Globally, tree fecundity exceeds productivity gradients



Journe, Valentin, Andrus, Robert, Aravena, Marie-Claire, Ascoli, Davide, Berretti, Roberta, Berveiller, Daniel, Bogdziewicz, Michal, Boivin, Thomas, Bonal, Raul, Caignard, Thomas
et al (show 84 more authors) (2022) Globally, tree fecundity exceeds productivity gradients. ECOLOGY LETTERS, 25 (6). pp. 1471-1482.

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Abstract

Lack of tree fecundity data across climatic gradients precludes the analysis of how seed supply contributes to global variation in forest regeneration and biotic interactions responsible for biodiversity. A global synthesis of raw seedproduction data shows a 250-fold increase in seed abundance from cold-dry to warm-wet climates, driven primarily by a 100-fold increase in seed production for a given tree size. The modest (threefold) increase in forest productivity across the same climate gradient cannot explain the magnitudes of these trends. The increase in seeds per tree can arise from adaptive evolution driven by intense species interactions or from the direct effects of a warm, moist climate on tree fecundity. Either way, the massive differences in seed supply ramify through food webs potentially explaining a disproportionate role for species interactions in the wet tropics.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: climate, competition, forest regeneration, seed consumption, species interactions, tree fecundity
Divisions: Faculty of Science and Engineering > School of Environmental Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 13 Mar 2023 08:22
Last Modified: 23 Apr 2023 01:30
DOI: 10.1111/ele.14012
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3168951