Canopy structure is an important factor driving local-scale woody plant functional beta diversity

doi:10.17520/biods.2020092

Abstract

Abstract:

Functional beta diversity refers to the variation of functional composition between communities. Exploring the mechanisms underlying functional beta diversity is a central theme in community ecology. We measured 11 important functional traits of woody plants in 20 ha forest dynamics plot in Xishuangbanna tropical seasonal rainforest and used abundance-weighted mean nearest neighbor trait distance to quantify the functional beta diversity at different sampling scales. We revealed the relative importance of canopy structure, environmental heterogeneity, and spatial distance on functional beta diversity using multiple regressions on distance matrices. Our results showed that, for all woody plant individuals with DBH ≥ 1 cm, the best model to explain the functional beta diversity was one including canopy structure, environment, and spatial distance. At each of the three sampling scales, canopy structure and environment had relatively large explanatory power and increased with increasing sampling scale, while the relative importance of spatial distance was negligible. Our findings corroborate that environmental heterogeneity and spatial distance are the two main factors driving functional beta diversity, and we provide new mechanistic insights by including the effects of canopy cover at local scales.

Key words: environmental heterogeneity, spatial distance, tropical seasonal rainforest, forest dynamics plot, Xishuangbanna

Changyan Zhou, Bin Wang, Yun Deng, Junjie Wu, Min Cao, Luxiang Lin. Canopy structure is an important factor driving local-scale woody plant functional beta diversity[J]. Biodiv Sci, 2020, 28(12): 1546-1557.

Add to citation manager EndNote|Ris|BibTeX

URL: https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/10.17520/biods.2020092

https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/Y2020/V28/I12/1546

Figures/Tables 3

Fig. 1 The frequency distribution of standard effective sizes for mean nearest neighbor trait distance across different sampling scales in the 20 ha forest dynamics plot in the Xishuangbanna tropical seasonal rainforest

Table 1 Akaike information criterion (AIC) values of seven models for multiple regressions on distance matrices (MRM) at each of the three sampling sizes for all individuals with DBH ≥ 1cm in the 20 ha forest dynamics plot in the Xishuangbanna tropical seasonal rainforest

模型编号 Model number	20 m × 20 m	50 m × 50 m	100 m × 100 m
F1	425,305.6	975.589	-561.571
F2	445,234.4	1,814.149	-483.077
F3	432,546.1	1,106.623	-538.012
F4	424,768.4	952.598	-563.919
F5	416,299.5	453.418	-614.899
F6	429,732.5	913.658	-576.829
F7	415,512.5	398.450	-624.922

Fig. 2 The proportion of variation explained (mean ± SD) by pure canopy structure difference, pure environmental distance, and pure spatial distance at each of three sampling scales for all woody plant individuals (DBH ≥ 1 cm) on beta diversity based on each of 11 functional traits in the 20 ha forest dynamics plot in the Xishuangbanna tropical seasonal rainforest. Different letters indicate significantly difference at P < 0.05.

