Detecting Growth Phase Shifts Based on Leaf Trait Variation of a Canopy Dipterocarp Tree Species (<i>Parashorea chinensis</i>)
Canopy species need to shift their adaptive strategy to acclimate to very different light environments as they grow from seedlings in the understory to adult trees in the canopy. However, research on how to quantitively detect ecological strategy shifts in plant ontogeny is scarce. In this study, we...
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doaj-e9565820ae564002b2af06891364fa0b2020-11-25T04:08:56ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072020-10-01111145114510.3390/f11111145Detecting Growth Phase Shifts Based on Leaf Trait Variation of a Canopy Dipterocarp Tree Species (<i>Parashorea chinensis</i>)Yun Deng0Xiaobao Deng1Jinlong Dong2Wenfu Zhang3Tao Hu4Akihiro Nakamura5Xiaoyang Song6Peili Fu7Min Cao8CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Menglun 666303, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Menglun 666303, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Menglun 666303, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Menglun 666303, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Menglun 666303, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Menglun 666303, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Menglun 666303, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Menglun 666303, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Menglun 666303, ChinaCanopy species need to shift their adaptive strategy to acclimate to very different light environments as they grow from seedlings in the understory to adult trees in the canopy. However, research on how to quantitively detect ecological strategy shifts in plant ontogeny is scarce. In this study, we hypothesize that changes in light and tree height levels induce transitions in ecological strategies, and growth phases representing different adaptive strategies can be classified by leaf trait variation. We examined variations in leaf morphological and physiological traits across a vertical ambient light (represented by the transmittance of diffuse light, %TRANS) and tree height gradient in <i>Parashorea chinensis</i>, a large canopy tree species in tropical seasonal rainforest in Southwestern China. Multivariate regression trees (MRTs) were used to detect the split points in light and height gradients and classify ontogenetic phases. Linear piecewise regression and quadratic regression were used to detect the transition point in leaf trait responses to environmental variation and explain the shifts in growth phases and adaptive strategies. Five growth phases of <i>P. chinensis</i> were identified based on MRT results: (i) the vulnerable phase, with tree height at less than 8.3 m; (ii) the suppressed phase, with tree height between 8.3 and 14.9 m; (iii) the growth release phase, with tree height between 14.9 and 24.3 m; (iv) the canopy phase, with tree height between 24.3 and 60.9 m; and (v) the emergent phase, with tree height above 60.9 m. The suppressed phase and canopy phase represent “stress-tolerant” and “competitive” strategies, respectively. Light conditions drive the shift from the “stress-tolerant” to the “competitive” strategy. These findings help us to better understand the regeneration mechanisms of canopy species in forests.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/11/1145ontogenetic phasesadaptive strategiesleaf functional traitslight environmentcanopy tree species |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Yun Deng Xiaobao Deng Jinlong Dong Wenfu Zhang Tao Hu Akihiro Nakamura Xiaoyang Song Peili Fu Min Cao |
spellingShingle |
Yun Deng Xiaobao Deng Jinlong Dong Wenfu Zhang Tao Hu Akihiro Nakamura Xiaoyang Song Peili Fu Min Cao Detecting Growth Phase Shifts Based on Leaf Trait Variation of a Canopy Dipterocarp Tree Species (<i>Parashorea chinensis</i>) Forests ontogenetic phases adaptive strategies leaf functional traits light environment canopy tree species |
author_facet |
Yun Deng Xiaobao Deng Jinlong Dong Wenfu Zhang Tao Hu Akihiro Nakamura Xiaoyang Song Peili Fu Min Cao |
author_sort |
Yun Deng |
title |
Detecting Growth Phase Shifts Based on Leaf Trait Variation of a Canopy Dipterocarp Tree Species (<i>Parashorea chinensis</i>) |
title_short |
Detecting Growth Phase Shifts Based on Leaf Trait Variation of a Canopy Dipterocarp Tree Species (<i>Parashorea chinensis</i>) |
title_full |
Detecting Growth Phase Shifts Based on Leaf Trait Variation of a Canopy Dipterocarp Tree Species (<i>Parashorea chinensis</i>) |
title_fullStr |
Detecting Growth Phase Shifts Based on Leaf Trait Variation of a Canopy Dipterocarp Tree Species (<i>Parashorea chinensis</i>) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Detecting Growth Phase Shifts Based on Leaf Trait Variation of a Canopy Dipterocarp Tree Species (<i>Parashorea chinensis</i>) |
title_sort |
detecting growth phase shifts based on leaf trait variation of a canopy dipterocarp tree species (<i>parashorea chinensis</i>) |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Forests |
issn |
1999-4907 |
publishDate |
2020-10-01 |
description |
Canopy species need to shift their adaptive strategy to acclimate to very different light environments as they grow from seedlings in the understory to adult trees in the canopy. However, research on how to quantitively detect ecological strategy shifts in plant ontogeny is scarce. In this study, we hypothesize that changes in light and tree height levels induce transitions in ecological strategies, and growth phases representing different adaptive strategies can be classified by leaf trait variation. We examined variations in leaf morphological and physiological traits across a vertical ambient light (represented by the transmittance of diffuse light, %TRANS) and tree height gradient in <i>Parashorea chinensis</i>, a large canopy tree species in tropical seasonal rainforest in Southwestern China. Multivariate regression trees (MRTs) were used to detect the split points in light and height gradients and classify ontogenetic phases. Linear piecewise regression and quadratic regression were used to detect the transition point in leaf trait responses to environmental variation and explain the shifts in growth phases and adaptive strategies. Five growth phases of <i>P. chinensis</i> were identified based on MRT results: (i) the vulnerable phase, with tree height at less than 8.3 m; (ii) the suppressed phase, with tree height between 8.3 and 14.9 m; (iii) the growth release phase, with tree height between 14.9 and 24.3 m; (iv) the canopy phase, with tree height between 24.3 and 60.9 m; and (v) the emergent phase, with tree height above 60.9 m. The suppressed phase and canopy phase represent “stress-tolerant” and “competitive” strategies, respectively. Light conditions drive the shift from the “stress-tolerant” to the “competitive” strategy. These findings help us to better understand the regeneration mechanisms of canopy species in forests. |
topic |
ontogenetic phases adaptive strategies leaf functional traits light environment canopy tree species |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/11/1145 |
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