Cornelissen Johannes H C, Lang Simone I, Soudzilovskaia Nadejda A, During Heinjo J
Department of Systems Ecology, Institute of Ecological Science, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Ann Bot. 2007 May;99(5):987-1001. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcm030. Epub 2007 Mar 12.
Recent decades have seen a major surge in the study of interspecific variation in functional traits in comparative plant ecology, as a tool to understanding and predicting ecosystem functions and their responses to environmental change. However, this research has been biased almost exclusively towards vascular plants. Very little is known about the role and applicability of functional traits of non-vascular cryptogams, particularly bryophytes and lichens, with respect to biogeochemical cycling. Yet these organisms are paramount determinants of biogeochemistry in several biomes, particularly cold biomes and tropical rainforests, where they: (1) contribute substantially to above-ground biomass (lichens, bryophytes); (2) host nitrogen-fixing bacteria, providing major soil N input (lichens, bryophytes); (3) control soil chemistry and nutrition through the accumulation of recalcitrant polyphenols (bryophytes) and through their control over soil and vegetation hydrology and temperatures; (4) both promote erosion (rock weathering by lichens) and prevent it (biological crusts in deserts); (5) provide a staple food to mammals such as reindeer (lichens) and arthropodes, with important feedbacks to soils and biota; and (6) both facilitate and compete with vascular plants.
Here we review current knowledge about interspecific variation in cryptogam traits with respect to biogeochemical cycling and discuss to what extent traits and measuring protocols needed for bryophytes and lichens correspond with those applied to vascular plants. We also propose and discuss several new or recently introduced traits that may help us understand and predict the control of cryptogams over several aspects of the biogeochemistry of ecosystems.
Whilst many methodological challenges lie ahead, comparative cryptogam ecology has the potential to meet some of the important challenges of understanding and predicting the biogeochemical and climate consequences of large-scale environmental changes driving shifts in the cryptogam components of vegetation composition.
近几十年来，比较植物生态学中对功能性状种间变异的研究激增，作为理解和预测生态系统功能及其对环境变化响应的一种工具。然而，这项研究几乎完全偏向于维管植物。关于非维管隐花植物，特别是苔藓植物和地衣的功能性状在生物地球化学循环中的作用和适用性，我们所知甚少。然而，这些生物是几个生物群落中生物地球化学的关键决定因素，特别是在寒冷生物群落和热带雨林中，它们：（1）对地上生物量有很大贡献（地衣、苔藓植物）；（2）容纳固氮细菌，提供主要的土壤氮输入（地衣、苔藓植物）；（3）通过难降解多酚的积累（苔藓植物）以及对土壤和植被水文及温度的控制来控制土壤化学和营养；（4）既促进侵蚀（地衣对岩石的风化作用）又防止侵蚀（沙漠中的生物结皮）；（5）为驯鹿等哺乳动物和节肢动物提供主要食物，对土壤和生物群落有重要反馈；（6）既促进维管植物生长又与之竞争。
在此，我们回顾了关于隐花植物性状种间变异在生物地球化学循环方面的现有知识，并讨论苔藓植物和地衣所需的性状及测量方案与应用于维管植物者的对应程度。我们还提出并讨论了几个新的或最近引入的性状，这些性状可能有助于我们理解和预测隐花植物对生态系统生物地球化学多个方面的控制。
尽管未来还有许多方法上的挑战，但比较隐花植物生态学有潜力应对一些重要挑战，即理解和预测大规模环境变化驱动植被组成中隐花植物成分转变所带来的生物地球化学和气候后果。
