Tree diversity shapes the spectral signature of light transmittance in developing forests.

ABSTRACT: Greater tree diversity often increases forest productivity by increasing the fraction of light captured and the effectiveness of light use at the community scale. However, light may shape forest function not only as a source of energy or a cause of stress but also as a context cue: Plant photoreceptors can detect specific wavelengths of light, and plants use this information to assess their neighborhoods and adjust their patterns of growth and allocation. These cues have been well documented in laboratory studies, but little studied in diverse forests. Here, we examined how the spectral profile of light (350-2200 nm) transmitted through canopies differs among tree communities within three diversity experiments on two continents (200 plots each planted with one to 12 tree species, amounting

SUBMITTER: Williams LJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11920942 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature