Biology subjects

Gonzalez-Melo, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Gonzalez-Melo, A..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

Global trade-offs in tree functional traits

AO_SCPLOWBSTRACTC_SCPLOWDue to massive energetic investments in woody support structures, trees are subject to unique physiological, mechanical, and ecological pressures not experienced by herbaceous plants. When considering trait relationships across the entire plant kingdom, plant trait frameworks typically must omit traits unique to large woody species, thereby limiting our understanding of how these distinct ecological pressures shape trait relationships in trees. Here, by considering 18 functional traits--reflecting leaf economics, wood structure, tree size, reproduction, and below-ground allocation--we quantify the major axes of variation governing trait expression of trees worldwide. We show that trait variation within and across angiosperms and gymnosperms is captured by two independent processes: one reflecting tree size and competition for light, the other reflecting leaf photosynthetic capacity and nutrient economies. By exploring multidimensional relationships across clusters of traits, we further identify a representative set of seven traits which captures the majority of variation in form and function in trees: maximum tree height, stem conduit diameter, specific leaf area, seed mass, bark thickness, root depth, and wood density. Collectively, this work informs future trait-based research into the functional biogeography of trees, and contributes to our fundamental understanding of the ecological and evolutionary controls on forest biodiversity and productivity worldwide.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2020

How many and which species to plant? A multi-trait-based approach to select species to restore ecosystem services

It has been increasingly argued that ecological restoration should focus more on targeting ecosystem services than on species composition of reference ecosystems. In this sense, the role that species play on community assembly and functioning through their functional traits is very relevant, because effect traits mediate ecosystem processes, ultimately resulting in provision of ecosystem services. One major challenge in ecological restoration is to know which species to use that will deliver the target ecosystem services. We developed an algorithm to select the minimum set of species that maximize the functional richness (FRic) and the functional redundancy (FR) of the restored community, a proxy for the provision of multiple ecosystem services and the resilience of the system to environmental changes, respectively. For this, we simulated the restoration of 24 riparian woody communities of the Brazilian Cerrado. Using the species pool of each original local community, we ran restoration simulations for gradually increasing species richness until reaching the total species richness of the original local community. We computed FRic and FR for each simulated restoration community using the traits specific leaf area, maximum plant height and seed mass. Our simulation results indicate that multiple ecosystem services could be restored with an average of 66% of the species of the original community. Moreover, an average of 59% of the species would be needed to restore communities resilient to environmental changes. Our approach contributes to solving one of the major challenges of ecological restoration, which is defining how many and which species should be used to achieve functional targets. We believe this approach can help in projects of restoration by enabling restoration practitioners to select minimum alternative sets of species that optimize the provision of multiple ecosystem services in a resilient restored ecosystem.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2020

Minding The Gap: Range Size And Economic Use Drive Functional Trait Data Shortfall In The Atlantic Forest

Biodiversity shortfalls are knowledge gaps that may result from uneven sampling through time and space and human interest biases. Gaps in data of functional traits of species may add uncertainty in functional diversity and structure measures and hinder inference on ecosystem functioning and ecosystem services, with negative implications for conservation and restoration practices, such as in Atlantic Forest hotspot. Here we investigate which are the potential drivers of trait data gaps and where geographically they are in the Atlantic Forest. We quantified trait gaps for four key plant functional traits of 2335 trees species, and evaluated which factors drive trait gap at the species and at the geographical level. At the species level, we found larger trait gaps for small-ranged and with no economic use. At the geographical level, we found larger gaps at the Atlantic Forest east coast. Trait gaps were higher away from urban areas, and among species with smaller mean range size and smaller mean economic use of wood, and smaller near protected areas. Efforts on reducing trait gaps of small-ranged and of species with economic use of wood can further advance theory-driven studies and improve knowledge coverage

ecology↗