Linking leaf elemental traits to biomass across forest biomes in the Himalayas
Dyola, Nita (Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research)
Liang, Eryuan (Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research)
Peñuelas, Josep (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Camarero, Jesús Julio (Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología)
Sigdel, Shalik Ram (Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research)
Aryal, Sugam (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg)
Lin, Wentao (Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research)
Liu, Xiang (Lanzhou University. College of Ecology)
Liu, Yongwen (Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research)
Xu, Xingliang (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research)
Rossi, Sergio (Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. Département des Sciences Fondamentales)

Fecha:	2024
Resumen:	Plants require a number of essential elements in different proportions for ensuring their growth and development. The elemental concentrations in leaves reflect the functions and adaptations of plants under specific environmental conditions. However, less is known about how the spectrum of leaf elements associated with resource acquisition, photosynthesis and growth regulates forest biomass along broad elevational gradients. We examined the influence of leaf element distribution and diversity on forest biomass by analyzing ten elements (C, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Zn, Fe, Cu, and Mn) in tree communities situated every 100 meters along an extensive elevation gradient, ranging from the tropical forest (80 meters above sea level) to the alpine treeline (4200 meters above sea level) in the Kangchenjunga Landscape in eastern Nepal Himalayas. We calculated community-weighted averages (reflecting dominant traits governing biomass, i. e. , mass-ratio effect) and functional divergence (reflecting increased trait variety, i. e. , complementarity effect) for leaf elements in a total of 1,859 trees representing 116 species. An increasing mass-ratio effect and decreasing complementarity in leaf elements enhance forest biomass accumulation. A combination of elements together with elevation explains biomass (52. 2% of the variance) better than individual elemental trait diversity (0. 05% to 21% of the variance). Elevation modulates trait diversity among plant species in biomass accumulation. Complementarity promotes biomass at lower elevations, but reduces biomass at higher elevations, demonstrating an interaction between elevation and complementarity. The interaction between elevation and mass-ratio effect produces heterogeneous effects on biomass along the elevation gradient. Our research indicates that biomass accumulation can be disproportionately affected by elevation due to interactions among trait diversities across vegetation zones. While higher trait variation enhances the adaptation of species to environmental changes, it reduces biomass accumulation, especially at higher elevations.
Ayudas:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación TED2021-132627B-I00 Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2019-110521GB-I00 Agencia Estatal de Investigación RTI2018-096884-B-C31 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2017/SGR-1005
Nota:	Altres ajuts: the Fundación Ramón Areces Grant CIVP20A6621.
Derechos:	Tots els drets reservats.
Lengua:	Anglès
Documento:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Materia:	Ecosystem function ; Elevational gradient ; Functional diversity ; Functional traits ; Leaf elements ; Niche complementarity
Publicado en:	Science China Earth Sciences, (April 2024) , ISSN 1869-1897

DOI: 10.1007/s11430-023-1271-4

Disponible a partir de: 2025-12-30 Postprint

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Documentos de investigación > Documentos de los grupos de investigación de la UAB > Centros y grupos de investigación (producción científica) > Ciencias > CREAF (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
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