Plants

Research

13 pages, 1901 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Wood Anatomical and Demographic Similarities Between Self-Standing Liana and Tree Seedlings in Tropical Dry Forests of Colombia

by Juliana Puentes-Marín, Andrés González-Melo, Beatriz Salgado-Negret, Roy González-M, Julio Abad Ferrer, Juan Pablo Benavides, Juan Manuel Cely, Álvaro Idárraga-Piedrahita, Esteban Moreno, Camila Pizano, Nancy Pulido, Katherine Rivera, Felipe Rojas-Bautista, Juan Felipe Solorzano and María Natalia Umaña

Plants 2024, 13(21), 3023; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13213023 - 29 Oct 2024

Viewed by 556

Abstract

Canopy lianas differ considerably from trees in terms of wood anatomical structure, and they are suggested to have a demographic advantage—faster growth and higher survival—than trees. However, it remains unclear whether these anatomical and demographic differences persist at the seedling stage, when most [...] Read more.

Canopy lianas differ considerably from trees in terms of wood anatomical structure, and they are suggested to have a demographic advantage—faster growth and higher survival—than trees. However, it remains unclear whether these anatomical and demographic differences persist at the seedling stage, when most liana species are self-standing and, consequently, might be ecologically similar to trees. We assessed how self-standing liana and tree seedlings differ in relation to wood anatomy, growth, and survival. We measured 12 wood traits and monitored seedling growth and survival over one year for 10 self-supporting liana and 10 tree seedling species from three tropical dry forests in Colombia. Liana and tree seedlings exhibited similar survival rates and wood anatomies for traits related to water storage and mechanical support. Yet, for traits associated with water transport, liana seedlings showed greater variability in vessel lumen size, while tree seedlings had higher vessel density. Also, the liana relative growth rate was significantly higher than for trees. These results indicate that, while self-supporting liana and tree seedlings are anatomically similar in terms of mechanical support and water storage—likely contributing to their similar survival rates—liana seedlings have a growth advantage, possibly due to more efficient water transport. These findings suggest that the well-documented anatomical and demographic differences between adult lianas and trees may depend on the liana’s developmental stage, with more efficient water transport emerging as a key trait from early stages. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on New World Tropical Forests)

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17 pages, 2213 KiB

Open AccessArticle

From Stand to Forest: Woody Plant Recruitment in an Andean Restoration Project

by Marina Piquer-Doblas, Guillermo A. Correa-Londoño and Luis F. Osorio-Vélez

Plants 2024, 13(17), 2474; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13172474 - 4 Sep 2024

Viewed by 608

Abstract

The growing deforestation of tropical forests requires the implementation of restoration actions capable of assisting the recovery of biodiversity and the functioning of these ecosystems. This research aimed to identify the environmental factors that influence the abundance and diversity of woody plant recruitment [...] Read more.

The growing deforestation of tropical forests requires the implementation of restoration actions capable of assisting the recovery of biodiversity and the functioning of these ecosystems. This research aimed to identify the environmental factors that influence the abundance and diversity of woody plant recruitment in an Andean forest restoration project in Medellin (Colombia). Data from woody plant individuals taller than 80 cm were collected in 22 plots of 200·m⁻². The environmental factors selected were edaphic variables, plantation structure, slope, elevation, prior land use, and landscape forest cover. Generalized linear models (GLM) were used to analyze recruitment densit and Linear Mixed Models (LMM) to assess recruited species richness, diversity, and dominance. Woody plant recruitment attributes in our study area were similar to those of secondary succession in an Andean forest, but planted trees contributed little to recruitment density and diversity. While recruitment density was affected by slope, canopy closure, and landscape forest cover, recruitment diversity was influenced by physical (bulk density) and chemical (pH, aluminum, Cation Exchange Capacity) edaphic factors, planted tree diversity (species richness and composition), canopy closure, and the mortality rate of planted trees. We conclude that sites with lower mortality rates of planted trees and denser canopies enhance both recruitment density and diversity, indicating a synergy between active restoration and passive regeneration processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on New World Tropical Forests)

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21 pages, 3297 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Trait-Mediated Variation in Seedling Performance in Costa Rican Successional Forests: Comparing Above-Ground, Below-Ground, and Allocation-Based Traits

by Nohemi Huanca-Nunez, Robin L. Chazdon and Sabrina E. Russo

Plants 2024, 13(17), 2378; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13172378 - 26 Aug 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 629

Abstract

The interspecific relationship between functional traits and tree seedling performance can be inconsistent, potentially due to site-to-site or microsite variation in environmental conditions. Studies of seedling traits and performance often focus on above-ground traits, despite the importance of below-ground resource acquisition and biomass [...] Read more.

