Linking trait network parameters with plant growth across light gradients and seasons

作者：Qingyang Rao, Jianfeng Chen, Qingchuan Chou, Wenjing Ren, Te Cao, Meng Zhang, Huoqing Xiao, Zugen Liu, Jun Chen, Haojie Su, Ping Xie · 发表于：Functional Ecology · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1111/1365-2435.14327 · 被引用次数：64 · 研究领域：Plant and animal studies、Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies、Plant responses to elevated CO2

Abstract Reduced light availability induced by eutrophication has dramatically affected the growth of submerged macrophytes and caused their rapid decline globally in lakes. Functional traits have usually been used to predict ecological processes and explain plant adaptation. Trait networks, which are constructed from a series of nodes (traits) and edges (trait–trait correlations), can reveal complex relationships among traits. Plant traits belonging to different organs are considered relevant for overall plant performance. Therefore, variation in trait network topology at the whole plant level can better reflect plant adaptation and response to environments than traditional methods, but the mechanisms underlying the decline of plants from a trait network perspective are not well understood. In this study, based on a 1‐year manipulation experiment for Potamogeton maackianus cultured with four levels of light intensity, we constructed trait networks from 20 traits belonging to different organs. Our results showed that trait network connectivity decreases in harsh environments, probably due to increased trait modules responding independently to stress. Network connectivity was positively related to the plant relative growth rate (RGR), as high trait connectivity and coordination should be beneficial for plants to acquire and transport resources efficiently across the whole plant. Additionally, we found that specific stem length, leaf: root mass ratios and leaf total non‐structu...