Curtin University Homepage
  • Library
  • Help
    • Admin

    espace - Curtin’s institutional repository

    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
    View Item 
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item

    Patterns of plant trait-environment relationships along a forest succession chronosequence

    Access Status
    Fulltext not available
    Authors
    Campetella, G.
    Botta-Dukat, Z.
    Wellstein, C.
    Canullo, R.
    Gatto, S.
    Chelli, S.
    Mucina, Ladislav
    Bartha, S.
    Date
    2011
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Campetella, Giandiego and Botta-Dukat, Zoltan and Wellstein, Camilla and Canullo, Roberto and Gatto, Simone and Chelli, Stefano and Mucina, Ladislav and Bartha, Sandor. 2011. Patterns of plant trait-environment relationships along a forest succession chronosequence. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 145 (1): 38-48.
    Source Title
    Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment
    DOI
    10.1016/j.agee.2011.06.025
    ISSN
    0167-8809
    School
    Department of Environment and Agriculture
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/24588
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    Land-use change due to socioeconomic factors leads to the abandonment of traditional intensive coppice management in large areas of the mountainous landscapes of the Apennines (Italy). In this study we explored the multivariate relationship between plant species traits, stage of forest succession and environmental gradients. We focused on community-level patterns in plant traits of the vegetation of beech forest understory along the regeneration chronosequence initiated after cessation of coppicing. We hypothesized that the correlations between the traits and environmental factors should increase with succession age due to the decreasing role of chance. Landscape-level heterogeneity, i.e. changing elevation, slope, exposition, bedrock and forest stand age was assessed using a stratified random sampling design. Sixty sites were sampled for stand structure and species composition. We focused on 14 plant traits related to persistence, growth and dispersal. The recently developed data-analytical method, Model-Based Recursive Partitioning, was used to disentangle the relationships between patterns of plant traits and environmental gradients.About half (seven) of the studied plant traits showed significant correlations with succession stand age, elevation, inclination, heat index and bedrock. Contrary to the low number of trait–environment correlations in early succession, eight traits showed significant relationships with one or more abiotic factors in older stages of the post-coppice development. Stand age had the highest independent explanatory power, explaining 40% of variance of SLA, more than 17% of variance of short-distance seed dispersal and more than 15% of variance of both long-term connection and extensive perennial root. Among the other abiotic factors, elevation explained 27% of variance of SLA, inclination explained 6–8% of variance of long-term connection, extensive perennial root, thickening and large bud bank. The observed trait–environmental relationship is assumed to be driven by various environmental factors operating at various levels of complexity. While forest succession in relatively homogeneous landscapes might be driven mainly by environmental factors related to forest succession itself and associated abiotic changes (such as changes in light and soil moisture patterns), in heterogeneous landscapes the succession pathways may be structured by landscape-level environmental factors such as inclination. However, in the present study, forest stand age had the highest explanatory power for most of the investigated traits, supporting the assumption of the overall strong impact of succession-driven environmental factors in trait–environment relationships.

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • Oil mallee plantings and arthropod biodiversity in the Western Australian wheatbelt : effects of host species, nutrition, and leaf chemistry
      Lyons, Anita Marie (2008)
      Since European settlement, around 93% of the Western Australian wheatbelt has been cleared for agriculture, leading to a range of environmental problems, including erosion, salinity, and loss of biodiversity. Recently, ...
    • Developing completion criteria for rehabilitation areas on arid and semi-arid mine sites in Western Australia
      Brearley, Darren (2003)
      Continued expansion of the gold and nickel mining industry in Western Australia during recent years has led to disturbance of larger areas and the generation of increasing volumes of waste rock. Mine operators are obligated ...
    • Patterns of clonal growth modes along a chronosequence of post-coppice forest regeneration in beech forests of Central Italy
      Canullo, R.; Campetella, G.; Mucina, Ladislav; Chelli, S.; Wellstein, C.; Bartha, S. (2010)
      Forest coppicing leads to changes in composition of the herbaceous understory through soil disturbance and alteration of the light regime. While the role of seed dispersal traits at the start of succession after coppicing ...
    Advanced search

    Browse

    Communities & CollectionsIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument TypeThis CollectionIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument Type

    My Account

    Admin

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    Follow Curtin

    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 

    CRICOS Provider Code: 00301JABN: 99 143 842 569TEQSA: PRV12158

    Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy statement | Accessibility

    Curtin would like to pay respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of our community by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which the Perth campus is located, the Whadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation; and on our Kalgoorlie campus, the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields.