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Trait-based signatures of cloud base height in a tropical cloud forest
Catherine M Hulshof1, Bonnie G Waring2, Jennifer S Powers3
1Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, 23284, USA.
American Journal of Botany
|June 6, 2020
Summary
Plant community composition and traits can reveal cloud base height in tropical forests. This trait-based approach offers a cost-effective method for assessing cloud impacts in remote ecosystems.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Botany
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Clouds significantly impact ecosystem structure and function, particularly in tropical cloud forests.
- Directly monitoring clouds and their effects on biota is challenging in remote, complex terrains.
- Plant community composition may serve as an indicator of cloud base height.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess if plant community taxonomic and functional composition can be used to estimate cloud base height in tropical cloud forests.
- To compare the signatures of cloud base height between herbaceous and woody plant communities.
- To investigate the relationship between environmental variables and plant community shifts related to cloud formation.
Main Methods:
- Compared species turnover and functional traits (specific leaf area) in herbaceous and woody plants along an elevation gradient.
- Measured soil and air temperature, soil nutrient concentrations, and extracellular enzyme activity.
- Hypothesized abrupt shifts in taxonomic and functional composition would indicate cloud base height.
Main Results:
- Abrupt changes in taxonomic composition and specific leaf area were observed for both plant types, confirming predictions.
- Herbaceous plants showed taxonomic and functional shifts 100 m higher than woody plants.
- Soil temperature changes correlated with herbaceous plant turnover, but other variables did not explain woody plant community shifts.
Conclusions:
- A trait-based approach effectively estimates cloud base height in tropical cloud forests.
- This method can distinguish between rising cloud bases and differing environmental needs of plant growth forms.
- Plant functional traits provide a valuable, rapid assessment tool for cloud impacts in inaccessible areas.
Keywords:
Costa Ricaclimateedaphicelevationfunctionalherbaceousmontanemountainserpentinesoil enzymeultramaficMore Related Videos
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