Explaining forest productivity using tree functional traits and phylogenetic information: two sides of the same coin over evolutionary scale?

ABSTRACT: Given evidences that diverse ecosystems provide more services than depauperate ones, much attention has now turned toward finding meaningful and operational diversity indices. We ask two questions: (1) Does phylogenetic diversity contain additional information not explained by functional traits? And (2) What are the strength and nature of the correlation between phylogeny and functional traits according to the evolutionary scale considered? We used data from permanent forest plots of northeastern Canada for which these links have been demonstrated and important functional traits identified. We show that the nature of the relationship between traits and phylogeny varies dramatically among traits, but also according to the evolutionary distance considered. The demonstration that different ch

SUBMITTER: Paquette A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4485959 | biostudies-literature | 2015 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature