Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland.
Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
Nat Commun. 2022 Jun 8;13(1):3185. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-30888-2.
Due to massive energetic investments in woody support structures, trees are subject to unique physiological, mechanical, and ecological pressures not experienced by herbaceous plants. Despite a wealth of studies exploring trait relationships across the entire plant kingdom, the dominant traits underpinning these unique aspects of tree form and function remain unclear. Here, by considering 18 functional traits, encompassing leaf, seed, bark, wood, crown, and root characteristics, we quantify the multidimensional relationships in tree trait expression. We find that nearly half of trait variation is captured by two axes: one reflecting leaf economics, the other reflecting tree size and competition for light. Yet these orthogonal axes reveal strong environmental convergence, exhibiting correlated responses to temperature, moisture, and elevation. By subsequently exploring multidimensional trait relationships, we show that the full dimensionality of trait space is captured by eight distinct clusters, each reflecting a unique aspect of tree form and function. Collectively, this work identifies a core set of traits needed to quantify global patterns in functional biodiversity, and it contributes to our fundamental understanding of the functioning of forests worldwide.
由于树木在木质支撑结构上投入了大量的能量，因此它们会承受草本植物所没有的独特生理、机械和生态压力。尽管有大量的研究探索了整个植物界的特征关系，但支撑树木形态和功能这些独特方面的主要特征仍不清楚。在这里，我们通过考虑 18 个功能特征，包括叶、种子、树皮、木材、树冠和根系特征，量化了树木特征表达的多维关系。我们发现，近一半的特征变异可以用两个轴来表示：一个反映叶经济，另一个反映树木大小和对光的竞争。然而，这些正交轴显示出强烈的环境趋同，对温度、湿度和海拔表现出相关的响应。通过随后探索多维特征关系，我们表明特征空间的全维度由八个不同的聚类来表示，每个聚类反映了树木形态和功能的一个独特方面。总的来说，这项工作确定了一组核心特征，这些特征需要用来量化功能生物多样性的全球模式，并有助于我们对全球森林功能的基本理解。