The interspecific relationship between functional traits and tree seedling performance can be inconsistent, potentially due to site-to-site or microsite variation in environmental conditions. Studies of seedling traits and performance often focus on above-ground traits, despite the importance of below-ground resource acquisition and biomass allocation to above versus below-ground functions. Here we investigate how varying environmental conditions across sites induce intraspecific variation in organ-level (above-ground, below-ground) and biomass allocation traits, affecting interspecific relationships between these traits and seedling performance. We analyzed trait expression for 12 organ-level and three allocation traits and their relationships with height growth (1716 seedlings) and mortality (15,862 seedlings) for 26 tree species across three sites along a forest successional gradient in Costa Rica. We found significant intraspecific differences across sites in all allocation traits, but only in three of seven above-ground and three of five below-ground organ-level traits. Allocation traits were better predictors of seedling performance than organ-level traits. Relationships between allocation traits and both growth and mortality varied among all sites, but for organ-level traits, only relationships with growth varied among sites. These results underscore that biomass allocation plays a key role in the earliest life stages of trees and that site-specific conditions can influence how functional traits mediate seedling establishment during succession. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on New World Tropical Forests)

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21 pages, 17357 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Past Fire and Vegetation Change in the Hyperdiverse Forests of the Ecuadorian Amazon

by Britte M. Heijink, Annabel Zwarts, Nina H. Witteveen, Jessica Watson, Arie Ebbenhorst, Fedde Veenman, Mats Kessel, Susana León-Yánez, Juan Ernesto Guevara-Andino, María-José Endara, Gonzalo Rivas-Torres, Mark B. Bush and Crystal N. H. McMichael

Plants 2024, 13(15), 2048; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13152048 - 25 Jul 2024

Viewed by 1101

Abstract

The Ecuadorian Amazon holds more biodiversity than most other places on Earth. Palms are a particularly dominant component of the vegetation; however, it remains unknown to what degree the pattern has persisted through time. Here, we investigate the persistence of palm dominance through [...] Read more.

The Ecuadorian Amazon holds more biodiversity than most other places on Earth. Palms are a particularly dominant component of the vegetation; however, it remains unknown to what degree the pattern has persisted through time. Here, we investigate the persistence of palm dominance through time and the degree to which past human activities (e.g., fire, cultivation, and forest opening) have affected changes in palm abundances across five regions of the Ecuadorian Amazon. We analyzed soil cores (40–80 cm depth) from each region for charcoal (evidence of past fire) and phytoliths (evidence of past vegetation change). The timings of fires (based on ¹⁴C radiocarbon dates), the occurrence, recurrence, and number of fires (based on charcoal presence and abundance in samples), and the amount of change in palm abundances (based on phytoliths) varied within and between the studied regions. The charcoal and phytolith results indicate the presence of low levels of past human activity at all sites. Our results show that patterns of modern palm hyperdominance found in Amazonian forests have not been persistent through time, and that even low levels of past human activities can affect palm abundance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on New World Tropical Forests)

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16 pages, 5918 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Linking Seed Traits and Germination Responses in Caribbean Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest Species

by Viviana Londoño-Lemos, Alba Marina Torres-Gonzáles and Santiago Madriñán

Plants 2024, 13(10), 1318; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13101318 - 10 May 2024

Viewed by 1304

Abstract

Understanding the relationships between seed traits and germination responses is crucial for assessing natural regeneration, particularly in threatened ecosystems like the seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF). This study explored links between seed traits (mass, volume, moisture content, and dispersal type), germination responses (germinability, [...] Read more.

Understanding the relationships between seed traits and germination responses is crucial for assessing natural regeneration, particularly in threatened ecosystems like the seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF). This study explored links between seed traits (mass, volume, moisture content, and dispersal type), germination responses (germinability, germination speed (

\bar{v}

), time to 50% of germination (T50), synchrony, and photoblastism), and physical dormancy (PY) in 65 SDTF species under experimental laboratory conditions. We found that species with smaller seeds (low mass and volume) had higher

