs). Since its initial release in January 2022, it has rapidly gained recognition and popularity among ecologists. However, the previous glmm.hp package was limited to work GLMMs derived exclusively from the lme4 and nlme packages. The latest glmm.hp package however, brings new improvements. It has integrated results obtained from the glmmTMB package, enabling it to handle Zero-Inflated Generalized Linear Mixed Models effectively. Furthermore, it has introduced the new functionalities of commonality analysis and hierarchical partitioning for multiple linear regression models, considering both unadjusted R2 and adjusted R2. This paper will serve as a demonstration of these new functionalities, making them more accessible to users.","PeriodicalId":50085,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139242399","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiao-Long Bai, Da Yang, Jan Sher, Yun-Bing Zhang, Ke-Yan Zhang, Qi Liu, Han-Dong Wen, Jiao‐Lin Zhang, M. Slot
{"title":"Divergences in stem and leaf traits between lianas and co-existing trees in a subtropical montane forest","authors":"Xiao-Long Bai, Da Yang, Jan Sher, Yun-Bing Zhang, Ke-Yan Zhang, Qi Liu, Han-Dong Wen, Jiao‐Lin Zhang, M. Slot","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtad037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtad037","url":null,"abstract":"Patterns in functional trait variation associated with the ecological strategies of lianas and trees in subtropical montane forests remain poorly understood because of lack of trait comparisons. Here, we filled this gap by investigating trait divergence between lianas and trees with different leaf habits for 13 traits of 33 species (seven deciduous and four evergreen liana species, and 10 deciduous and 12 evergreen tree species) in a subtropical montane forest in southwestern China. We found that lianas had significantly larger stem xylem vessel diameter, higher theoretical hydraulic conductivity, specific leaf area, leaf nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations, but lower leaf dry-matter content and N/P ratio than sympatric trees, indicating that lianas employ an acquisitive ecological strategy, with a more efficient stem hydraulic system and more productive leaves. In contrast to trees, lianas exhibited a larger variation in vessel diameter, with a few wide and many narrow vessels in the xylem, indicating a greater vessel dimorphism. Growth form explained 48.7% of the total trait variation, while leaf habit only explained 3.8% of trait variation, without significant interaction between growth form and leaf habit. In addition, significant stem-leaf trait relationships were only found in trees, but not in lianas, indicating decoupling of stem hydraulic function and leaf traits in subtropical lianas. These results suggest that subtropical montane lianas and trees strikingly differ in stem and leaf functional traits. Further studies are needed to strengthen our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the strong divergence in ecological strategies between lianas and trees in subtropical forest ecosystems.","PeriodicalId":50085,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139272468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lei Huang, Zi-Cheng Shao, Ling-Ling Dai, Ai-Qin Zheng, Qing-Ling Zhang, Xiao-Lei Wang, Sheng qiang, Xiao-Ling Song
{"title":"Fitness of the First Backcross Generations from the Second to the Sixth Progenies of Glyphosate-resistant Transgenic <i>Brassica napus</i> and Wild <i>Brassica juncea</i> in Absence of the Herbicide","authors":"Lei Huang, Zi-Cheng Shao, Ling-Ling Dai, Ai-Qin Zheng, Qing-Ling Zhang, Xiao-Lei Wang, Sheng qiang, Xiao-Ling Song","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtad030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtad030","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Successful introgression of a transgene from a transgenic crop into a wild or weedy relative is determined by the fitness of backcross generations carrying the transgene. To provide insight for ecological risk assessment of gene flow between transgenic B. napus and wild B. juncea, this study investigated the fitness of the first backcross generations from the second to the sixth progenies (BC1F2R-BC1F6R) between glyphosate-resistant transgenic B. napus and wild B. juncea at low density (5 plants/m2) and high density (10 plants/m2) , and monoculture and mixed planting (wild B. juncea : BC1F2R-BC1F6R=1: 1 ). Correlations between the fitness components of backcross progeny, planting density and planting patterns were analyzed. In monoculture at low density, compared to B. juncea, earlier generations BC1F2R and BC1F3R had lower composite fitness, while later generations from BC1F4R to BC1F6R were more fit. At high density, whatever monoculture or mixed planting, all backcrossed generations had lower composite fitness than B. juncea. Correlation analysis indicated that both planting density and pattern significantly affected the fitness components of the first backcross generations from the second to the sixth progenies (BC1F2R-BC1F6R). That the probability of transgene introgression from cultivated B. napus to weedy B. juncea is likely to be highly contingent on the specific growing conditions of their backcross descendants.","PeriodicalId":50085,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135086560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The conspicuously large bracts influence reproductive success in <i>Thunia alba</i> (Orchidaceae)","authors":"Shi-Mao Wu, Jiang-Yun Gao","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtad036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtad036","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In angiosperms, diverse floral traits are adaptations to various selective pressures and ecological functions. So far, studies of floral traits in orchids have focused primarily on the labellum but never on bracts. A bumblebee-pollinated and rewarding terrestrial or epiphytic herb, Thunia alba (Lindley) H. G. Reichenbach (Orchidaceae), has conspicuously large and curly bracts that enclose the spur and pedicel of flowers. We hypothesized that these large bracts could protect spurs against nectar robbers. To confirm this hypothesis, we experimentally removed the bracts to record the changes in visiting behavior of mutualistic pollinators and antagonistic nectar robbers and evaluated their effects on reproduction success. Our result revealed that Bombus breviceps, the only pollinator of T. alba, shifts to nectar robbery when the bracts are removed, and the proportion of robbed flowers also significantly increased. T. alba was found to be pollinator-limited, whether in intact treatment or removed bract treatment. Removal of bracts had no effect on the visiting frequency of B. breviceps, but it reduced male and female reproductive success. Under complex environmental pressures with limited pollination, large bracts can protect against nectar robbers and enhance the fitness of T. alba.","PeriodicalId":50085,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135292456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}