References 76

[1]	Abramoff MD, Magelhaes PJ, Ram SJ ( 2004) Image processing with Image[J]. Biophotonics International, 11, 36-43.
[2]	Arnan X, Cerdá X, Retana J ( 2015) Partitioning the impact of environment and spatial structure on alpha and beta components of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity in European ants. PeerJ, 3, e1241. DOI URL PMID
[3]	Asefa M, Brown C, Cao M, Zhang GC, Ci XQ, Sha LQ, Li J, Lin LX, Yang J ( 2019) Contrasting effects of space and environment on functional and phylogenetic dissimilarity in a tropical forest. Journal of Plant Ecology, 12, 314-326.
[4]	Bartlett MK, Zhang Y, Yang J, Kreidler N, Sun SW, Lin L, Hu YH, Cao KF, Sack L ( 2016) Drought tolerance as a driver of tropical forest assembly: Resolving spatial signatures for multiple processes. Ecology, 97, 503-514.
[5]	Bin Y, Wang ZG, Wang ZM, Ye WH, Cao HL, Lian JY ( 2010) The effects of dispersal limitation and topographic heterogeneity on beta diversity and phylobetadiversity in a subtropical forest. Plant Ecology, 209, 237-256.
[6]	Burnham KP, Anderson DR ( 2002) Model Selection and Multimodel Inference: A Practical Information-theoretic Approach, 2nd edn. Springer, New York.
[7]	Cao M ( 1998) Canopy gap, soil seed bank and tropical forest dynamics. In: Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in the Biosphere Reserves (eds Jiang HQ, Ou XK), pp. 220-229. Yunnan University Press,Kunming.
[8]	Cao M, Fu XH, Yang YG, Tang Y, He YT ( 2000) Patch dynamics in tropical forests and the maintenance of tree species diversity. Chinese Biodiversity, 8, 172-179(in Chinese with English abstract).
	[ 曹敏, 付先惠, 杨一光, 唐勇, 何永涛 ( 2000) 热带森林中的斑块动态与物种多样性维持. 生物多样性, 8, 172-179.]
[9]	Cao M, Zou XM, Warren M, Zhu H ( 2006) Tropical forests of Xishuangbanna, China. Biotropica, 38, 306-309.
[10]	Chave J, Muller-Landau HC, Baker TR, Easdale TA, Steege H, Webb CO ( 2006) Regional and phylogenetic variation of wood density across 2,456 neotropical tree species. Ecological Applications, 16, 2356-2367. DOI URL PMID
[11]	Chen SB, Ouyang ZY, Xu WH, Xiao Y ( 2010) A review of beta diversity studies. Biodiversity Science, 18, 323-335(in Chinese with English abstract).
	[ 陈圣宾, 欧阳志云, 徐卫华, 肖燚 ( 2010) Beta多样性研究进展. 生物多样性, 18, 323-335.]
[12]	Chu CJ, Lutz JA, Král K, Vrška T, Yin X, Myers JA, Abiem I, Alonso A, Bourg N, Burslem DFRP, Cao M, Chapman H, Condit R, Fang SQ, Fischer GA, Gao LM, Hao ZQ, Hau BCH, He Q, Hector A, Hubbell SP, Jiang MX, Jin GZ, Kenfack D, Lai JS, Li BH, Li XK, Li YD, Lian JY, Lin LX, Liu YK, Liu YK, Luo YH, Ma KP, McShea W, Memiaghe H, Mi XC, Ni M, O’Brien MJ, de Oliveira AA, Orwig DA, Parker GG, Qiao XJ, Ren HB, Reynolds G, Sang WG, Shen GC, Su ZY, Sui XH, Sun IF, Tian SY, Wang B, Wang XH, Wang XG, Wang YS, Weiblen GD, Wen SJ, Xi NX, Xiang WS, Xu H, Xu K, Ye WH, Zhang BW, Zhang JX, Zhang XT, Zhang YM, Zhu K, Zimmerman J, Storch D, Baltzer JL, Anderson-Teixeira KJ, Mittelbach GG, He FL ( 2019) Direct and indirect effects of climate on richness drive the latitudinal diversity gradient in forest trees. Ecology Letters, 22, 245-255. URL PMID
[13]	Condit R, Pitman N, Leigh EG, Chave J, Terborgh J, Foster RB, Nunez P, Aguilar S, Valencia R, Villa G, Muller-Landau HC, Losos E, Hubbell SP ( 2002) Beta-diversity in tropical forest trees. Science, 295, 666-669. URL PMID
