Examinando por Autor "Bastias, Cristina C."

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Species richness influences the spatial distribution of trees in European forests
(Wiley, 2020-03) Bastias, Cristina C.; Truchado, Daniel A.; Valladares, Fernando; Benavides, Raquel; Bouriaud, Olivier; Bruelheide, Helge; Coppi, Andrea; Finér, Leena; Gimeno, Teresa E.; Jaroszewicz, Bogdan; Scherer-Lorenzen, Michael; Selvi, Federico; De la Cruz, Marcelino
The functioning of plant communities is strongly influenced by the number of species in the community and their spatial arrangement. This is because plants interact with their nearest neighbors and this interaction is expected to be stronger when the interacting individuals are ecologically similar in terms of resource use. Recent evidence shows that species richness alters the balance of intra- versus interspecific competition, but the effect of species richness, and phylogenetic and functional diversity on the spatial pattern of the plant communities remain less studied. Even far, how forest stand structure derived from past management practices can influence the relationship between species richness and spatial pattern is still unknown. Here, we evaluate the spatial distribution of woody individuals (DBH >7.5 cm) in 209 forest stands (i.e. plots) with an increasing level of species richness (from 1 up to 10 species) in six forest types along a latitudinal gradient in Europe. We used completely mapped plots to investigate the spatial pattern in each forest stand with point pattern techniques. We fitted linear models to analyze the effect of species richness (positively correlated with phylogenetic diversity) and functional diversity on tree spatial arrangements. We also controled this relationship by forest type and stand structure as a proxy of the management legacy. Our results showed a generalized positive effect of species richness and functional diversity on the degree of spatial clustering of trees, and on the spatial independence of tree sizes regardless of the forest type. Moreover, current tree spatial arrangements were still conditioned by its history of management; however its effect was independent of the number of species in the community. Our study showed that species richness and functional diversity are relevant attributes of forests influencing the spatial pattern of plant communities, and consequently forest functioning.
The effect of plant–plant interactions as a key biotic process mediating the spatial variation of phenotypes in a Pinus sylvestris forest
(Springer, 2022-05-09) Carvalho, Barbara; De la Cruz, Marcelino; Escudero, Adrián; Bastias, Cristina C.; Valladares, Fernando; Benavides, Raquel
Plant interactions are among the fundamental processes shaping the structure and functioning of ecosystems as they modulate competitive dynamics. However, the connection between the response of individual growth to neighbours and to environmental conditions and the mechanisms determining interactions in monospecific stands remain poorly understood. Here, we followed a phenotypic-based approach to disentangle the effect of plant size, neighbourhood interactions and microhabitat effects on Pinus sylvestris growth and traits, as well as their spatial variation of growth. We mapped all adult trees (1002 pines) in a 2 ha stand and measured their height, DBH and crown projection. For each individual, we assessed its growth and a competition index in relation to the closest neighbours. Soil chemical and physical properties and ground cover were also measured in a grid within the stand. We analysed the effects of tree size, neighbour competition and microhabitat variation on tree growth with a linear model. We also used spatial mark-correlation functions to explore the spatial dependence of tree age, secondary growth and phenotypic traits. Our results showed that trees with close neighbours displayed lower growth rates, whilst individuals with larger growths appeared scattered throughout the stand. Moreover, we found that growth depended on competition, tree height and crown area while tree growth poorly correlated with age or microhabitat conditions. Our findings highlight the importance of forest structure, in regulating inter-tree competition and growth in a Mediterranean pure stand and they provide insight into the causes and consequences of intraspecific variation in this system.