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Maintenance and Function of Biodiversity in Forests

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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 November 2024 | Viewed by 12581

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xugao Wang

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Guest Editor

CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
Interests: species coexistences; functional traits; biodiversity; ecosystem functions

Prof. Dr. Zuoqiang Yuan

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Guest Editor

School of Ecology and Environment, Northernwest Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710129, China
Interests: biodiversity and ecosystem functions; forest multifunctionality; plants and microbes

Prof. Dr. Chengjin Chu

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Guest Editor

State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Interests: climate change; ecological restoration; biodiversity; ecosystem functioning; plant ecology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As an important component of the terrestrial ecosystem, forests play an irreplaceable role in biodiversity protection and maintenance and provide ecosystem functioning, such as carbon sequestration, nutrient cycle, water conservation, and ecosystem stability. Over the past several decades, however, global forests are undergoing unprecedented pressure from anthropogenic disturbances and climate change, leading to a rapid decline in biodiversity due to fragmentation, deforestation, and degradation.

Exploring how to maintain biodiversity in forests is extremely urgent if humans want to achieve the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The complex structure, species interaction, regional species pool, and heterogeneous environment all influence the spatial and temporal patterns of forest diversity, but it is still unclear how these effects sustain biodiversity as forests are facing high variations in habitat features under global change. Forest ecosystem services also have strong interdependencies with conserving biodiversity. Despite substantial progress made regarding the maintenance and function of biodiversity in the past decades, the mechanisms by which biodiversity sustains ecosystem functioning and its stability remain in heated debates and mixed evidence in forests with intrinsic complexity. Climate change, human activities, and alien species invasion will have significant impacts on forest biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, thus affecting ecosystem stability.

To improve our understanding of the underlying mechanism of maintenance and function of biodiversity in forests, we have launched this Special Issue to bring together successful case studies, lessons learned, and experiences on, but are not limited to, the following: community assembly, species coexistence, above- and below-ground biotic interactions and their ecological consequences across different trophic levels across varied spatial and temporal scales, the effect of forest biodiversity on ecosystem multifunctionality and/or stability, response of function of biodiversity to environmental change and its mechanisms.

This Special Issue will accept cutting-edge studies from broad research topics related to the maintenance and function of biodiversity in forests. Research conducted in the field is preferred but laboratory works, including theoretical approaches (simulation modeling studies), are also of interest. Short communications on methods or presenting preliminary but interesting results will also be considered.

Prof. Dr. Xugao Wang
Prof. Dr. Zuoqiang Yuan
Prof. Dr. Chengjin Chu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

biodiversity
coexistences
climate change
disturbance
ecosystem functioning
forest ecology, forest management and conservation

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1752 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genetic Diversity and Structure of Terminalia bellerica (Gaertn. Roxb.) Population in India as Revealed by Genetic Analysis

by Subramani Umesh Kanna, Kalappan Thangamuthu Parthiban, Kandasamy Senthilraja, Subramanian Venkatesan, Dhandayuthapani Udhaya Nandhini, Shanmugam Mohan Kumar, Manickam Dhasarathan, Palaniyappan Kumaresan, Makkena Jaswanth Sai, Muthurajan Raveendran and Vellingiri Geethalakshmi

Plants 2024, 13(4), 470; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13040470 - 06 Feb 2024

Viewed by 678

Abstract

In this study, an extensive exploration survey of wild progeny was conducted which yielded 18 candidate plus trees (CPTs) of Terminalia bellerica. Seeds of these CPTs were collected from diverse locations between 10°54′ and 28°07′ E longitude, and 76°27′ and 95°32′ N latitude, covering 18 different locations across 5 states of the Indian subcontinent. The objective of the progeny trial was to assess genetic associations and variability in growth and physio-chemical characteristics. Significant variations (p < 0.05) were observed among the growth traits, encompassing plant height, basal diameter, girth at breast height and volume, as well as physio-chemical characteristics such as leaf length, width, area and chlorophyll content, carotenoids, and protein in the progeny trial. Broad-sense heritability (h²_b) estimates were consistently high, exceeding 80% for all growth and physiological related traits under investigation except for plant height, leaf length, and girth at breast height. A correlation study revealed that selecting based on plant height, leaf area, and girth at breast height effectively enhances T. bellerica volume. A moderate genetic advance in percent of the mean (GAM) was observed for most traits, except leaf length, leaf width, girth at breast height, and plant height. Across all 13 traits, phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) surpassed genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV). Utilizing principal component analysis (PCA) and dendrogram construction categorized the genotypes into seven distinct groups. In conclusion, the study has demonstrated that targeting girth at breast height and plant height would be a highly effective strategy for the establishment of elite seedling nurseries and clonal seed nurseries for varietal and hybridization programs in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Maintenance and Function of Biodiversity in Forests)

