Trait–micro‐environment relationships of forest herb communities across Europe - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Global Ecology and Biogeography Année : 2023

Trait–micro‐environment relationships of forest herb communities across Europe

Sanne Govaert
Camille Meeussen
Thomas Vanneste
Jörg Brunet
Kim Calders
Karen de Pauw
Bente Graae
Sigrid Lindmo
Anna Orczewska
Pieter Sanczuk
Kris Verheyen
Pieter de Frenne

Résumé

Abstract Aim The microclimate and light conditions on the forest floor are strongly modified by tree canopies. Therefore, we need to better consider the micro‐environment when quantifying trait–environment relationships for forest understorey plants. Here, we quantify relationships between micro‐environmental conditions and plant functional traits at the community level, including intraspecific trait variation, and their relationship with microclimate air temperature, light and soil properties. Location Deciduous temperate forests across Europe. Time period 2018. Major taxa studied Herbaceous vegetation. Methods We sampled 225 plots across 15 regions along four complementary gradients capturing both macro‐ and microclimatic conditions including latitude, elevation, forest management and distance to forest edges. We related the community‐weighted mean of five plant functional traits (plant height, specific leaf area [SLA], plant carbon [C], plant nitrogen [N] and plant C:N ratio) across 150 vascular plant species to variation in local microclimate air temperature, light and soil properties. We tested the effect of accounting for intraspecific variation in trait–environment relationships and performed variation partitioning to identify major drivers of trait variation. Results Microclimate temperature, light availability and soil properties were all important predictors of community‐weighted mean functional traits. When light availability and variation in temperature were higher, the herb community often consisted of taller plants with a higher C:N ratio. In more productive environments (e.g. with high soil nitrogen availability), the community was dominated by individuals with resource‐acquisitive traits: high SLA and N but low C:N. Including intraspecific trait variation increased the strength of the trait–micro‐environment relationship, and increased the importance of light availability. Main conclusions The trait–environment relationships were much stronger when the micro‐environment and intraspecific trait variation were considered. By locally steering light availability and temperature, forest managers can potentially impact the functional signature of the forest herb‐layer community.
Fichier non déposé

Dates et versions

hal-04420024 , version 1 (26-01-2024)

Identifiants

Citer

Sanne Govaert, Camille Meeussen, Thomas Vanneste, Kurt Bollmann, Jörg Brunet, et al.. Trait–micro‐environment relationships of forest herb communities across Europe. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2023, 33 (2), pp.286-302. ⟨10.1111/geb.13789⟩. ⟨hal-04420024⟩
20 Consultations
0 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

Gmail Mastodon Facebook X LinkedIn More