{"title":"Patterns and mechanisms of belowground carbon responses to changes in precipitation","authors":"Hongyang Chen, Qi Zhang, Lingyan Zhou, Xuhui Zhou","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtae011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae011","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 It is well known that aboveground productivity usually increases with precipitation. However, how belowground carbon (C) processes respond to changes in precipitation remains elusive, although belowground net primary productivity (BNPP) represents more than one-half of NPP and soil stores the largest terrestrial C in the biosphere. This study is to review response patterns of belowground C processes (BNPP and soil C) to changes in precipitation from transect studies, manipulative experiments, modeling, and data integration and synthesis. The results suggest the possible existence of nonlinear patterns of BNPP and soil C in response to changes in precipitation, which is largely different from linear response for aboveground productivity. C allocation, root turnover time, and species composition may be three key processes underlying mechanisms of the nonlinear responses to changes in precipitation for belowground C processes. In addition, microbial community structure and long-term ecosystem processes (e.g., mineral assemblage, soil texture, aggregate stability) may also affect response pattern of belowground C processes to changes in precipitation. At last, we discuss implications and future perspectives for potential nonlinear responses of belowground C processes to changes in precipitation.","PeriodicalId":503671,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":"119 25","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140089449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Parameterization of Height–Diameter and Crown Radius–Diameter Relationships Across the Globe","authors":"Xiang Song, Jinxu Li, Xiaodong Zeng","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtae005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae005","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The tree height–diameter at breast height (H–DBH) and crown radius–DBH (CR–DBH) relationships are key for forest carbon/biomass estimation, parameterization in vegetation models and vegetation–atmosphere interactions. Although the H–DBH relationship has been widely investigated on site or regional scales, and a small amount of studies have involved CR–DBH relationships based on plot-level data, few studies have quantitatively verified the universality of these two relationships on a global scale. Accordingly, this study first evaluated the ability of 29 functions to fit the H–DBH and CR–DBH relationships for six different plant functional types (PFTs) on a global scale, based on a global plant trait database. Results showed that most functions were able to capture the H–DBH relationship for tropical PFTs and boreal needleleaf trees relatively accurately, but slightly less so for temperate PFTs and boreal broadleaf trees. For boreal PFTs, the S-shaped Logistic function fitted the H–DBH relationship best, while for temperate PFTs the Chapman–Richards function performed well. For tropical needleleaf trees, the fractional function of DBH could satisfactorily capture the H–DBH relationship, while for tropical broadleaf trees, the Weibull function and a composite function of fractions were the best choices. For CR–DBH, the fitting capabilities of all the functions were comparable for all PFTs except boreal broadleaf trees. The Logistic function performed best for two boreal PFTs and temperate broadleaf trees, but for temperate needleleaf trees and two tropical PFTs, some exponential functions demonstrated higher skill. This work provides a valuable foundation for parameterization improvements in vegetation models, and some clues to forest field investigations.","PeriodicalId":503671,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":"1 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139829657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Parameterization of Height–Diameter and Crown Radius–Diameter Relationships Across the Globe","authors":"Xiang Song, Jinxu Li, Xiaodong Zeng","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtae005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae005","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The tree height–diameter at breast height (H–DBH) and crown radius–DBH (CR–DBH) relationships are key for forest carbon/biomass estimation, parameterization in vegetation models and vegetation–atmosphere interactions. Although the H–DBH relationship has been widely investigated on site or regional scales, and a small amount of studies have involved CR–DBH relationships based on plot-level data, few studies have quantitatively verified the universality of these two relationships on a global scale. Accordingly, this study first evaluated the ability of 29 functions to fit the H–DBH and CR–DBH relationships for six different plant functional types (PFTs) on a global scale, based on a global plant trait database. Results showed that most functions were able to capture the H–DBH relationship for tropical PFTs and boreal needleleaf trees relatively accurately, but slightly less so for temperate PFTs and boreal broadleaf trees. For boreal PFTs, the S-shaped Logistic function fitted the H–DBH relationship best, while for temperate PFTs the Chapman–Richards function performed well. For tropical needleleaf trees, the fractional function of DBH could satisfactorily capture the H–DBH relationship, while for tropical broadleaf trees, the Weibull function and a composite function of fractions were the best choices. For CR–DBH, the fitting capabilities of all the functions were comparable for all PFTs except boreal broadleaf trees. The Logistic function performed best for two boreal PFTs and temperate broadleaf trees, but for temperate needleleaf trees and two tropical PFTs, some exponential functions demonstrated higher skill. This work provides a valuable foundation for parameterization improvements in vegetation models, and some clues to forest field investigations.","PeriodicalId":503671,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139889600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comparison of the timing of spring phenological events between phenological garden trees and wild populations","authors":"Calum J Sweeney, Fidelma Butler, Astrid