[14]	Cornelissen JHC, Lavorel S, Garnier E, Díaz S, Buchmann N, Gurvich DE, Reich PB, Steege H, Morgan HD, van der Heijden MGA, Pausas JG, Poorter H ( 2003) A handbook of protocols for standardised and easy measurement of plant functional traits worldwide. Australian Journal of Botany, 51, 335-380.
[15]	Cressie N ( 1990) The origins of Kriging. Mathematical Geology, 22, 239-252.
[16]	Delecti Florae Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae Agendae Academiae Sinicae( 1959-2004) Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae. Science Press, Beijing. (in Chinese)
	[ 中国科学院中国植物志编辑委员会(1959-2004) 中国植物志. 科学出版社,北京.]
[17]	Diggle PJ, Tawn JA, Moyeed RA ( 1998) Model-based geostatistics. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series C: Applied Statistics, 47, 299-350.
[18]	Fernandez-Going BM, Harrison SP, Anacker BL, Safford HD ( 2013) Climate interacts with soil to produce beta diversity in Californian plant communities. Ecology, 94, 2007-2018. DOI URL PMID
[19]	Gómez-Aparicio L, Valladares F, Zamora R ( 2006) Differential light responses of Mediterranean tree saplings: Linking ecophysiology with regeneration niche in four co-occurring species. Tree Physiology, 26, 947-958.
[20]	Goslee SC, Urban DL ( 2007) The ecodist package for dissimilarity-based analysis of ecological data. Journal of Statistical Software, 22, 1-19.
[21]	Gotelli NJ, Entsminger GL ( 2001) Swap and fill algorithms in null model analysis: Rethinking the knight’s tour. Oecologia, 129, 281-291. URL PMID
[22]	Grubb PJ ( 1977) The maintenance of species-richness in plant communities: The importance of the regeneration niche. Biological Reviews, 52, 107-145.
[23]	Hakkenberg CR, Song CH, Peet RK, White PS ( 2016) Forest structure as a predictor of tree species diversity in the North Carolina Piedmont. Journal of Vegetation Science, 27, 1151-1163.
[24]	Harms KE, Condit R, Hubbell SP, Foster RB ( 2001) Habitat associations of trees and shrubs in a 50-ha Neotropical forest plot. Journal of Ecology, 89, 947-959.
[25]	Hu YH ( 2010) A Study on the Habitat Variation and Distribution Patterns of Tree Species in a 20-ha Forest Dynamics Plot at Bubeng, Xishuangbanna, SW China. PhD dissertation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla. (in Chinese with English abstract)
	[ 胡跃华 ( 2010) 补蚌20公顷森林动态样地的生境分异与树种分布格局研究. 博士学位论文, 中国科学院西双版纳热带植物园, 勐腊.]
[26]	Hubbell SP ( 2001) The Unified Neutral Theory of Biodiversity and Biogeography. Princeton University Press, Princeton.
[27]	Hubbell SP ( 2006) Neutral theory and the evolution of ecological equivalence. Ecology, 87, 1387-1398. URL PMID
[28]	Jaccard P ( 1912) The distribution of the flora in the alpine zone. New Phytologist, 11, 37-50.
[29]	Jackson DA ( 1993) Stopping rules in principal components analysis: A comparison of heuristical and statistical approaches. Ecology, 74, 2204-2214.
[30]	John R, Dalling JW, Harms KE, Yavitt JB, Stallard RF, Mirabello M, Hubbell SP, Valencia R, Navarrete H, Vallejo M ( 2007) Soil nutrients influence spatial distributions of tropical tree species. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,USA, 104, 864-869.
[31]	Kraft NJB, Adler PB, Godoy O, James EC, Fuller S, Levine JM ( 2015) Community assembly, coexistence and the environmental filtering metaphor. Functional Ecology, 29, 592-599.
[32]	Lande R ( 1996) Statistics and partitioning of species diversity, and similarity among multiple communities. Oikos, 76, 5-13.
