Relationships between plant functional traits at the community level and environmental factors during succession in a tropical lowland rainforest on Hainan Island, South China

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1003.2013.10012

Abstract

Abstract:

We explored how plant functional traits respond to environmental factors and examined the underlying mechanism driving the ecological strategies of plant species in a community. Experiments were conducted at four randomly selected tropical lowland rainforests at different successional stages:15-, 30- and 60-year-old secondary forests and one old-growth forest, each in the Bawangling Nature Reserve of Hainan Island. A total of 200 plots (20 m×20 m) were sampled. Individuals of tree and shrub species with diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥1 cm were identified and both their functional traits and the environmental factors in each plot were measured. ANOVA showed that canopy openness, level of soil nutrients, specific leaf area, and content of total organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus within the leaf decreased at the community level during the successional process. Meanwhile, leaf dry matter content, wood density and potential maximum height increased. However, soil water content and leaf potassium content, changed non-significantly. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that environmental factors driving functional traits at the community level varied during the successional process. The key environmental factors were soil organic matter and pH value in the 15-year-old secondary forest; canopy openness and soil total phosphorus content in the 30-year-old secondary forest; available phosphorus and total potassium content of the soil in the 60-year-old secondary forest; and soil phosphorus content and organic matter content in the old-growth forest. Our results indicate that at different successional stages, the same functional traits respond to different environmental factors, enabling adaptation to specific environmental conditions.

Key words: tropical lowland rainforest, plant functional traits, secondary succession, shifting cultivation, environmental factors

Wensheng Bu,Runguo Zang,Yi Ding,Junyan Zhang,Yunze Ruan. Relationships between plant functional traits at the community level and environmental factors during succession in a tropical lowland rainforest on Hainan Island, South China[J]. Biodiv Sci, 2013, 21(3): 278-287.

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URL: https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/10.3724/SP.J.1003.2013.10012

https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/Y2013/V21/I3/278

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演替阶段	海拔	凹凸度	坡度	干扰类型
Stages	Elevation	Convex	Slope	Disturbance type
15年次生林 15-year-old secondary forest	419-520(467)	-7到7(0)	5-27.3(14.1)	刀耕火种 Shifting cultivation
30年次生林 30-year-old secondary forest	514-576(545)	-10到12(0.2)	9-38.6(23.5)	刀耕火种 Shifting cultivation
60年次生林 60-year-old secondary forest	474-515(498)	-14到9(-0.1)	8-39.2(19.4)	刀耕火种 Shifting cultivation
老龄林 Old-growth forest (OG)	550-650(598)	-18到14(-1)	7-39.5(27.0)	未干扰 No disturbance

演替阶段	海拔	凹凸度	坡度	干扰类型
Stages	Elevation	Convex	Slope	Disturbance type
15年次生林 15-year-old secondary forest	419-520(467)	-7到7(0)	5-27.3(14.1)	刀耕火种 Shifting cultivation
30年次生林 30-year-old secondary forest	514-576(545)	-10到12(0.2)	9-38.6(23.5)	刀耕火种 Shifting cultivation
60年次生林 60-year-old secondary forest	474-515(498)	-14到9(-0.1)	8-39.2(19.4)	刀耕火种 Shifting cultivation
老龄林 Old-growth forest (OG)	550-650(598)	-18到14(-1)	7-39.5(27.0)	未干扰 No disturbance

