Tree species traits but not diversity mitigate stem breakage in a subtropical forest following a rare and extreme ice storm
Created at: 2010-03-16
Initial title: Snowbreak mortality in a diverse subtropical forest landscape: the role of tree species diversity, identity, and traits
Envisaged journal: Nadrowski, K., Pietsch, K., Baruffol, M., Both, S., Gutknecht, J., Bruelheide, H., ... & Wirth, C. (2014). Tree Species Traits but Not Diversity Mitigate Stem Breakage in a Subtropical Forest following a Rare and Extreme Ice Storm. PloS one, 9(5), e96022.
Envisaged date: 2014-05-30
Rationale
Future climates are likely to include extreme events, which in turn have great impacts on ecological systems. In this study, we investigated possible effects that could mitigate stem breakage caused by a rare and extreme ice storm in a Chinese subtropical forest across a gradient of forest diversity. We used Bayesian modeling to correct stem breakage for tree size and variance components analysis to quantify the influence of taxon, leaf and wood functional traits, and stand level properties on the probability of stem breakage. We show that the taxon explained four times more variance in individual stem breakage than did stand level properties; trees with higher specific leaf area (SLA) were less susceptible to breakage. However, a large part of the variation at the taxon scale remained unexplained, implying that unmeasured or undefined traits could be used to predict damage caused by ice storms. When aggregated at the plot level, functional diversity and wood density increased after the ice storm. We suggest that for the adaption of forest management to climate change, much can still be learned from looking at functional traits at the taxon level.
Datasets (11)
- CSPs: Coarse woody debris (CWD). Collection of data on dead wood with special regard to the 2008 ice storm (main)
- CSPs: Comparative study plot (CSP) information to be shared with all BEF-China scientists (main)
- CSPs: Leaf traits and chemicals from individual trees in the CSPs (main)
- CSPs: living or killed trees after the 2008 ice storm (main)
- CSPs: Phylogenetic alpha diversity of the comparative study plots (main)
- CSPs: Phylogenetic tree of woody species in the Gutianshan National Reserve (main)
- CSPs: Plant climatic niche traits related to extreme precipitation (ice storm) (main)
- CSPs: Tree size in the CSPs in 2008 and 2009 (main)
- CSPs: Wood density of tree species in the CSPs (main)
- CSPs: Xylem traits of tree species in the CSPs (main)
- General: Tree and Shrub species names reference list for BEF China (side)
Calculated Authors
Karin Nadrowski Martin Baruffol Helge Bruelheide, Prof. Martin Böhnke Teng Fang Anja Kahl Katherina Pietsch Bernhard Schmid, Prof. Christian Wirth Goddert von Oheimb Walter Durka David Eichenberg, Dr. Wenzel Kröber Stefan Michalski Oliver Purschke Erik Welk Jingyun Fang Anja Hallensleben
Files (1)
Data request state
State
accepted
Author

Main Proponents
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Martin Böhnke Alumni
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Martin Baruffol Alumni
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Teng Fang Alumni