\bar{v}

and reached T50 faster than species with larger seeds. For moisture content, species with lower moisture content had higher germinability and reached the T50 faster than seeds with high moisture content. Abiotic dispersed species germinated faster and reached the T50 in fewer days. Most of the SDTF species (60%) did not present PY, and the presence of PY was associated with seeds with lower moisture content. As for photoblastism (germination sensitivity to light), we classified the species into three ecological categories: generalists (42 species, non-photoblastic), heliophytes (18 species, positive photoblastic, germination inhibited by darkness), and sciadophytes (5 species, negative photoblastic, light inhibited germination). This study intends to be a baseline for the study of seed ecophysiology in the SDTF. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on New World Tropical Forests)

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19 pages, 7536 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Evolution of Agrarian Landscapes in the Tropical Andes

by Courtney R. Shadik, Mark B. Bush, Bryan G. Valencia, Angela Rozas-Davila, Daniel Plekhov, Robert D. Breininger, Claire Davin, Lindsay Benko, Larry C. Peterson and Parker VanValkenburgh

Plants 2024, 13(7), 1019; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13071019 - 3 Apr 2024

Viewed by 1540

Abstract

Changes in land-use practices have been a central element of human adaptation to Holocene climate change. Many practices that result in the short-term stabilization of socio-natural systems, however, have longer-term, unanticipated consequences that present cascading challenges for human subsistence strategies and opportunities for [...] Read more.

Changes in land-use practices have been a central element of human adaptation to Holocene climate change. Many practices that result in the short-term stabilization of socio-natural systems, however, have longer-term, unanticipated consequences that present cascading challenges for human subsistence strategies and opportunities for subsequent adaptations. Investigating complex sequences of interaction between climate change and human land-use in the past—rather than short-term causes and effects—is therefore essential for understanding processes of adaptation and change, but this approach has been stymied by a lack of suitably-scaled paleoecological data. Through a high-resolution paleoecological analysis, we provide a 7000-year history of changing climate and land management around Lake Acopia in the Andes of southern Peru. We identify evidence of the onset of pastoralism, maize cultivation, and possibly cultivation of quinoa and potatoes to form a complex agrarian landscape by c. 4300 years ago. Cumulative interactive climate-cultivation effects resulting in erosion ended abruptly c. 2300 years ago. After this time, reduced sedimentation rates are attributed to the construction and use of agricultural terraces within the catchment of the lake. These results provide new insights into the role of humans in the manufacture of Andean landscapes and the incremental, adaptive processes through which land-use practices take shape. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on New World Tropical Forests)

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13 pages, 2306 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Historical Assembly of Andean Tree Communities

by Sebastián González-Caro, J. Sebastián Tello, Jonathan A. Myers, Kenneth Feeley, Cecilia Blundo, Marco Calderón-Loor, Julieta Carilla, Leslie Cayola, Francisco Cuesta, William Farfán, Alfredo F. Fuentes, Karina Garcia-Cabrera, Ricardo Grau, Álvaro Idarraga, M. Isabel Loza, Yadvinder Malhi, Agustina Malizia, Lucio Malizia, Oriana Osinaga-Acosta, Esteban Pinto, Norma Salinas, Miles Silman, Andrea Terán-Valdéz and Álvaro Duque Show full author list Hide full author list

Plants 2023, 12(20), 3546; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12203546 - 12 Oct 2023

Viewed by 2074

Abstract

Patterns of species diversity have been associated with changes in climate across latitude and elevation. However, the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms underlying these relationships are still actively debated. Here, we present a complementary view of the well-known tropical niche conservatism (TNC) hypothesis, termed [...] Read more.

Patterns of species diversity have been associated with changes in climate across latitude and elevation. However, the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms underlying these relationships are still actively debated. Here, we present a complementary view of the well-known tropical niche conservatism (TNC) hypothesis, termed the multiple zones of origin (MZO) hypothesis, to explore mechanisms underlying latitudinal and elevational gradients of phylogenetic diversity in tree communities. The TNC hypothesis posits that most lineages originate in warmer, wetter, and less seasonal environments in the tropics and rarely colonize colder, drier, and more seasonal environments outside of the tropical lowlands, leading to higher phylogenetic diversity at lower latitudes and elevations. In contrast, the MZO hypothesis posits that lineages also originate in temperate environments and readily colonize similar environments in the tropical highlands, leading to lower phylogenetic diversity at lower latitudes and elevations. We tested these phylogenetic predictions using a combination of computer simulations and empirical analyses of tree communities in 245 forest plots located in six countries across the tropical and subtropical Andes. We estimated the phylogenetic diversity for each plot and regressed it against elevation and latitude. Our simulated and empirical results provide strong support for the MZO hypothesis. Phylogenetic diversity among co-occurring tree species increased with both latitude and elevation, suggesting an important influence on the historical dispersal of lineages with temperate origins into the tropical highlands. The mixing of different floras was likely favored by the formation of climatically suitable corridors for plant migration due to the Andean uplift. Accounting for the evolutionary history of plant communities helps to advance our knowledge of the drivers of tree community assembly along complex climatic gradients, and thus their likely responses to modern anthropogenic climate change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on New World Tropical Forests)