Wingler","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtae008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae008","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Phenological research is engaged in monitoring the influence of climate change on the natural environment. The International Phenological Gardens (IPG) network provides a valuable dataset of standardised tree phenology records dating back to the mid-20th century. To make best use of this actively growing record, it is important to investigate how network data can be applied to predict the timing of phenological events in natural populations. This study compared clonally propagated IPG downy birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) and hazel (Corylus avellana L.) specimens of central European provenance to nearby wild populations at the western-most margin of the IPG network, in the south-west of Ireland. In addition to monitoring by trained scientists, observations by citizen scientists were included. The order of the timing of phenological events among sites was consistent across two years, confirming reproducibility of the results. IPG trees had the earliest B. pubescens leaf unfolding and C. avellana flowering dates of the sites studied. In addition, leaf unfolding occurred later in the wild populations than expected from the temperature responses of the B. pubescens and C. avellana IPG clones. Natural variation in phenology also exceeded the historical change observed at the IPG site, suggesting a potential genetic basis for climate adaptation. Trunk circumference, reflecting the age-dependent increase in tree size, was found to influence C. avellana phenology, with earlier timing of phenological events in larger trees. This highlights tree size as an important consideration in the management of phenological gardens and tree phenology research in general.","PeriodicalId":503671,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":"27 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139871444","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comparison of the timing of spring phenological events between phenological garden trees and wild populations","authors":"Calum J Sweeney, Fidelma Butler, Astrid Wingler","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtae008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae008","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Phenological research is engaged in monitoring the influence of climate change on the natural environment. The International Phenological Gardens (IPG) network provides a valuable dataset of standardised tree phenology records dating back to the mid-20th century. To make best use of this actively growing record, it is important to investigate how network data can be applied to predict the timing of phenological events in natural populations. This study compared clonally propagated IPG downy birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) and hazel (Corylus avellana L.) specimens of central European provenance to nearby wild populations at the western-most margin of the IPG network, in the south-west of Ireland. In addition to monitoring by trained scientists, observations by citizen scientists were included. The order of the timing of phenological events among sites was consistent across two years, confirming reproducibility of the results. IPG trees had the earliest B. pubescens leaf unfolding and C. avellana flowering dates of the sites studied. In addition, leaf unfolding occurred later in the wild populations than expected from the temperature responses of the B. pubescens and C. avellana IPG clones. Natural variation in phenology also exceeded the historical change observed at the IPG site, suggesting a potential genetic basis for climate adaptation. Trunk circumference, reflecting the age-dependent increase in tree size, was found to influence C. avellana phenology, with earlier timing of phenological events in larger trees. This highlights tree size as an important consideration in the management of phenological gardens and tree phenology research in general.","PeriodicalId":503671,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":"25 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139811760","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jing Zhu, Xuelian Wang, Xing Jin, Lan Jiang, Hong-Yu Lin, Yang Hu, Jin-fu Liu, Zhong-Sheng He
{"title":"Relative position of seeds driven the seedling growth are mediated by root - leaf traits","authors":"Jing Zhu, Xuelian Wang, Xing Jin, Lan Jiang, Hong-Yu Lin, Yang Hu, Jin-fu Liu, Zhong-Sheng He","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtae004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae004","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Variations in plant traits are indicative of plant adaptations to forest environments, and studying their relationships with tree growth provides valuable insights into forest regeneration. The spatial arrangement of plant seeds within the forest litter or soil critically influences the variations of root-leaf traits, thereby affecting the adaptive strategies of emerging seedlings. However, our current understanding of the impacts of individual root-leaf traits on seedling growth in different relative position, and whether these traits together affect growth, remains limited. This study focuses on the dominant tree species, Castanopsis kawakamii, within the Sanming C. kawakamii Nature Reserve of China. The present experiment aimed to examine the variations in root-leaf traits of seedling, focus on the relative positions of seeds within different layers: beneath or above the litter layer, or within the bare soil layer (without litter). Our findings contributed evidence supporting a coordinated relationship between root and leaf traits, wherein leaf traits vary in conjunction with root traits in the relative positions of seeds. Specifically, we observed that seedlings exhibited higher values for specific leaf area and average root diameter, while displaying lower root tissue density. The mixed model explained 86.1% of the variation in root-leaf traits, surpassing the variation explained by the relative positions. Furthermore, soil nitrogen acts as a mediator, regulating the relationship between seedling growth and root-leaf traits, specifically leaf dry matter content and root tissue density. Therefore, future studies should consider artificially manipulating tree species diversity based on root-leaf traits characteristics to promote forest recovery.","PeriodicalId":503671,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":"3 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139438251","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhao-yong Hu, Genxu Wang, Xiang-yang Sun, Kewei Huang, Chunlin Song, Yang Li, Shouqin Sun, Juying Sun, Shan Lin