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15 pages, 1536 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nitrogen Addition and Heterotroph Exclusion Affected Plant Species Diversity–Biomass Relationship by Affecting Plant Functional Traits

by Xile Xu, Luping Yang, Kai Shen, Huijuan Cao, Yishi Lin, Jinliang Liu and Wenjuan Han

Plants 2024, 13(2), 258; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13020258 - 16 Jan 2024

Viewed by 570

Abstract

(1) Background: Heterotrophs can affect plant biomass and alter species diversity–productivity relationships. However, these studies were conducted in systems with a low nitrogen (N) availability, and it is unclear how heterotroph removal affects the relationship between plant species diversity and productivity in different N habitats. (2) Methods: Three typical understory herbaceous plants were selected to assemble the plant species diversity (three plant species richness levels (1, 2, and 3) and seven plant species compositions), and the control, insecticide, fungicide, and all removal treatments were performed at each plant species diversity level in systems with or without N addition treatments. (3) Results: In systems without N addition, the insecticide treatment increased the plant aboveground biomass, total biomass, and leaf area, while the fungicide treatment reduced the plant belowground biomass, root length, and root tip number; the presence of Bidens pilosa increased the plant aboveground biomass. Similarly, the presence of Bletilla striata increased the plant belowground biomass and root diameter under each heterotroph removal treatment. In systems with N addition, all removal treatments reduced the plant belowground biomass and increased the plant leaf area; the presence of B. pilosa significantly increased the plant aboveground biomass, total biomass, and root length under each heterotroph removal treatment. The presence of B. striata significantly increased the plant belowground biomass and leaf area under insecticide and fungicide treatments. (4) Conclusions: Heterotroph removal alters the plant species diversity–biomass relationship by affecting the plant functional traits in systems with different N availabilities. The impact of biodiversity at different trophic levels on ecosystem functioning should be considered under the background of global change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Maintenance and Function of Biodiversity in Forests)

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14 pages, 2232 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Relationships between Phyllosphere Bacterial Communities and Leaf Functional Traits in a Temperate Forest

by Zuoqiang Yuan, Ji Ye, Fei Lin, Xing Wang, Teng Yang, Boyuan Bi, Zikun Mao, Shuai Fang, Xugao Wang, Zhanqing Hao and Arshad Ali

Plants 2023, 12(22), 3854; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12223854 - 15 Nov 2023

Viewed by 1006

Abstract

As a vital component of biodiversity, phyllosphere bacteria in forest canopy play a critical role in maintaining plant health and influencing the global biogeochemical cycle. There is limited research on the community structure of phyllosphere bacteria in natural forests, which creates a gap in our understanding of whether and/or how phyllosphere bacteria are connected to leaf traits of their host. In this study, we investigated the bacterial diversity and composition of the canopy leaves of six dominant tree species in deciduous broad-leaved forests in northeastern China, using high-throughput sequencing. We then compare the differences in phyllosphere bacterial community structure and functional genes of dominant tree species. Fourteen key leaf functional traits of their host trees were also measured according to standard protocols to investigate the relationships between bacterial community composition and leaf functional traits. Our result suggested that tree species with closer evolutionary distances had similar phyllosphere microbial alpha diversity. The dominant phyla of phyllosphere bacteria were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes. For these six tree species, the functional genes of phyllosphere bacteria were mainly involved in amino acid metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism processes. The redundancy and envfit analysis results showed that the functional traits relating to plant nutrient acquisition and resistance to diseases and pests (such as leaf area, isotope carbon content, and copper content) were the main factors influencing the community structure of phyllosphere bacteria. This study highlights the key role of plant interspecific genetic relationships and plant attributes in shaping phyllosphere bacterial diversity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Maintenance and Function of Biodiversity in Forests)

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14 pages, 3199 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Relative Importance of Stand Structure and Site Conditions for the Productivity, Species Diversity, and Carbon Sequestration of Cunninghamia lanceolata and Phoebe bournei Mixed Forest

by Yiru Wang, Zhaohua Liu, Tao Tang and Jiping Li

Plants 2023, 12(8), 1633; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12081633 - 12 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1242