[33]	Lan GY, Hu YH, Cao M, Zhu H, Wang H, Zhou SH, Deng XB, Cui JY, Huang JG, Liu LY, Xu HL, Song JP, He YC ( 2008) Establishment of Xishuangbanna tropical forest dynamics plot: Species compositions and spatial distribution patterns. Journal of Plant Ecology (Chinese Version), 32, 287-298(in Chinese with English abstract).
	[ 兰国玉, 胡跃华, 曹敏, 朱华, 王洪, 周仕顺, 邓晓保, 崔景云, 黄建国, 刘林云, 许海龙, 宋军平, 何有才 ( 2008) 西双版纳热带森林动态监测样地——树种组成与空间分布格局. 植物生态学报, 32, 287-298.]
[34]	Legendre P, Mi XC, Ren HB, Ma KP, Yu MJ, Sun IF, He FL ( 2009) Partitioning beta diversity in a subtropical broad-leaved forest of China. Ecology, 90, 663-674. DOI URL PMID
[35]	Li XH, Liu YH, Liu Y, Xu Y, Yang Y, Shen ZH ( 2016) Impacts of geographical distances and environmental differences on the beta diversity of plant communities in the dry-hot valley of the Yuanjiang River. Biodiversity Science, 24, 399-406(in Chinese with English abstract).
	[ 李新辉, 刘延虹, 刘晔, 许玥, 杨阳, 沈泽昊 ( 2016) 地理距离及环境差异对云南元江干热河谷植物群落beta多样性的影响. 生物多样性, 24, 399-406.]
[36]	Lichstein JW ( 2007) Multiple regression on distance matrices: A multivariate spatial analysis tool. Plant Ecology, 188, 117-131.
[37]	Liu YN, Tang ZY, Fang JY ( 2015) Contribution of environmental filtering and dispersal limitation to species turnover of temperate deciduous broad-leaved forests in China. Applied Vegetation Science, 18, 34-42.
[38]	Mendiburu FD ( 2020) agricolae: Statistical Procedures for Agricultural Research. R package version 1.3-2. . (accessed on 2019-12-15).
[39]	Myers JA, Chase JM, Jiménez I, Jørgensen PM, Araujo- Murakami A, Paniagua-Zambrana N, Seidel R ( 2013) Beta-diversity in temperate and tropical forests reflects dissimilar mechanisms of community assembly. Ecology Letters, 16, 151-157. URL PMID
[40]	Niu KC, Liu YN, Shen ZH, He FL, Fang JY ( 2009) Community assembly: The relative importance of neutral theory and niche theory. Biodiversity Science, 17, 579-593(in Chinese with English abstract).
	[ 牛克昌, 刘怿宁, 沈泽昊, 何芳良, 方精云 ( 2009) 群落构建的中性理论和生态位理论. 生物多样性, 17, 579-593.]
[41]	Oksanen J, Blanchet FG, Friendly M, Kindt R, Legendre P, McGlinn D, Minchin PR, O’Hara RB, Simpson GL, Solymos P, Stevens MHH, Szoecs E, Wagner H ( 2019) vegan: Community Ecology Package. R package version 2.5-4. . (ac- cessed on 2019-12-15)
[42]	Page NV, Shanker K, Ward D ( 2018) Environment and dispersal influence changes in species composition at different scales in woody plants of the Western Ghats, India. Journal of Vegetation Science, 29, 74-83.
[43]	Pebesma EJ ( 2004) Multivariable geostatistics in S: The gstat package. Computers & Geosciences, 30, 683-691.
[44]	Pérez-Harguindeguy N, Díaz S, Garnier E, Lavorel S, Poorter H, Jaureguiberry P, Bret-Harte MS, Cornwell WK, Craine JM, Gurvich DE, Urcelay C, Veneklaas EJ, Reich PB, Poorter L, Wright IJ, Ray P, Enrico L, Pausas JG, de Vos AC, Buchmann N, Funes G, Quétier F, Hodgson JG, Thompson K, Morgan HD, ter Steege H, Sack L, Blonder B, Poschlod P, Vaieretti MV, Conti G, Staver AC, Aquino S, Cornelissen JHC ( 2013) New handbook for standardised measurement of plant functional traits worldwide. Australian Journal of Botany, 61, 167-234.
[45]	Philipson CD, Saner P, Marthews TR, Nilus R, Reynolds G, Turnbull LA, Hector A ( 2012) Light-based regeneration niches: Evidence from 21 Dipterocarp species using size-specific RGRs. Biotropica, 44, 627-636.
[46]	Qiao XJ, Li QX, Jiang QH, Lu JM, Franklin S, Tang ZY, Wang QG, Zhang JX, Lu ZJ, Bao DC, Guo YL, Liu HB, Xu YZ, Jiang MX ( 2015) Beta diversity determinants in Badagongshan, a subtropical forest in Central China. Scientific Reports, 5, 17043. DOI URL PMID
