| 1. |
- Kattge, Jens, et al.
(författare)
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TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access
- 2020
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Ingår i: Global Change Biology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 26:1, s. 119-188
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.
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| 2. |
- Schuldt, Bernhard, et al.
(författare)
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How adaptable is the hydraulic system of European beech in the face of climate change-related precipitation reduction?
- 2015
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Ingår i: New Phytologist. - : Wiley. - 1469-8137 .- 0028-646X.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Climate warming will increase the drought exposure of many forests world-wide. It is not well understood how trees adapt their hydraulic architecture to a long-term decrease in water availability. We examined 23 traits characterizing the hydraulic architecture and growth rate of branches and the dependent foliage of mature European beech (Fagus sylvatica) trees along a precipitation gradient (855-594 mm yr(-1) ) on uniform soil. A main goal was to identify traits that are associated with xylem efficiency, safety and growth. Our data demonstrate for the first time a linear increase in embolism resistance with climatic aridity (by 10%) across populations within a species. Simultaneously, vessel diameter declined by 7% and pit membrane thickness (Tm ) increased by 15%. Although specific conductivity did not change, leaf-specific conductivity declined by 40% with decreasing precipitation. Of eight plant traits commonly associated with embolism resistance, only vessel density in combination with pathway redundancy and Tm were related. We did not confirm the widely assumed trade-off between xylem safety and efficiency but obtained evidence in support of a positive relationship between hydraulic efficiency and growth. We conclude that the branch hydraulic system of beech has a distinct adaptive potential to respond to a precipitation reduction as a result of the environmental control of embolism resistance.
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| 3. |
- Wahlsteen, Eric, et al.
(författare)
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Continental-wide population genetics and post-Pleistocene range expansion in field maple (Acer campestre L.), a subdominant temperate broadleaved tree species
- 2023
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Ingår i: Tree Genetics and Genomes. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1614-2942 .- 1614-2950. ; 19:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Acer campestre L. is a rarely silviculturally managed and poorly investigated European tree species which forms seminatural populations and can thus be considered as a model tree for studying post glacial colonisation and phylogeography. Herein, we studied the genetic structure of Acer campestre L. in order to investigate population and genetic diversity clines over the distribution range and for synthesizing the results into a post-Pleistocene range expansion hypothesis. We characterised the genetic diversity and population structure of 61 Acer campestre populations using 12 microsatellite markers. The three detected gene pools are structured geographically creating a longitudinal pattern corresponding with their proposed refugial origin. The results indicated a longitudinal population cline with three strong but highly admixed gene pools. Based on the possible signal from the structure results, a number of phylogeographic dispersal hypotheses were tested using approximate Bayesian computation, and this analysis supported the three refugia scenario with a simultaneous divergence prior to the last glacial maximum. Acer campestre shows a typical decrease in population diversity with northern and western distribution and signatures of surfing alleles in the western expansion axis in 2% of the included alleles. Acer campestre exhibits a high degree of admixture among populations and typical signatures of isolation by distance with no naturally delimited subpopulations. The population structure is rather impacted by geographically, than climatologically means with surfing alleles and alleles strongly limited to geographical areas. Our data also suggest that the population structure still today harbours signatures of post glacial migrations from Mediterranean as well as northern glacial refugia.
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