Abstract

Forest stand structure (the characteristics and interrelationships of live trees) and site conditions (the physical and environmental characteristics of a specific location) have been linked to forest regeneration, nutrient cycling, wildlife habitat, and climate regulation. While the effects of stand structure (i.e., spatial and non-spatial) and site conditions on the single function of Cunninghamia lanceolata and Phoebe bournei (CLPB) mixed forest have been studied in previous studies, the relative importance of stand structure and site conditions in terms of productivity, species diversity, and carbon sequestration remains unresolved. In this study, a structural equation model (SEM) was adopted to analyze the relative importance of stand structure and site conditions for the forest productivity, species diversity, and carbon sequestration of CLPB mixed forest in Jindong Forestry in Hunan Province. Our research demonstrates that site conditions have a greater influence on forest functions than stand structure, and that non-spatial structures have a greater overall impact on forest functions than spatial structures. Specifically, the intensity of the influence of site conditions and non-spatial structure on functions is greatest for productivity, followed by carbon sequestration and species diversity. In contrast, the intensity of the influence of spatial structure on functions is greatest for carbon sequestration, followed by species diversity and productivity. These findings provide valuable insights for the management of CLPB mixed forest in Jindong Forestry and have significant reference value for the close-to-natural forest management (CTNFM) of pure Cunninghamia lanceolata forests. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Maintenance and Function of Biodiversity in Forests)

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12 pages, 2056 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Top Canopy Height and Stem Size Variation Enhance Aboveground Biomass across Spatial Scales in Seasonal Tropical Forests

by Zhenhua Sun, Arunkamon Sonsuthi, Tommaso Jucker, Arshad Ali, Min Cao, Feng Liu, Guanghong Cao, Tianyu Hu, Qin Ma, Qinghua Guo and Luxiang Lin

Plants 2023, 12(6), 1343; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12061343 - 16 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1707

Abstract

Tropical forests are biologically diverse and structurally complex ecosystems that can store a large quantity of carbon and support a great variety of plant and animal species. However, tropical forest structure can vary dramatically within seemingly homogeneous landscapes due to subtle changes in topography, soil fertility, species composition and past disturbances. Although numerous studies have reported the effects of field-based stand structure attributes on aboveground biomass (AGB) in tropical forests, the relative effects and contributions of UAV LiDAR-based canopy structure and ground-based stand structural attributes in shaping AGB remain unclear. Here, we hypothesize that mean top-of-canopy height (TCH) enhances AGB directly and indirectly via species richness and horizontal stand structural attributes, but these positive relationships are stronger at a larger spatial scale. We used a combined approach of field inventory and LiDAR-based remote sensing to explore how stand structural attributes (stem abundance, size variation and TCH) and tree species richness affect AGB along an elevational gradient in tropical forests at two spatial scales, i.e., 20 m × 20 m (small scale), and 50 m × 50 m (large scale) in southwest China. Specifically, we used structural equation models to test the proposed hypothesis. We found that TCH, stem size variation and abundance were strongly positively associated with AGB at both spatial scales, in addition to which increasing TCH led to greater AGB indirectly through increased stem size variation. Species richness had negative to negligible influences on AGB, but species richness increased with increasing stem abundance at both spatial scales. Our results suggest that light capture and use, modulated by stand structure, are key to promoting high AGB stocks in tropical forests. Thus, we argue that both horizontal and vertical stand structures are important for shaping AGB, but the relative contributions vary across spatial scales in tropical forests. Importantly, our results highlight the importance of including vertical forest stand attributes for predicting AGB and carbon sequestration that underpins human wellbeing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Maintenance and Function of Biodiversity in Forests)

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15 pages, 1758 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Do Tree Size and Tree Shade Tolerance Affect the Photosynthetic Capacity of Broad-Leaved Tree Species?

by Yuhan Song and Guangze Jin

Plants 2023, 12(3), 523; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12030523 - 23 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1908

Abstract

(1) Background: leaf structure traits are closely related to leaf photosynthesis, reflecting the ability of trees to obtain external resources in the process of growth. (2) Methods: We studied the morphological, chemical, anatomical, stomatal traits and maximum net photosynthetic rate of six broad-leaf species in northern temperate mixed broad-leaved Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) forest. (3) Aim: To investigate whether there are differences in leaf structural traits of trees with different shade tolerances and different sizes and the effects of these differences on leaf photosynthetic capacity. (4) Results: the effects of leaf structure traits on leaf photosynthesis were different among trees with different shade tolerances or different sizes. Under the condition of light saturation, the net photosynthetic rate, nitrogen use efficiency, phosphorus use efficiency and stomatal conductance of shade-intolerant trees or small trees were higher than those of shade-tolerant trees or large trees. (5) Conclusions: the shade tolerance of tree species or the size of trees affect the traits of leaf structure and indirectly affect the photosynthetic ability of plants. When constructing the leaf trait–photosynthesis model, the shade tolerance and tree size of tree species should be taken into account. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Maintenance and Function of Biodiversity in Forests)