阶段	性状	环境变量 Environmental variables								回归方程参数 Parameters
Stage	Trait	CO	BD	pH	SOM	TP	TK	AN	AP	R²	AIC	P
15年次生林 15-year-old secondary forest (15yr)
	SLA				0.47					0.12	154.6	0.0145
	LDMC
	WD				0.18					0.17	37.5	0.0029
	Hmax
	LNC			0.30						0.15	97.4	0.0064
	LPC
	LKC			0.38					-0.20	0.27	101.2	0.0005
	LCC				-0.41					0.21	107.2	0.0009
30年次生林 30-year-old secondary forest (30yr)
	SLA	-0.63				0.45				0.34	138.9	<0.0001
	LDMC								-0.30	0.15	87.1	0.005
	WD	-0.32								0.15	56.3	0.0057
	Hmax	0.67				-0.30				0.35	117.6	<0.0001
	LNC	0.35				0.28				0.16	104.2	0.0154
	LPC	0.75			-0.19		0.22			0.41	106.3	<0.0001
	LKC	-0.90				0.33				0.39	142.0	<0.0001
	LCC	0.74						-0.40		0.39	127.4	<0.0001
60年次生林 60-year-old secondary forest (60yr)
	SLA						0.71			0.60	92.5	<0.0001
	LDMC						-0.53		-0.40	0.65	91.5	<0.0001
	WD						-0.28		-0.40	0.62	52.2	<0.0001
	Hmax						-0.48		-0.60	0.56	117.2	<0.0001
	LNC						0.37		0.48	0.67	72.1	<0.0001
	LPC						0.11		0.19	0.63	-26.3	<0.0001
	LKC				-0.29				0.70	0.37	125.9	<0.0001
	LCC		-0.13				0.37			0.49	54.7	<0.0001
老龄林 Old-growth forest (OG)
	SLA				-0.28	0.29				0.41	59.0	<0.0001
	LDMC				-0.23	0.32				0.21	80.6	0.035
	WD				-0.26		-0.44			0.32	52.0	0.0001
	Hmax								0.59	0.14	90.8	0.0079
	LNC				-0.72					0.18	140.7	0.0022
	LPC				-0.24					0.21	19.8	0.0008
	LKC				0.68					0.17	137.6	0.0029
	LCC				0.47				0.62	0.31	100.5	0.0002

阶段	性状	环境变量 Environmental variables								回归方程参数 Parameters
Stage	Trait	CO	BD	pH	SOM	TP	TK	AN	AP	R²	AIC	P
15年次生林 15-year-old secondary forest (15yr)
	SLA				0.47					0.12	154.6	0.0145
	LDMC
	WD				0.18					0.17	37.5	0.0029
	Hmax
	LNC			0.30						0.15	97.4	0.0064
	LPC
	LKC			0.38					-0.20	0.27	101.2	0.0005
	LCC				-0.41					0.21	107.2	0.0009
30年次生林 30-year-old secondary forest (30yr)
	SLA	-0.63				0.45				0.34	138.9	<0.0001
	LDMC								-0.30	0.15	87.1	0.005
	WD	-0.32								0.15	56.3	0.0057
	Hmax	0.67				-0.30				0.35	117.6	<0.0001
	LNC	0.35				0.28				0.16	104.2	0.0154
	LPC	0.75			-0.19		0.22			0.41	106.3	<0.0001
	LKC	-0.90				0.33				0.39	142.0	<0.0001
	LCC	0.74						-0.40		0.39	127.4	<0.0001
60年次生林 60-year-old secondary forest (60yr)
	SLA						0.71			0.60	92.5	<0.0001
	LDMC						-0.53		-0.40	0.65	91.5	<0.0001
	WD						-0.28		-0.40	0.62	52.2	<0.0001
	Hmax						-0.48		-0.60	0.56	117.2	<0.0001
	LNC						0.37		0.48	0.67	72.1	<0.0001
	LPC						0.11		0.19	0.63	-26.3	<0.0001
	LKC				-0.29				0.70	0.37	125.9	<0.0001
	LCC		-0.13				0.37			0.49	54.7	<0.0001
老龄林 Old-growth forest (OG)
	SLA				-0.28	0.29				0.41	59.0	<0.0001
	LDMC				-0.23	0.32				0.21	80.6	0.035
	WD				-0.26		-0.44			0.32	52.0	0.0001
	Hmax								0.59	0.14	90.8	0.0079
	LNC				-0.72					0.18	140.7	0.0022
	LPC				-0.24					0.21	19.8	0.0008
	LKC				0.68					0.17	137.6	0.0029
	LCC				0.47				0.62	0.31	100.5	0.0002

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