[47]	Qian H, Ricklefs RE ( 2000) Large-scale processes and the Asian bias in species diversity of temperate plants. Nature, 407, 180-182. DOI URL PMID
[48]	R Core Team ( 2018) R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. . (accessed on 2019-12-15)
[49]	Rao MD, Feng G, Zhang JL, Mi XC, Chen JH ( 2013) Effects of environmental filtering and dispersal limitation on species and phylogenetic beta diversity in Gutianshan National Nature Reserve. Chinese Science Bulletin, 58, 44-52(in Chinese with English abstract).
	[ 饶米德, 冯刚, 张金龙, 米湘成, 陈建华 ( 2013) 生境过滤和扩散限制作用对古田山森林物种和系统发育β多样性的影响. 科学通报, 58, 44-52.]
[50]	Siefert A, Ravenscroft C, Weiser MD, Swenson NG ( 2013) Functional beta-diversity patterns reveal deterministic community assembly processes in eastern North American trees. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 22, 682-691.
[51]	Song XF, Li JP, Hu XY ( 2009) Model selection criterion AIC and its application in ANOVA. Journal of Northwest A & F University (Natural Science Edition), 37, 88-92(in Chinese with English abstract).
	[ 宋喜芳, 李建平, 胡希远 ( 2009) 模型选择信息量准则AIC及其在方差分析中的应用. 西北农林科技大学学报(自然科学版), 37, 88-92.]
[52]	Spasojevic MJ, Yablon EA, Oberle B, Myers JA ( 2014) Ontogenetic trait variation influences tree community assembly across environmental gradients. Ecosphere, 5, 1-20.
[53]	State-owned Forest Farm and Tree Seedling Work Station of State Forestry Administration( 2001) Seeds of Woody Plants in China. China Forestry Publishing House, Beijing. (in Chinese)
	[ 国家林业局国有林场和林木种苗工作总站( 2001) 中国木本植物种子. 中国林业出版社,北京.]
[54]	Swenson NG, Enquist BJ, Thompson J, Zimmerman JK ( 2007) The influence of spatial and size scale on phylogenetic relatedness in tropical forest communities. Ecology, 88, 1770-1780. DOI URL PMID
[55]	Swenson NG, Anglada-Cordero P, Barone JA ( 2011) Deterministic tropical tree community turnover: Evidence from patterns of functional beta diversity along an elevational gradient. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 278, 877-884.
[56]	Swenson NG, Erickson DL, Mi XC, Bourg NA, Forero- Montaña J, Ge XJ, Howe R, Lake JK, Liu XJ, Ma KP, Pei NC, Thompson J, Uriarte M, Wolf A, Wright SJ, Ye WH, Zhang JL, Zimmerman JK, Kress WJ ( 2012) Phylogenetic and functional alpha and beta diversity in temperate and tropical tree communities. Ecology, 93, S112-S125.
[57]	Swenson NG ( 2013) The assembly of tropical tree communities—The advances and shortcomings of phylogenetic and functional trait analyses. Ecography, 36, 264-276.
[58]	Swenson NG ( 2014) Functional and Phylogenetic Ecology in R. Springer, New York.
[59]	Swenson NG, Iida Y, Howe R, Wolf A, Umaña MN, Petprakob K, Turner BL, Ma KP ( 2017) Tree co-occurrence and transcriptomic response to drought. Nature Communications, 8, 1996. URL PMID
[60]	Valencia R, Foster RB, Villa G, Condit R, Svenning JC, Hernández C, Romoleroux K, Losos E, Magård E, Balslev H ( 2004) Tree species distributions and local habitat variation in the Amazon: Large forest plot in Eastern Ecuador. Journal of Ecology, 92, 214-229.
[61]	Valladares F, Niinemets Ü ( 2008) Shade tolerance, a key plant feature of complex nature and consequences. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 39, 237-257.