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15 pages, 2394 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Seasonal Influence of Biodiversity on Soil Respiration in a Temperate Forest

by Mengxu Zhang, Emma J. Sayer, Weidong Zhang, Ji Ye, Zuoqiang Yuan, Fei Lin, Zhanqing Hao, Shuai Fang, Zikun Mao, Jing Ren and Xugao Wang

Plants 2022, 11(23), 3391; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11233391 - 05 Dec 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1875

Abstract

Soil respiration in forests contributes to significant carbon dioxide emissions from terrestrial ecosystems but it varies both spatially and seasonally. Both abiotic and biotic factors influence soil respiration but their relative contribution to spatial and seasonal variability remains poorly understood, which leads to uncertainty in models of global C cycling and predictions of future climate change. Here, we hypothesize that tree diversity, soil diversity, and soil properties contribute to local-scale variability of soil respiration but their relative importance changes in different seasons. To test our hypothesis, we conducted seasonal soil respiration measurements along a local-scale environmental gradient in a temperate forest in Northeast China, analyzed spatial variability of soil respiration and tested the relationships between soil respiration and a variety of abiotic and biotic factors including topography, soil chemical properties, and plant and soil diversity. We found that soil respiration varied substantially across the study site, with spatial coefficients of variation (CV) of 29.1%, 27.3% and 30.8% in spring, summer, and autumn, respectively. Soil respiration was consistently lower at high soil water content, but the influence of other factors was seasonal. In spring, soil respiration increased with tree diversity and biomass but decreased with soil fungal diversity. In summer, soil respiration increased with soil temperature, whereas in autumn, soil respiration increased with tree diversity but decreased with increasing soil nutrient content. However, soil nutrient content indirectly enhanced soil respiration via its effect on tree diversity across seasons, and forest stand structure indirectly enhanced soil respiration via tree diversity in spring. Our results highlight that substantial differences in soil respiration at local scales was jointly explained by soil properties (soil water content and soil nutrients), tree diversity, and soil fungal diversity but the relative importance of these drivers varied seasonally in our temperate forest. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Maintenance and Function of Biodiversity in Forests)

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13 pages, 2460 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Differences in Density Dependence among Tree Mycorrhizal Types Affect Tree Species Diversity and Relative Growth Rates

by Boliang Wei, Lei Zhong, Jinliang Liu, Fangdong Zheng, Yi Jin, Yuchu Xie, Zupei Lei, Guochun Shen and Mingjian Yu

Plants 2022, 11(18), 2340; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11182340 - 07 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2609

Abstract

Conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD) may vary by tree mycorrhizal type. However, whether arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM)-associated tree species suffer from stronger CNDD than ectomycorrhizal (EcM) and ericoid mycorrhizal (ErM)-associated tree species at different tree life stages, and whether EcM tree species can promote AM and ErM saplings and adults growth, remain to be studied. Based on the subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest data in eastern China, the generalized linear mixed-effects model was used to analyze the effects of the conspecific density and heterospecific density grouped by symbiont mycorrhizal type on different tree life stages of different tree mycorrhizal types. The results showed that compared to other tree mycorrhizal types at the same growth stage, EcM saplings and AM adults experienced stronger CNDD. Heterospecific EcM density had a stronger positive effect on AM and ErM individuals. Species diversity and average relative growth rate (RGR) first increased and then decreased with increasing basal area (BA) ratios of EcM to AM tree species. These results suggested that the stronger CNDD of EcM saplings and AM adults favored local species diversity over other tree mycorrhizal types. The EcM tree species better facilitated the growth of AM and ErM tree species in the neighborhood, increasing the forest carbon sink rate. Interestingly, species diversity and average RGR decreased when EcM or AM tree species predominated. Therefore, our study highlights that manipulating the BA ratio of EcM to AM tree species will play a nonnegligible role in maintaining biodiversity and increasing forest carbon sink rates. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Maintenance and Function of Biodiversity in Forests)

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