The relationship of woody plant size and leaf nutrient content to large-scale productivity for forests across the Americas

Irena Šímová; Brody Sandel; Brian J. Enquist; Sean T. Michaletz; Jens Kattge; Cyrille Violle; Brian J. McGill; Benjamin Blonder; Kristine Engemann; Robert K. Peet; Susan K. Wiser; Naia Morueta-Holme; Brad Boyle; Nathan J.B. Kraft; Jens-Christian Svenning

doi:10.1111/1365-2745.13163

The relationship of woody plant size and leaf nutrient content to large-scale productivity for forests across the Americas

Irena Šímová^*, Brody Sandel, Brian J. Enquist, Sean T. Michaletz, Jens Kattge, Cyrille Violle, Brian J. McGill, Benjamin Blonder, Kristine Engemann, Robert K. Peet, Susan K. Wiser, Naia Morueta-Holme, Brad Boyle, Nathan J.B. Kraft, Jens-Christian Svenning

^*Corresponding author af dette arbejde

9 Citationer (Scopus)

Abstract

Ecosystem processes are driven by both environmental variables and the attributes of component species. The extent to which these effects are independent and/or dependent upon each other has remained unclear. We assess the extent to which climate affects net primary productivity (NPP) both directly and indirectly via its effect on plant size and leaf functional traits. Using species occurrences and functional trait databases for North and South America, we describe the upper limit of woody plant height within 200 × 200 km grid-cells. In addition to maximum tree height, we quantify grid-cell means of three leaf traits (specific leaf area, and leaf nitrogen and phosphorus concentration) also hypothesized to influence productivity. Using structural equation modelling, we test the direct and indirect effects of environment and plant traits on remotely sensed MODIS-derived estimates of NPP, using plant size (satellite-measured canopy height and potential maximum tree height), leaf traits, growing season length, soil nutrients, climate and disturbances as explanatory variables. Our results show that climate affects NPP directly as well as indirectly via plant size in both tropical and temperate forests. In tropical forests NPP further increases with leaf phosphorus concentration, whereas in temperate forests it increases with leaf nitrogen concentration. In boreal forests, NPP most strongly increases with increasing temperature and neither plant size nor leaf traits have a significant influence. Synthesis. Our results suggest that at large spatial scales plant size and leaf nutrient traits can improve predictions of forest productivity over those based on climate alone. However, at higher latitudes their role is overridden by stressful climate. Our results provide independent empirical evidence for where and how global vegetation models predicting carbon fluxes could benefit from including effects of plant size and leaf stoichiometry.

Originalsprog	Engelsk
Tidsskrift	Journal of Ecology
Vol/bind	107
Udgave nummer	5
Sider (fra-til)	2278-2290
ISSN	0022-0477
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13163
Status	Udgivet - 2019

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10.1111/1365-2745.13163

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Šímová, I., Sandel, B., Enquist, B. J., Michaletz, S. T., Kattge, J., Violle, C., McGill, B. J., Blonder, B., Engemann, K., Peet, R. K., Wiser, S. K., Morueta-Holme, N., Boyle, B., Kraft, N. J. B., & Svenning, J-C. (2019). The relationship of woody plant size and leaf nutrient content to large-scale productivity for forests across the Americas. Journal of Ecology, 107(5), 2278-2290. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13163

Šímová, I, Sandel, B, Enquist, BJ, Michaletz, ST, Kattge, J, Violle, C, McGill, BJ, Blonder, B, Engemann, K, Peet, RK, Wiser, SK, Morueta-Holme, N, Boyle, B, Kraft, NJB & Svenning, J-C 2019, 'The relationship of woody plant size and leaf nutrient content to large-scale productivity for forests across the Americas', Journal of Ecology, bind 107, nr. 5, s. 2278-2290. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13163

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title = "The relationship of woody plant size and leaf nutrient content to large-scale productivity for forests across the Americas",

abstract = "Ecosystem processes are driven by both environmental variables and the attributes of component species. The extent to which these effects are independent and/or dependent upon each other has remained unclear. We assess the extent to which climate affects net primary productivity (NPP) both directly and indirectly via its effect on plant size and leaf functional traits. Using species occurrences and functional trait databases for North and South America, we describe the upper limit of woody plant height within 200 × 200 km grid-cells. In addition to maximum tree height, we quantify grid-cell means of three leaf traits (specific leaf area, and leaf nitrogen and phosphorus concentration) also hypothesized to influence productivity. Using structural equation modelling, we test the direct and indirect effects of environment and plant traits on remotely sensed MODIS-derived estimates of NPP, using plant size (satellite-measured canopy height and potential maximum tree height), leaf traits, growing season length, soil nutrients, climate and disturbances as explanatory variables. Our results show that climate affects NPP directly as well as indirectly via plant size in both tropical and temperate forests. In tropical forests NPP further increases with leaf phosphorus concentration, whereas in temperate forests it increases with leaf nitrogen concentration. In boreal forests, NPP most strongly increases with increasing temperature and neither plant size nor leaf traits have a significant influence. Synthesis. Our results suggest that at large spatial scales plant size and leaf nutrient traits can improve predictions of forest productivity over those based on climate alone. However, at higher latitudes their role is overridden by stressful climate. Our results provide independent empirical evidence for where and how global vegetation models predicting carbon fluxes could benefit from including effects of plant size and leaf stoichiometry.",

