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Plant Trait Assembly in Species-Rich Forests at Varying Elevations in the Northwest Andes of Colombia

Author

Listed:
  • Angélica Ochoa-Beltrán

    (Departamento de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín 050034, Colombia)

  • Johanna Andrea Martínez-Villa

    (Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC H2L 2C4, Canada)

  • Peter G. Kennedy

    (Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA)

  • Beatriz Salgado-Negret

    (Programa Ciencias Básicas de la Biodiversidad, Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Bogotá 111311, Colombia)

  • Alvaro Duque

    (Departamento de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín 050034, Colombia)

Abstract

Andean forests are home to a strikingly high diversity of plants, making it difficult to understand the main drivers of species assembly. Trait-based approaches, however, help overcome some challenges associated with high taxonomic complexity, providing insights into the main drivers of species coexistence. Here, we evaluated the roles of climate, soil fertility, and symbiotic root associations on shaping the assembly of six plant functional traits (leaf area, specific leaf area, dry leaf matter content, leaf thickness, leaf toughness, and wood density) along an elevational gradient in the species-rich northwestern Andean forests of Colombia. The two main axes of the correspondence RLQ analysis explained 95.75% of the variability. The first axis was associated with the leaf economic spectrum, while the second axis with the tradeoff between growth and survival. Furthermore, the fourth corner method showed that both regional (climatic variables) and local factors (soil fertility, symbiotic root associations, and light distribution) played a key role in determining plant trait assembly. In summary, our study emphasizes the importance of considering both individual size and local factors to better understand drivers of plant trait assembly along environmental gradients.

Suggested Citation

  • Angélica Ochoa-Beltrán & Johanna Andrea Martínez-Villa & Peter G. Kennedy & Beatriz Salgado-Negret & Alvaro Duque, 2021. "Plant Trait Assembly in Species-Rich Forests at Varying Elevations in the Northwest Andes of Colombia," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-15, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:10:p:1057-:d:652064
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Robert A. Marchant & Aida Cuni-Sanchez, 2022. "Special Issue Editorial: Mountains under Pressure," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-5, August.

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