Publicaciones
Se encontró/encontraron 5 Publicaciones(s).
Pierick, K.; Leuschner, C.; Link, R.; Baez, S.; Velescu, A.; Wilcke, W. & Homeier, J. (2024): Above-and belowground strategies of tropical montane tree species are coordinated and driven by small-scale nitrogen availability. Functional Ecology 38, 1364-1377.
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DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14554
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Resumen:
Resumen:
1. The question whether the strategies of above-and belowground plant organs
are coordinated as predicted by the plant economics spectrum theory is still
under debate. We aim to determine the leading dimensions of tree trait variation
for above-and belowground functional traits, and test whether they represent
spectra of adaptation along a soil fertility gradient in tropical Andean
forests.
2. We measured leaf, stem and fine root functional traits, and individual-level
soil nutrient availability for 433 trees from 52 species at three elevations between
1000 and 3000 m a.s.l.
3. We found close coordination between above– and belowground functional traits
related to the trade-off between resource acquisition and conservation, whereas
root diameter and specific root length formed an independent axis of covarying
traits. The position of a tree species along the acquisition–conservation axis of
the trait space was closely associated with local soil nitrogen, but not phosphorus,
availability.
4. Our results imply that above-and belowground plant functional traits determine
at which edaphic microhabitats coexisting tree species can grow, which is potentially
crucial for understanding community assembly in species-rich
tropical montane forests.
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Keywords: |
Ecuador |
tropical montane forest |
fine roots |
intraspecific variability |
functional traits |
Pierick, K.; Link, R.; Leuschner, C. & Homeier, J. (2022): Elevational trends of tree fine root traits in species-rich tropical Andean forests. Oikos 2023, e08975.
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DOI: 10.1111/oik.08975
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With increasing elevation, trees in tropical montane forests have to invest larger frac-tions of their resources into their fine roots in order to compensate for increasingly unfavorable soil conditions. It is unclear how elevation and related edaphic changes influence the variability in tree fine root traits and belowground functional diversity. We measured six fine root traits related to resource acquisition on absorptive fine roots of 288 trees from 145 species along an elevational gradient from 1000 m to 3000 m a.s.l. in tropical montane forests of the Ecuadorian Andes. We analyzed trait relation-ships with elevation and soil nutrient availability, and tested whether root functional diversity varied along these gradients. Fine roots at higher elevations and at more nutrient-poor sites were thicker, had higher tissue densities, and lower specific root length and nutrient concentrations than at lower elevations. These trends were diluted by the coexistence of tree species with a broad range of different root traits within communities particularly towards lower elevations, where root functional diversity was significantly higher. We conclude that nutrient limitation and potentially further adverse conditions at higher elevations are strong environmental filters that lead to trait convergence towards a conservative resource use strategy, whereas different trait syndromes are equally successful at lower elevations.
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Keywords: |
Ecuador |
tropical montane forest |
fine roots |
elevational gradient |
functional traits |
Pierick, K. (2017): Variation of tree fine root traits along a topographical gradient in an Ecuadorian tropical montane forest University of Goettingen, master thesis
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Resumen:
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Although fine root traits are crucially important for plants and ecosystems, little is known about the mechanisms driving their variation. According to the theory of the plant economics spectrum, plants have to adopt a consistent strategy for all organs on a one-dimensional axis from slow to fast nutrient acquisition. The different strategies are supposed to be reflected in fine root traits, and to vary with resource availability. This master’s thesis aimed to investigate the variation of tree fine root traits along a
topographical gradient in southern Ecuador, and their coordination with aboveground traits, in order to find evidence for a plant economics spectrum.
In a tropical montane forest near Loja, fine root systems (diameter < 2 mm) of 179 adult trees were sampled from 18 plots at different slope positions. The steep slopes in this megadiverse ecosystem are characterized by decreasing fertility from the lower to the upper slope, and a high turnover of tree species on small scales along the slopes. The traits root diameter, specific root length (SRL), root tissue density (RTD), root branching intensity (RBI) and nitrogen content (N root ) were measured on each root system. The root traits were tested for being correlated with a topography index, edaphic factors, and aboveground traits. These relationships were analyzed both on the level of plot means and individual trees. Moreover, functional dispersion of the root traits was calculated for each plot and related to the topographical gradient. Pagel’s ? was calculated as an indicator of phylogenetic signal for each root trait. Furthermore, mixed effect models and principal component analyses were calculated in order to better understand the complex relationships between environment, plant traits, and phylogeny.
Fine roots tended to be thicker and less intensely branched, contain less nitrogen and have lower SRL with increasing distance from the lower slope. Functional dispersion decreased from lower to upper slope. Especially SRL and N root were closely linked to aboveground traits. Trees with high SRL and N root tended to have softer wood and leaves, higher specific leaf area and higher leaf N and P concentrations. These trends were also apparent when comparing plot means instead of data from tree individuals. This indicates that trees evolved consistent resource economic strategies that manifest
in their fine roots, wood, and leaves. Species with a slow, conservative strategy are typical for the upper slopes, whereas acquisitive species assembled at the lower slopes. However, RTD was independent from the topographical gradient and most aboveground traits. SRL, N root and root diameter had strong phylogenetic signals. Rubiaceae and Moraceae were typical families with acquisitive traits growing at the lower slope, whereas
the early-diverged Lauraceae occurred predominantly at the upper slope and had very thick roots of the conservative type.
These findings provide valuable new insights into patterns of fine root trait variation. They confirm the hypothesis of a plant economics spectrum where root traits are integrated, and demonstrate that tree species in tropical montane forests assemble along topographical gradients according to their resource economics strategies and the associated trait combinations.
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Keywords: |
topographic heterogenity |
fine roots |
functional richness |
functional traits |
Lopez, G. (2015): Effects of experimental nutrient additions on root architecture of tropical montane forest trees in South Ecuador University of Goettingen, master thesis
Graefe, S.; Hertel, D. & Leuschner, C. (2010): N, P and K limitation of fine root growth along an elevation transect in tropical mountain forests. Acta Oecologica 36, 537-542.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2010.07.007
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Resumen:
Resumen:
It is generally assumed that tree growth in tropical low-elevation forests is primarily limited by phosphorus
while nitrogen limitation is more prominent in tropical montane forests where temperature is
lower and the soils are poorly developed. We tested this hypothesis in mountain rainforests of South
Ecuador by investigating the growth response of tree fine roots to N, P and K fertilization in ingrowth cores
exposed at 1050 m (pre-montane) and 3060 m (upper montane) elevation. Root growth into unfertilized
ingrowth cores (control treatment) was about 10 times slower at 3060 m than at 1050 m. At 1050 m, root
growth was stimulated not only by P, but also by N and K. In contrast, N was the only element to promote
root growth at 3060 m. The N concentration in fine root biomass dropped to nearly a third between 1050
and 3060 m, those of P, K, Ca and Mg decreased as well, but to a lesser degree. According to a 15NO3
15NH4
tracer study along the slope, tree fine roots accumulated nitrate and ammonium in root biomass at similar
rates between 1050 and 3060 m, despite lower temperatures higher upslope.We conclude that the nature
of nutrient limitation of tree fine root growth changes with elevation from an apparent co-limitation by
P together with N and K at 1050 m to predominant N limitation at 3060 m, which is also reflected by low
foliar N concentrations. Increasing N limitation may have caused the high fine root biomass and root/shoot
ratio in the high elevation forest, while the capability of the roots to acquire mineral N apparently was not
affected by lower temperatures at high elevations.
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Keywords: |
nitrogen |
phosphorus |
potassium |
nutrient limitation |
ecuador |
fine roots |
15N tracer study |