keywords = "BIEN database, biogeography and macroecology, biomass production, ecosystem function and services, leaf nitrogen, leaf phosphorous, MODIS, TRY database",

author = "Irena {\v S}{\'i}mov{\'a} and Brody Sandel and Enquist, {Brian J.} and Michaletz, {Sean T.} and Jens Kattge and Cyrille Violle and McGill, {Brian J.} and Benjamin Blonder and Kristine Engemann and Peet, {Robert K.} and Wiser, {Susan K.} and Naia Morueta-Holme and Brad Boyle and Kraft, {Nathan J.B.} and Jens-Christian Svenning",

note = "Special Feature: Is Phylogenetic and Functional Trait Diversity a Driver or a Consequence of Grassland Community Assembly?",

year = "2019",

doi = "10.1111/1365-2745.13163",

language = "English",

volume = "107",

pages = "2278--2290",

journal = "Journal of Ecology",

issn = "0022-0477",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",

number = "5",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - The relationship of woody plant size and leaf nutrient content to large-scale productivity for forests across the Americas

AU - Šímová, Irena

AU - Sandel, Brody

AU - Enquist, Brian J.

AU - Michaletz, Sean T.

AU - Kattge, Jens

AU - Violle, Cyrille

AU - McGill, Brian J.

AU - Blonder, Benjamin

AU - Engemann, Kristine

AU - Peet, Robert K.

AU - Wiser, Susan K.

AU - Morueta-Holme, Naia

AU - Boyle, Brad

AU - Kraft, Nathan J.B.

AU - Svenning, Jens-Christian

N1 - Special Feature: Is Phylogenetic and Functional Trait Diversity a Driver or a Consequence of Grassland Community Assembly?

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - Ecosystem processes are driven by both environmental variables and the attributes of component species. The extent to which these effects are independent and/or dependent upon each other has remained unclear. We assess the extent to which climate affects net primary productivity (NPP) both directly and indirectly via its effect on plant size and leaf functional traits. Using species occurrences and functional trait databases for North and South America, we describe the upper limit of woody plant height within 200 × 200 km grid-cells. In addition to maximum tree height, we quantify grid-cell means of three leaf traits (specific leaf area, and leaf nitrogen and phosphorus concentration) also hypothesized to influence productivity. Using structural equation modelling, we test the direct and indirect effects of environment and plant traits on remotely sensed MODIS-derived estimates of NPP, using plant size (satellite-measured canopy height and potential maximum tree height), leaf traits, growing season length, soil nutrients, climate and disturbances as explanatory variables. Our results show that climate affects NPP directly as well as indirectly via plant size in both tropical and temperate forests. In tropical forests NPP further increases with leaf phosphorus concentration, whereas in temperate forests it increases with leaf nitrogen concentration. In boreal forests, NPP most strongly increases with increasing temperature and neither plant size nor leaf traits have a significant influence. Synthesis. Our results suggest that at large spatial scales plant size and leaf nutrient traits can improve predictions of forest productivity over those based on climate alone. However, at higher latitudes their role is overridden by stressful climate. Our results provide independent empirical evidence for where and how global vegetation models predicting carbon fluxes could benefit from including effects of plant size and leaf stoichiometry.

AB - Ecosystem processes are driven by both environmental variables and the attributes of component species. The extent to which these effects are independent and/or dependent upon each other has remained unclear. We assess the extent to which climate affects net primary productivity (NPP) both directly and indirectly via its effect on plant size and leaf functional traits. Using species occurrences and functional trait databases for North and South America, we describe the upper limit of woody plant height within 200 × 200 km grid-cells. In addition to maximum tree height, we quantify grid-cell means of three leaf traits (specific leaf area, and leaf nitrogen and phosphorus concentration) also hypothesized to influence productivity. Using structural equation modelling, we test the direct and indirect effects of environment and plant traits on remotely sensed MODIS-derived estimates of NPP, using plant size (satellite-measured canopy height and potential maximum tree height), leaf traits, growing season length, soil nutrients, climate and disturbances as explanatory variables. Our results show that climate affects NPP directly as well as indirectly via plant size in both tropical and temperate forests. In tropical forests NPP further increases with leaf phosphorus concentration, whereas in temperate forests it increases with leaf nitrogen concentration. In boreal forests, NPP most strongly increases with increasing temperature and neither plant size nor leaf traits have a significant influence. Synthesis. Our results suggest that at large spatial scales plant size and leaf nutrient traits can improve predictions of forest productivity over those based on climate alone. However, at higher latitudes their role is overridden by stressful climate. Our results provide independent empirical evidence for where and how global vegetation models predicting carbon fluxes could benefit from including effects of plant size and leaf stoichiometry.

KW - BIEN database

KW - biogeography and macroecology

KW - biomass production

KW - ecosystem function and services

KW - leaf nitrogen

KW - leaf phosphorous

KW - MODIS

KW - TRY database

U2 - 10.1111/1365-2745.13163

DO - 10.1111/1365-2745.13163

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85063667996

SN - 0022-0477

VL - 107

SP - 2278

EP - 2290

JO - Journal of Ecology

JF - Journal of Ecology

IS - 5

ER -

The relationship of woody plant size and leaf nutrient content to large-scale productivity for forests across the Americas

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