Global patterns and environmental drivers of forest functional composition

• Autores: Bouchard, Elise; Searle, Eric B.; Drapeau, Pierre; Liang, Jingjing; Gamarra, Javier G.P.; Abegg, Meinrad; Alberti, Giorgio; Almeyda Zambrano, Angélica M.; Alvarez-Davila, Esteban; Alves, Luciana F.; Peri, Pablo Luis; Paquette, Alain
• Año de publicación: 2024
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Fuente: Global Ecology and Biogeography 33 (3) : 303-324. (February 2024)
• Materia: Forest Ecology; Biogeography; Climate; Biological Traits; Abundance; Specific Leaf Area; Trees; Wood Density; Ecología Forestal; Biogeografía; Clima; Rasgos Biológicos; Abundancia; Área Foliar Específica; Árboles; Densidad de la Madera; Global Patterns; Environmental Gradients; Functional Traits; Species Abundance; Biomes; Patrones Globales; Gradientes Ambientales; Rasgos Funcionales; Abundancia de Especies; Biomas
• Institución: Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria

To determine the relationships between the functional trait composition of forest communities and environmental gradients across scales and biomes and the role of species relative abundances in these relationships. Location: Global. Time period: Recent. Major taxa studied: Trees. Methods: We integrated species abundance records from worldwide forest inventories and associated functional traits (wood density, specific leaf area and seed mass) to obtain a data set of 99,953 to 149,285 plots (depending on the trait) spanning all forested continents. We computed community-weighted and unweighted means of trait values for each plot and related them to three broad environmental gradients and their interactions (energy availability, precipitation and soil properties) at two scales (global and biomes). Results: Our models explained up to 60% of the variance in trait distribution. At global scale, the energy gradient had the strongest influence on traits. However, withinbiome models revealed different relationships among biomes. Notably, the functional composition of tropical forests was more influenced by precipitation and soil properties than energy availability, whereas temperate forests showed the opposite pattern. Depending on the trait studied, response to gradients was more variable and proportionally weaker in boreal forests. Community unweighted means were better predicted than weighted means for almost all models. Main conclusions: Worldwide, trees require a large amount of energy (following latitude) to produce dense wood and seeds, while leaves with large surface to weight ratios are concentrated in temperate forests. However, patterns of functional composition within-biome differ from global patterns due to biome specificities such as the presence of conifers or unique combinations of climatic and soil properties. We recommend assessing the sensitivity of tree functional traits to environmental changes in their geographic context. Furthermore, at a given site, the distribution of tree functional traits appears to be driven more by species presence than species abundance.
EEA Santa Cruz
Fil: Bouchard, Elise. Université du Québec à Montréal. Department of Biological Sciences. Centre for Forest Research (CFR); Canadá.
Fil: Searle, Eric B. Université du Québec à Montréal. Department of Biological Sciences. Centre for Forest Research (CFR); Canadá.
Fil: Searle, Eric B. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. Ontario Forest Research Institute; Canadá.
Fil: Drapeau, Pierre. Université du Québec à Montréal. Department of Biological Sciences. Centre for Forest Research (CFR); Canadá.
Fil: Liang, Jingjing. Purdue University. Forest Advanced Computing and Artificial Intelligence Lab. Department of Forestry and Natural Resources; Estados Unidos
Fil: Gamarra, Javier G. P. Organization of the United Nations. Forestry Division, Food and Agriculture; Italia
Fil: Abegg, Meinrad. Swiss Federal Institute for Forest. Snow and Landscape Research; Suiza
Fil: Alberti, Giorgio. Università degli Studi di Udine. Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie ed Ambientali; Italia.
Fil: Almeyda Zambrano, Angélica M. University of Florida. Faculty at the Center for Latin American Studies; Estados Unidos
Fin: Alvarez-Davila, Esteban. Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia; Colombia.
Fil: Alves, Luciana F. Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability; Estados Unidos
Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santa Cruz; Argentina.
Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral; Argentina.
Fil: Peri, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.
Fil: Paquette, Alain. Université du Québec à Montréal. Department of Biological Sciences. Centre for Forest Research (CFR); Canadá.