{"title":"Energy partitioning and controlling factors of evapotranspiration in an alpine meadow in the permafrost region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau","authors":"Zhao-yong Hu, Genxu Wang, Xiang-yang Sun, Kewei Huang, Chunlin Song, Yang Li, Shouqin Sun, Juying Sun, Shan Lin","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtae002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae002","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Energy partitioning and evapotranspiration (ET) of alpine meadows in permafrost areas are crucial for the water cycle on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). However, seasonal (freeze-thaw cycle) variations in energy partitioning and ET and their driving factors must be clarified. Therefore, four-year energy fluxes (i.e., latent heat (LE) and sensible heat (H)) were observed, and bulk parameters (i.e., surface conductance, decoupling coefficient (Ω) and Priestley-Taylor coefficient (α)) were estimated in an alpine meadow in the hinterland of the QTP. Mean daily LE (27.45±23.89 W/m2) and H (32.51±16.72 W/m2) accounted for 31.71% and 50.14% of available energy, respectively. More of available energy was allocated to LE during the rainfall period, while 67.54±28.44% was allocated to H during the frozen period. H was half the LE during the rainfall period and seven times the LE during the frozen period due to low soil water content and vegetation coverage during the frozen season. Mean annual ET was 347.34±8.39 mm/year, close to the mean annual precipitation. Low mean daily Ω (0.45±0.23) and α (0.60±0.29) throughout the year suggested that ET in the alpine meadow was limited by water availability. However, ET was constrained by available energy because of sufficient water supply from precipitation during the rainfall season. In contrast, large differences between ET and precipitation indicated that soil water was supplied via lateral flow from melting upstream glaciers and snow during the transition season. The results suggest that seasonal variations in bulk parameters should be considered when simulating water and energy fluxes in permafrost regions.","PeriodicalId":503671,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":"2 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139380472","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Weakened relationship between tree growth and nitrogen availability due to global CO2 increase and warming in the Taibai Mountain timberline, central China","authors":"Lelong Yin, Xiaohong Liu, Xiaomin Zeng, Ziyi Wang, Guobao Xu, Liangju Zhao, Qiangqiang Lu, Lingnan Zhang, Xiaoyu Xing","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtae001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae001","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Climate warming, rising atmospheric CO2 concentration (Ca) and nitrogen (N) availability are exerting profound impacts on global forest ecosystems, particularly in high-altitude mountains. This study investigated the tree-growth dynamics of timberline Larix chinensis in the Taibai Mountain, central China, to explore its ecophysiological responses to environmental stresses by combining tree growth and stable isotopes. The results indicated that the growth rate of L. chinensis has significantly increased since the 1960s, and that tree growth in this timberline was particularly sensitive to temperature in spring. Moreover, the continuously rising iWUE, linked to higher Ca and warmer environment, promoted the growth of L. chinensis. Before the 1960s, tree-ring δ15N gradually increased, then shifted to an insignificant decline with the acceleration of tree growth, and broke the pre-existing carbon-nitrogen balance. Meanwhile, climate warming and increased iWUE have replaced N as the principal drivers of tree growth since the 1960s. It is believed that L. chinensis may gradually suffer a decline in nitrogen availability as it continues to grow rapidly. The insightful understanding of the biochemical mechanisms of plant responses to growth-related environmental conditions will improve our ability to predict the evolution of high-elevation mountain ecosystems in the future.","PeriodicalId":503671,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":"5 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139383906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yuan Su, Shuaikai Wu, Jie Hao, Huajie Diao, Kuanhu Dong, Changhui Wang
{"title":"Nutrient resorption exacerbates nitrogen–phosphorus imbalances in plants under increasing nitrogen addition in a saline-alkaline grassland","authors":"Yuan Su, Shuaikai Wu, Jie Hao, Huajie Diao, Kuanhu Dong, Changhui Wang","doi":"10.1093/jpe/rtad049","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtad049","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Reabsorbing nutrients from senescent tissues before leaf falling has been recognized as a strategy to adapt to nutrient deficiency. However, how nutrient resorption modulates the nitrogen (N)–phosphorus (P) balance inside plants remains unclear, especially under increased soil N availability. We examined the impacts of N addition at varying rates (0–32 g N m−2 yr−1) on nutrient resorption and the performance of nutrient resorption on controlling the internal N–P balance in the leaf and stem of a dominant grass species, Leymus secalinus, in a saline-alkaline grassland in northern China. After 6 years of N addition, N concentration and N:P ratio in green and senesced tissues (leaf and stem) rose with increasing N addition. The P concentration in green tissues decreased, but did not significantly change in senesced tissues with increasing N addition. The N resorption efficiency (NRE), P resorption efficiency (PRE) and NRE:PRE ratio significantly decreased along the N addition gradient. Moreover, we found more sensitive responses of N:P ratio in senesced tissues than in green tissues; such exacerbation of plant internal N–P imbalances mainly resulted from a disproportionate reduction in nutrient resorption, especially NRE. Overall, our study suggested that differences in NRE and PRE further exacerbated the internal N–P imbalances in plant litters.","PeriodicalId":503671,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Ecology","volume":"10 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139386354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}