DOSTÁL, Petr, Markus FISCHER, Milan CHYTRÝ and Daniel PRATI. No evidence for larger leaf trait plasticity in ecological generalists compared to specialists. Online. Journal of Biogeography. Hoboken: Wiley, 2017, vol. 44, No 3, p. 511-521. ISSN 0305-0270. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jbi.12881. [citováno 2024-04-24]
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Basic information
Original name No evidence for larger leaf trait plasticity in ecological generalists compared to specialists
Authors DOSTÁL, Petr (203 Czech Republic), Markus FISCHER (756 Switzerland), Milan CHYTRÝ (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution) and Daniel PRATI (756 Switzerland)
Edition Journal of Biogeography, Hoboken, Wiley, 2017, 0305-0270.
Other information
Original language English
Type of outcome Article in a journal
Field of Study 10600 1.6 Biological sciences
Country of publisher United States of America
Confidentiality degree is not subject to a state or trade secret
WWW URL
Impact factor Impact factor: 4.154
RIV identification code RIV/00216224:14310/17:00094672
Organization unit Faculty of Science
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jbi.12881
UT WoS 000395100600004
Keywords in English community ecology; ecological generalists and specialists; grassland plantspecies; leaf functional traits; multispecies experiments; niche breadth; nicheposition; phenotypic plasticity
Tags NZ, rivok
Tags International impact, Reviewed
Changed by Changed by: Ing. Nicole Zrilić, učo 240776. Changed: 9/4/2018 21:38.
Abstract
Aim: Phenotypic plasticity is hypothesized to contribute to a species’ capacity to occupy broader ranges of conditions and to optimally exploit resource-rich environments. Although this is supported by case studies of individual species, we do not know whether larger plasticity in functional traits is generally associated with ecological characteristics of species such as their niche breadth or niche position. Here, we test whether there is such a relationship for plasticity in leaf functional traits. - Location: Central Europe. - Methods: We surveyed 110–132 grassland plant species for plasticity in five leaf traits [leaf thickness, leaf greenness, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and plant height] and for biomass changes in response to experimental fertilization, shading and waterlogging. Trait plasticity and changes in biomass were compared with species niche characteristics along three environmental axes (light, nutrient and soil moisture) derived from a vegetation-plot database. - Results: Although response of several traits to experimental treatments correlated with niche position and breadth (change in leaf thickness, greenness and biomass in response to fertilization; change in LDMC due to shading; and change in plant height and biomass due to waterlogging), we did not find evidence that species with broader niches or species from resource-rich environments are more plastic. Ecological generalists even turned out to be less plastic in some traits, including leaf thickness after fertilization and waterlogging. Generalists also displayed smaller plastic response averaged across all five traits (‘composite plasticity’), though the relationship was not statistically significant. This composite plasticity was positively related to absolute change in biomass in all experimental treatments. - Main conclusions: Our results suggest that larger species-level plasticity in leaf traits is not necessarily associated with a capacity to occupy a broader range of environments or with growth in resource-rich habitats; rather, it may indicate species’ sensitivity to environmental changes.
Links
GB14-36079G, research and development projectName: Centrum analýzy a syntézy rostlinné diverzity (PLADIAS) (Acronym: PLADIAS)
Investor: Czech Science Foundation
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