Relationship between productivity and plant functional traits along successive recovery stages in an alpine meadow

Abstract

Abstract: Using a spatial sequence approach instead of a temporal one, plant functional traits and aboveground primary productivity were investigated along successive recovery stages in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. The functional traits, including plant height, relative growth rate, special leaf area, leaf dry mass content, and total biomass of dominant plant species at the individual and community levels were measured at recovery succession stages of 1, 3, 7, 10, and 15 years. The recovery succession significantly reduced the value of plant functional traits such as plant height, relative growth rate and special leaf area, but increased the value of leaf dry mass content (y=0.170 5x+0.106 3, R²=0.506 5, P<0.001). There were negative relationships between plant height (y=-12.299x+410.3, R²=0.678 2, P<0.001), relative growth rate (y=-0.022 9x+0.624 7, R²=0.699 2, P<0.001), special leaf area (y=-61.171x+2 756.5, R²=0.595 6, P<0.001) and succession stage, but a positive relationship between leaf dry mass content (y=0.170 5x+0.106 3, R²=0.506 5, P<0.001) and succession stage. A negative relationship also emerged between above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) and succession stage (y=-0.228x+7.386 7, R²=0.495 4, P<0.01). Plant height (y=0.014 7x+0.942 6, R²=0.457 5, P<0.01), relative growth rate (y=8.695 4x+1.869 9, R²=0.519 1, P<0.001) and special leaf area (y=0.002 4x+0.942 6, R²=0.361 7, P<0.01) all had significantly positive effects on ANPP, while leaf dry mass content had no significant effect on ANPP (y=-0.435 5x+6.797, R²=0.101 5, P>0.05). The plant height, relative growth rate and special leaf area could be used as predicting traits for ecosystem productivity response to succession in the alpine meadow. In the management and utilization of alpine meadow ecosystems, these three functional traits could be used to describe and predict ecosystem function response to environmental changes.

CLC Number:

S812

ZHANG Ling-fei, WEI Bin, GE Qing-zheng, HAO Ming, FU Hua, ZHANG Wei-guo, JIANG Xiao-lei. Relationship between productivity and plant functional traits along successive recovery stages in an alpine meadow[J]. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 2012, 21(6): 235-241.

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