Leaf trait variation within individuals mediates the relationship between tree species richness and productivity

Publikation: Beiträge in ZeitschriftenZeitschriftenaufsätzeForschungbegutachtet

Authors

In forest ecosystems, many ecosystem functions such as tree growth are affected by tree species richness. This biodiversity–productivity relationship (BPR) is mediated by leaf traits, which themselves are known to be influenced by tree species richness; at the same time, as the primary organs of light capture, they are an important factor for tree growth. However, how tree growth is influenced by a tree's ability to phenotypically adjust its leaf traits to the within-individual light gradient has largely been unexplored. Furthermore, it is not known how such impacts of within-tree leaf trait variation on individual tree growth sums up to productivity at the community scale. In this study we tested how tree species richness, a tree's mean leaf traits, within-tree leaf trait variation and the light extinction coefficient within a tree crown influence tree growth. We measured these variables in the temperate forest plantation of the Kreinitz biodiversity experiment. We found that the relationship between tree species richness and tree growth is mediated via the leaf trait variation of the individual trees, which in turn was modified by light availability. In particular, trees in monocultures show a higher within-individual leaf trait variation, which partly compensates for the lack in among-species leaf trait variation, and thus affects the BPR. It seems that tree richness operates both through increased acquisitive trait values and within-individual leaf trait variation, two processes that cancelled out each other and resulted in the absence of a significant effect of tree richness on productivity in our study. In conclusion, to understand the BPR, it is important to study the underlying processes and to know which ones reinforce or oppose each other. In particular, our study highlights the importance of including within-individual leaf trait variation in ecological research as one important moderator in the BPR.

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummere10255
ZeitschriftOikos
Jahrgang2024
Ausgabenummer2
Anzahl der Seiten14
ISSN0030-1299
DOIs
PublikationsstatusErschienen - 01.02.2024

Bibliographische Notiz

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Oikos published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic Society Oikos.

DOI

Zuletzt angesehen

Publikationen

  1. Assessing the impact of patient-involvement healthcare strategies on patients, providers, and the healthcare system
  2. Motivations, Barriers, and Incentives for Adopting Environmental Management (Cost) Accounting and Related Guidelines
  3. KulturKlassiker: Pierre Bourdieu (1930–2002), Die feinen Unterschiede. Kritik der gesellschaftlichen Urteilskraft (1979)
  4. Tree cover mediates the effect on rapeseed leaf damage of excluding predatory arthropods, but in an unexpected way
  5. Reaction of Calcium Chloride and Magnesium Chloride and their Mixed Salts with Ethanol for Thermal Energy Storage
  6. The relationship between firm complexity and corporate social responsibility: International evidence from 2010–2019
  7. Psychische Gesundheit von Kindern und Jugendlichen mit und ohne Behinderung und krankheitsbedingter Einschränkung
  8. Einfluss elterlicher Mathematikkompetenz und familialer Prozesse auf den Kompetenzerwerb von Kindern in Mathematik
  9. The impact of M&A announcements on stock prices of the bidding firm - Event study based on German and US-listed firms
  10. Nachhaltiger Konsum – Wie Unternehmen Verantwortung für die Nutzung und Anwendung ihrer Produkte übernehmen können
  11. Gesetz über Musterverfahren in kapitalmarktrechtlichen Streitigkeiten (Kapitalanleger-Musterverfahrensgesetz - KapMuG)
  12. Positive intercropping effects on biomass production are species-specific and involve rhizosphere enzyme activities
  13. Methane yield of biomass from extensive grassland is affected by compositional changes induced by order of arrival
  14. Social and ethical aspects in sustainability performance measurement and assessment. A systematic literature review
  15. Inclusive education for refugee students from Ukraine—An exploration of differentiated instruction in German schools
  16. When the whole is less than the sum of all parts-Tracking global-level impacts of national sustainability initiatives
  17. Zwischen Modularer Konstitution und Niedrigschwelligkeitkeitsmythos. Musik-Interfaces als Medien der Demokratisierung?
  18. Reconfiguring the relationship between ‘immigrant parents’ and schools in the post-welfare society. The case of Germany
  19. Wie wirken sich Joint Audits auf die Prüfungsqualität, Prüfungskosten und Anbieterkonzentration am Prüfungsmarkt aus?
  20. Aboveground overyielding in grassland mixtures is associated with reduced biomass partitioning to belowground organs
  21. The European Higher Education for Sustainable Development Network – COPERNICUS Alliance – back on stage with Charta 2.0
  22. Differences in impact of long term caregiving for mentally ill older adults on the daily life of informal caregivers
  23. Participation of Adolescents in the Development of a Smartphone App-based Intervention to Promote the Health Literacy