[62]	Vleminckx J, Salazar D, Fortunel C, Mesones I, Dávila N, Lokvam J, Beckley K, Baraloto C, Fine PV ( 2018) Divergent secondary metabolites and habitat filtering both contribute to tree species coexistence in the Peruvian Amazon. Frontiers in Plant Science, 9, 836. DOI URL PMID
[63]	Wang JM, Chen C, Li JW, Feng YM, Lu Q ( 2019) Different ecological processes determined the alpha and beta components of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity for plant communities in dryland regions of Northwest China. Peer J, 6, e6220. DOI URL PMID
[64]	Wang JW, Hou MM, Huang LY, Zhang J, Zhou HC, Cheng YX ( 2016) Phylogenetic and functional beta diversity in a broadleaved Korean pine mixed forest in Changbai Mountains, Northeastern China. Journal of Beijing Forestry University, 38(10), 21-27(in Chinese with English abstract).
	[ 王均伟, 侯嫚嫚, 黄利亚, 张君, 周海城, 程艳霞 ( 2016) 长白山阔叶红松林系统发育和功能性状beta多样性. 北京林业大学学报, 38(10), 21-27.]
[65]	Wang XG, Wiegand T, Swenson NG, Wolf AT, Howe RW, Hao ZQ, Lin F, Ye J, Yuan ZQ ( 2015) Mechanisms underlying local functional and phylogenetic beta diversity in two temperate forests. Ecology, 96, 1062-1073. URL PMID
[66]	Webster R, McBratney AB ( 1989) On the Akaike information criterion for choosing models for variograms of soil properties. Journal of Soil Science, 40, 493-496. DOI URL
[67]	Whittaker RH ( 1960) Vegetation of the Siskiyou Mountains, Oregon and California. Ecological Monographs, 30, 279-338.
[68]	Wu JJ ( 2016) Phylogenetic and Functional Neighbourhood Effect on the Survival and Growth of Woody Species in a Chinese Tropical Rain Forest. PhD dissertation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla. (in Chinese with English abstract)
	[ 乌俊杰 ( 2016) 系统发育和功能维度的热带雨林树种个体生长和存活的邻体效应. 博士学位论文, 中国科学院西双版纳热带植物园, 勐腊.]
[69]	Xing DL, He FL ( 2018) Environmental filtering explains a U-shape latitudinal pattern in regional β‐deviation for eastern North American trees. Ecology Letters, 22, 284-291. DOI URL PMID
[70]	Yang JY, Liu XJ, Yang XJ ( 2015) Forest canopy structure, light environment and their effects on the vegetation pattern and growth of understory in forests. Journal of Science of Teachers’ College and University, 35(7), 57-62(in Chinese with English abstract).
	[ 杨建宇, 刘晓娟, 杨晓杰 ( 2015) 森林冠层结构与光环境及其对林下植被生长和格局的影响. 高师理科学刊, 35(7), 57-62.]
[71]	Yang J, Swenson NG, Zhang GC, Ci XQ, Cao M, Sha LQ, Li J, Ferry Slik JW, Lin LX ( 2015) Local-scale partitioning of functional and phylogenetic beta diversity in a tropical tree assemblage. Scientific Reports, 5, 12731. DOI URL PMID
[72]	Yang J, Cao M, Swenson NG ( 2018) Why functional traits do not predict tree demographic rates. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 33, 326-336. DOI URL PMID
[73]	Zambrano J, Iida Y, Howe R, Lin LX, Umana MN, Wolf A, Worthy SJ, Swenson NG ( 2017) Neighborhood defence gene similarity effects on tree performance: A community transcriptomic approach. Journal of Ecology, 105, 616-626.
[74]	Zhang J, Hu JB, Lian JY, Fan ZJ, Ouyang XJ, Ye WH ( 2016) Seeing the forest from drones: Testing the potential of lightweight drones as a tool for long-term forest monitoring. Biological Conservation, 198, 60-69.
[75]	Zhao XQ, Guo QH, Su YJ, Xue BL ( 2016) Improved progressive TIN densification filtering algorithm for airborne LiDAR data in forested areas. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 117, 79-91.
[76]	Zhu H, Cao M, Hu HB ( 2006) Geological history, flora, and vegetation of Xishuangbanna, Southern Yunnan, China. Biotropica, 38, 310-317.