Functional composition of epiphyte communities in the Colombian Andes
Functional composition of epiphyte communities in the Colombian Andes
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DOI：
10.1002/ecy.2858
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发表时间：
2019-08-30
期刊：
影响因子：
4.8
通讯作者：
Duque, Alvaro
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Agudelo, Claudia Milena;Benavides, Ana Maria;Duque, Alvaro
我们确定的功能组成的血管附生植物沿着热带海拔梯度的变化，其目的是量化的作用，气候在确定大会的附生植物群落。我们测量了7个叶功能性状（叶面积，比叶面积，叶干物质含量，叶厚度，力冲，气孔密度，和潜在的电导指数）在163个最丰富的附生植物物种记录在10个地点位于沿着海拔梯度之间的60和2,900米，在哥伦比亚安第斯山脉。我们根据其最具特色的叶性状将附生植物物种分为七个层次功能组。沿着海拔梯度，两个主要的独立的叶特征尺寸，区分社区组合主要定义的叶面积光合（LAPS）和质量碳（LMCS）梯度。年平均温度是决定沿着LAPS物种位置的主要因素。与此相反，在特定的叶面积的局部变化，由于附生植物的相对高度的附着变化是其位置的主要决定因素沿着LMCS。我们的研究结果表明，附生植物叶片已经进化到优化和增强光合作用，通过叶面积为基础的战略和碳收购，通过投资建设成本的叶面积每单位的生物量，旨在调节光捕获和组织发育。鉴于大多数植物功能性状的研究忽视了维管束附生植物，我们的量化的多个维度的附生植物叶性状极大地增强了我们的了解维管植物的功能和适应不断变化的环境。
We identify changes in the functional composition of vascular epiphytes along a tropical elevational gradient with the aim of quantifying the role of climate in determining the assembly of epiphyte communities. We measured seven leaf functional traits (leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf dry-matter content, leaf thickness, force to punch, stomatal density, and potential conductance index) in the 163 most abundant epiphyte species recorded across 10 sites located along an elevational gradient between 60 and 2,900 m above sea level in the Colombian Andes. We grouped the epiphyte species into seven hierarchical functional groups according to their most characteristic leaf traits. Along the elevational gradient, the two main independent leaf trait dimensions that distinguished community assemblages were defined primarily by leaf area-photosynthetic (LAPS) and mass-carbon (LMCS) gradients. Mean annual temperature was the main determinant of species position along LAPS. In contrast, local changes in specific leaf area due to variation in the epiphytes' relative height of attachment was the main determinant of their position along the LMCS. Our findings indicate that epiphytic plant leaves have evolved to optimize and enhance photosynthesis through a leaf area-based strategy and carbon acquisition through investments in construction costs of leaf area per unit of biomass that aim to regulate light capture and tissue development. Given that most studies of plant functional traits neglect vascular epiphytes, our quantification of the multiple dimensions of epiphyte leaf traits greatly augments our understanding of vascular plant function and adaptation to changing environments.