Contrasting tissue strategies explain functional beta diversity in Amazonian trees

1. Contrasting tissue strategiesexplainfunctionalbeta diversity in Amazoniantrees C. Fortunel, C.E.T. Paine, N. Kraft, P.V.A. Fine, C. Baraloto*

2. IntroductionMaterial and methods Results Conclusion and perspectives Global changes in the tropics • Land use changes through logging, deforestation, fragmentation, and fire use • Climate changes with increases in extreme climatic events (e.g. droughts) Asner et al. 2010. Conserv Lett Lewis et al. 2011. Science

3. IntroductionMaterial and methods Results Conclusion and perspectives Impact on functional diversity • Loss of biodiversity, especially in the tropics, with consequences for ecosystem services • Predictions of loss of functional diversity limited by poor description of spatial patterns Fig. 2. Mean shifts in the geographic variation of functional richness (FR) between present-day (1960–1989) and future climate scenarios (2070–2099) B1 (a) and A2 (b). FR increase and decrease is calculated relative to FR of present-day climates. Reuet al. 2011. Biogeosciences

4. IntroductionMaterial and methods Results Conclusion and perspectives Community assembly Niche-based processes Stochastic processes Regional species pool Species functional strategies Speciation rate Dispersal limitation Environmental filtering Demographic stochasticity Niche differentiation (limiting similarity) Density-dependent mechanisms (e.g. Janzen-Connell) Local community

5. IntroductionMaterial and methods Results Conclusion and perspectives Community assembly and species traits • Trait = any morphological, physiological or phenological feature measurable at the individual level (Violle et al. 2007. Oikos) • Traits reflect tradeoffs that determine • Species performance in a given environment • Species abundances along environmental gradients • Importance of environmental filtering Ex: environmental filtering on SLA Kraft et al. 2008. Science To what extent environmental filtering has predictable consequences on the functional composition of communities across the landscape? Reproduction Survival Fitness Growth

6. IntroductionMaterial and methods Results Conclusion and perspectives Functional strategies of tropical trees leaf – stem economics 668 species, French Guiana (project BRIDGE) leaf – wood (stem/root) economics • 800 species, French Guiana and Peru (project AmaLin) Baraloto et al. 2010. Ecology Letters Fortunel et al. submitted

7. IntroductionMaterial and methods Results Conclusion and perspectives Prediction of direction of environmental filtering wood economics (stem/root) leaf economics Regional pool (trait distribution) Wood density SLA Terra firmeTF Seasonally flooded SF White sand WS

8. IntroductionMaterial and methods Results Conclusion and perspectives Plot network of AmaLin project 74 plots Modified-Gentry French Guiana and Peru Baraloto et al. 2011. Global Change Biology

9. IntroductionMaterial and methods Results Conclusion and perspectives Three contrasting habitatsacross a broad environmental gradient White sand (WS) Terra firme (TF) Seasonnally flooded (SF) • Botanical records (species identification and abundance) • Description of environmental factors (climate and soil) Environmental factors Plots per habitats

10. IntroductionMaterial and methods Results Conclusion and perspectives Functional trait measurements For each species in each plot, traits were measured at the level of: • Leaf • SLA, LA, toughness, thickness, LTD, LChl, • LCC, LNC, LC:N, LPC, LKC, L 13C, L 15N • Stem • wood density, humidity • Trunk • bark thickness • Root • wood density, humidity

11. IntroductionMaterial and methods Results Conclusion and perspectives Evaluation of environmental filtering Regional species pool (FG or Peru) • For each of 13 plots • Species traits • Species abundance Random assemblage function of species abundances irrespective of species traits Focal plot (number of individuals=x) 999 random communities (equal number of individuals x) • Predicted distribution of community functional composition • Community-weighted mean • Convex Hull volume • Observed community functional composition • Community-weighted mean • Convex Hull volume

12. IntroductionMaterial and methods Results Conclusion and perspectives Environmental filtering on community functional composition wood economics leaf economics TF G4 SF G8 WS G2

13. Environmental filtering on community functional composition IntroductionMaterial and methods Results Conclusion and perspectives Density Density CH overlap CH overlap

14. IntroductionMaterial and methods Results Conclusion and perspectives Directional shifts in community functional composition across the Amazonian landscape Environmental filtering for denser leaf, stem and root tissues in dry and poor environments. White sand (WS) Terra firme (TF) Seasonnally flooded (SF) Wood density or 1/SLA Wood density or 1/SLA

15. IntroductionMaterial and methods Results Conclusion and perspectives Perspectives • Implications for modeling community shifts across the landscape • Implications for ecosystem services under global changes scenarios

17. Research was supported by a collaborative NSF DEB-0743103/0743800 to CB and PVAF and by an INRA Package grant to CB.