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18 pages, 4171 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Variation in the Drought Tolerance of Tropical Understory Plant Communities across an Extreme Elevation and Precipitation Gradient

by Catherine H. Bravo-Avila and Kenneth J. Feeley

Plants 2023, 12(16), 2957; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12162957 - 16 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1643

Abstract

Little is known about how differences in water availability within the “super humid” tropics can influence the physiology of understory plant species and the composition of understory plant communities. We investigated the variation in the physiological drought tolerances of hundreds of understory plants [...] Read more.

Little is known about how differences in water availability within the “super humid” tropics can influence the physiology of understory plant species and the composition of understory plant communities. We investigated the variation in the physiological drought tolerances of hundreds of understory plants in dozens of plant communities across an extreme elevation and precipitation gradient. Specifically, we established 58 understory plots along a gradient of 400–3600 m asl elevation and 1000–6000 mm yr⁻¹ rainfall in and around Manu National Park in southeastern Peru. Within the plots, we sampled all understory woody plants and measured three metrics of physiological leaf drought tolerance—turgor loss point (TLP), cuticular conductance (G_min), and solute leakage (SL)—and assessed how the community-level means of these three traits related to the mean annual precipitation (MAP) and elevation (along the study gradient, the temperature decreases linearly, and the vapor pressure deficit increases monotonically with elevation). We did not find any correlations between the three metrics of leaf drought tolerance, suggesting that they represent independent strategies for coping with a low water availability. Despite being widely used metrics of leaf drought tolerance, neither the TLP nor G_min showed any significant relationships with elevation or the MAP. In contrast, SL, which has only recently been developed for use in ecological field studies, increased significantly at higher precipitations and at lower elevations (i.e., plants in colder and drier habitats have a lower average SL, indicating greater drought tolerances). Our results illustrate that differences in water availability may affect the physiology of tropical montane plants and thus play a strong role in structuring plant communities even in the super humid tropics. Our results also highlight the potential for SL assays to be efficient and effective tools for measuring drought tolerances in the field. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on New World Tropical Forests)

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Review

Jump to: Research, Other

19 pages, 982 KiB

Open AccessReview

Ecotones as Windows into Organismal-to-Biome Scale Responses across Neotropical Forests

by Perla Ortiz-Colin and Catherine M. Hulshof

Plants 2024, 13(17), 2396; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13172396 - 27 Aug 2024

Viewed by 1468

Abstract

Tropical forests are incredibly diverse in structure and function. Despite, or perhaps because of, this diversity, tropical biologists often conduct research exclusively in one or perhaps a few forest types. Rarely do we study the ecotone—the interstitial region between forest types. Ecotones are [...] Read more.

Tropical forests are incredibly diverse in structure and function. Despite, or perhaps because of, this diversity, tropical biologists often conduct research exclusively in one or perhaps a few forest types. Rarely do we study the ecotone—the interstitial region between forest types. Ecotones are hyper-diverse, dynamic systems that control the flow of energy and organisms between adjacent ecosystems, with their locations determined by species’ physiological limits. In this review, we describe how studying ecotones can provide key indicators for monitoring the state of Neotropical forests from organisms to ecosystems. We first describe how ecotones have been studied in the past and summarize our current understanding of tropical ecotones. Next, we provide three example lines of research focusing on the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of the ecotone between tropical dry forests and desert; between tropical dry and rainforests; and between Cerrado and Atlantic rainforests, with the latter being a particularly well-studied ecotone. Lastly, we outline methods and tools for studying ecotones that combine remote sensing, new statistical techniques, and field-based forest dynamics plot data, among others, for understanding these important systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on New World Tropical Forests)

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38 pages, 1229 KiB

Open AccessReview

Sustainable Development versus Extractivist Deforestation in Tropical, Subtropical, and Boreal Forest Ecosystems: Repercussions and Controversies about the Mother Tree and the Mycorrhizal Network Hypothesis

by Tomas Gabriel Bas, Mario Luis Sáez and Nicolas Sáez

Plants 2024, 13(9), 1231; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13091231 - 29 Apr 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2607

Abstract

This research reviews the phenomenon of extractive deforestation as a possible trigger for cascade reactions that could affect part of the forest ecosystem and its biodiversity (surface, aerial, and underground) in tropical, subtropical, and boreal forests. The controversy and disparities in criteria generated [...] Read more.

