Leaf trait-environment relationships in a subtropical broadleaved forest in South-East China.

ABSTRACT: Although trait analyses have become more important in community ecology, trait-environment correlations have rarely been studied along successional gradients. We asked which environmental variables had the strongest impact on intraspecific and interspecific trait variation in the community and which traits were most responsive to the environment. We established a series of plots in a secondary forest in the Chinese subtropics, stratified by successional stages that were defined by the time elapsed since the last logging activities. On a total of 27 plots all woody plants were recorded and a set of individuals of every species was analysed for leaf traits, resulting in a trait matrix of 26 leaf traits for 122 species. A Fourth Corner Analysis revealed that the mean values of many leaf trait

SUBMITTER: Krober W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3335070 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature