Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Munroe, Samantha E. M.
• McInerney, Francesca A.
• Guerin, Greg R.
• Andrae, Jake W.
• Welti, Nina
• Caddy-Retalic, Stefan
• Atkins, Rachel
• Sparrow, Ben
• Zhu, Yajuan

Titel

Plant families exhibit unique geographic trends in C4 richness and cover in Australia

Ist Teil von

• PloS one, 2022-08, Vol.17 (8), p.e0271603-e0271603

Ort / Verlag

San Francisco: Public Library of Science

Erscheinungsjahr

2022

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

EZB Electronic Journals Library

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Numerous studies have analysed the relationship between C 4 plant cover and climate. However, few have examined how different C 4 taxa vary in their response to climate, or how environmental factors alter C 4 :C 3 abundance. Here we investigate (a) how proportional C 4 plant cover and richness (relative to C 3 ) responds to changes in climate and local environmental factors, and (b) if this response is consistent among families. Proportional cover and richness of C 4 species were determined at 541 one-hectare plots across Australia for 14 families. C 4 cover and richness of the most common and abundant families were regressed against climate and local parameters. C 4 richness and cover in the monocot families Poaceae and Cyperaceae increased with latitude and were strongly positively correlated with January temperatures, however C 4 Cyperaceae occupied a more restricted temperature range. Seasonal rainfall, soil pH, soil texture, and tree cover modified proportional C 4 cover in both families. Eudicot families displayed considerable variation in C 4 distribution patterns. Proportional C 4 Euphorbiaceae richness and cover were negatively correlated with increased moisture availability (i.e. high rainfall and low aridity), indicating they were more common in dry environments. Proportional C 4 Chenopodiaceae richness and cover were weakly correlated with climate and local environmental factors, including soil texture. However, the explanatory power of C 4 Chenopodiaceae models were poor, suggesting none of the factors considered in this study strongly influenced Chenopodiaceae distribution. Proportional C 4 richness and cover in Aizoaceae, Amaranthaceae, and Portulacaceae increased with latitude, suggesting C 4 cover and richness in these families increased with temperature and summer rainfall, but sample size was insufficient for regression analysis. Results demonstrate the unique relationships between different C 4 taxa and climate, and the significant modifying effects of environmental factors on C 4 distribution. Our work also revealed C 4 families will not exhibit similar responses to local perturbations or climate.