This research reviews the phenomenon of extractive deforestation as a possible trigger for cascade reactions that could affect part of the forest ecosystem and its biodiversity (surface, aerial, and underground) in tropical, subtropical, and boreal forests. The controversy and disparities in criteria generated in the international scientific community around the hypothesis of a possible link between “mother trees” and mycorrhizal networks in coopetition for nutrients, nitrogen, and carbon are analyzed. The objective is to promote awareness to generate more scientific knowledge about the eventual impacts of forest extraction. Public policies are emphasized as crucial mediators for balanced sustainable development. Currently, the effects of extractive deforestation on forest ecosystems are poorly understood, which requires caution and forest protection. Continued research to increase our knowledge in molecular biology is advocated to understand the adaptation of biological organisms to the new conditions of the ecosystem both in the face of extractive deforestation and reforestation. The environmental impacts of extractive deforestation, such as the loss of biodiversity, soil degradation, altered water cycles, and the contribution of climate change, remain largely unknown. Long-term and high-quality research is essential to ensure forest sustainability and the preservation of biodiversity for future generations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on New World Tropical Forests)

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15 pages, 348 KiB

Open AccessReview

Tropical Trees Will Need to Acclimate to Rising Temperatures—But Can They?

by Kenneth J. Feeley, Manuel Bernal-Escobar, Riley Fortier and Alyssa T. Kullberg

Plants 2023, 12(17), 3142; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12173142 - 31 Aug 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2794

Abstract

For tropical forests to survive anthropogenic global warming, trees will need to avoid rising temperatures through range shifts and “species migrations” or tolerate the newly emerging conditions through adaptation and/or acclimation. In this literature review, we synthesize the available knowledge to show that [...] Read more.

For tropical forests to survive anthropogenic global warming, trees will need to avoid rising temperatures through range shifts and “species migrations” or tolerate the newly emerging conditions through adaptation and/or acclimation. In this literature review, we synthesize the available knowledge to show that although many tropical tree species are shifting their distributions to higher, cooler elevations, the rates of these migrations are too slow to offset ongoing changes in temperatures, especially in lowland tropical rainforests where thermal gradients are shallow or nonexistent. We also show that the rapidity and severity of global warming make it unlikely that tropical tree species can adapt (with some possible exceptions). We argue that the best hope for tropical tree species to avoid becoming “committed to extinction” is individual-level acclimation. Although several new methods are being used to test for acclimation, we unfortunately still do not know if tropical tree species can acclimate, how acclimation abilities vary between species, or what factors may prevent or facilitate acclimation. Until all of these questions are answered, our ability to predict the fate of tropical species and tropical forests—and the many services that they provide to humanity—remains critically impaired. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on New World Tropical Forests)

Other

Jump to: Research, Review

11 pages, 1127 KiB

Open AccessOpinion

Sensing Forests Directly: The Power of Permanent Plots

by Oliver L. Phillips

Plants 2023, 12(21), 3710; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12213710 - 28 Oct 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3669

Abstract

The need to measure, monitor, and understand our living planet is greater than ever. Yet, while many technologies are applied to tackle this need, one developed in the 19th century is transforming tropical ecology. Permanent plots, in which forests are directly sensed tree-by-tree [...] Read more.

The need to measure, monitor, and understand our living planet is greater than ever. Yet, while many technologies are applied to tackle this need, one developed in the 19th century is transforming tropical ecology. Permanent plots, in which forests are directly sensed tree-by-tree and species-by-species, already provide a global public good. They could make greater contributions still by unlocking our potential to understand future ecological change, as the more that computational and remote technologies are deployed the greater the need to ground them with direct observations and the physical, nature-based skills of those who make them. To achieve this requires building profound connections with forests and disadvantaged communities and sustaining these over time. Many of the greatest needs and opportunities in tropical forest science are therefore not to be found in space or in silico, but in vivo, with the people, places and plots who experience nature directly. These are fundamental to understanding the health, predicting the future, and exploring the potential of Earth’s richest ecosystems. Now is the time to invest in the tropical field research communities who make so much possible. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives on New World Tropical Forests)

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