How tree species identity and diversity affect light transmittance to the understory in mature temperate forests
| العنوان: | How tree species identity and diversity affect light transmittance to the understory in mature temperate forests |
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| المؤلفون: | Kris Verheyen, Dries Bonte, An Martel, Bram Sercu, Luc Lens, Frieke Van Coillie, Lander Baeten |
| المصدر: | ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION Ecology and Evolution |
| بيانات النشر: | Wiley, 2017. |
| سنة النشر: | 2017 |
| مصطلحات موضوعية: | 0106 biological sciences, DECIDUOUS FORESTS, Hemispherical photography, SPATIAL-PATTERN, ved/biology.organism_classification_rank.species, CROWN PLASTICITY, Biology, canopy closure, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, Shrub, RESOURCE HETEROGENEITY, GAP FORMATION, OLD-GROWTH, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Original Research, Nature and Landscape Conservation, Forest floor, EUROPEAN FORESTS, Tree canopy, geography, understory light, geography.geographical_feature_category, Ecology, ved/biology, ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION, Biology and Life Sciences, Understory, Old-growth forest, spatiotemporal variation, Spatial heterogeneity, shrub and subcanopy layer, Earth and Environmental Sciences, resource heterogeneity, SOUTHERN BOREAL FORESTS, HEMISPHERICAL PHOTOGRAPHS, Interception, 010606 plant biology & botany |
| الوصف: | Light is a key resource for plant growth and is of particular importance in forest ecosystems, because of the strong vertical structure leading to successive light interception from canopy to forest floor. Tree species differ in the quantity and heterogeneity of light they transmit. We expect decreases in both the quantity and spatial heterogeneity of light transmittance in mixed stands relative to monocultures, due to complementarity effects and niche filling. We tested the degree to which tree species identity and diversity affected, via differences in tree and shrub cover, the spatiotemporal variation in light availability before, during, and after leaf expansion. Plots with different combinations of three tree species with contrasting light transmittance were selected to obtain a diversity gradient from monocultures to three species mixtures. Light transmittance to the forest floor was measured with hemispherical photography. Increased tree diversity led to increased canopy packing and decreased spatial light heterogeneity at the forest floor in all of the time periods. During leaf expansion, light transmittance did differ between the different tree species and timing of leaf expansion might thus be an important source of variation in light regimes for understory plant species. Although light transmittance at the canopy level after leaf expansion was not measured directly, it most likely differed between tree species and decreased in mixtures due to canopy packing. A complementary shrub layer led, however, to similar light levels at the forest floor in all species combinations in our plots. Synthesis. We find that a complementary shrub layer exploits the higher light availability in particular tree species combinations. Resources at the forest floor are thus ultimately determined by the combined effect of the tree and shrub layer. Mixing species led to less heterogeneity in the amount of light, reducing abiotic niche variability. |
| وصف الملف: | binary/octet-stream |
| تدمد: | 2045-7758 |
| URL الوصول: | https://explore.openaire.eu/search/publication?articleId=doi_dedup___::df2474741524213a68e332aa67b14afc https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3528 |
| حقوق: | OPEN |
| رقم الأكسشن: | edsair.doi.dedup.....df2474741524213a68e332aa67b14afc |
| قاعدة البيانات: | OpenAIRE |
| تدمد: | 20457758 |
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