Publication details

Similar factors underlie tree abundance in forests in native and alien ranges

Authors	VAN DER SANDE Masha T. BRUELHEIDE Helge DAWSON Wayne DENGLER Juergen ESSL Franz FIELD Richard HAIDER Sylvia VAN KLEUNEN Mark KREFT Holger PAGEL Joern PERGL Jan PURSCHKE Oliver PYSEK Petr WEIGELT Patrick WINTER Marten ATTORRE Fabio AUBIN Isabelle BERGMEIER Erwin CHYTRÝ Milan DE DAINESE Matteo SANCTIS Michele FAGUNDEZ Jaime GOLUB Valentin GUERIN Greg R. GUTIERREZ Alvaro G. JANDT Ute JANSEN Florian JIMÉNEZ ALFARO GONZÁLEZ Borja KATTGE Jens KEARSLEY Elizabeth KLOTZ Stefan KRAMER Koen MORETTI Marco NIINEMETS Ulo PEET Robert K. PENUELAS Josep PETRIK Petr REICH Peter B. SANDEL Brody SCHMIDT Marco SIBIKOVA Maria VIOLLE Cyrille WHITFELD Timothy J. S. WOHLGEMUTH Thomas KNIGHT Tiffany M.
Year of publication	2020
Type	Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source	Global ecology and biogeography
MU Faculty or unit	Faculty of Science
Citation
Web	http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.13027
Doi	http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.13027
Keywords	abundance; dissimilarity; forest; functional traits; global; plant invasion; trees
Description	Aim Alien plant species can cause severe ecological and economic problems, and therefore attract a lot of research interest in biogeography and related fields. To identify potential future invasive species, we need to better understand the mechanisms underlying the abundances of invasive tree species in their new ranges, and whether these mechanisms differ between their native and alien ranges. Here, we test two hypotheses: that greater relative abundance is promoted by (a) functional difference from locally co-occurring trees, and (b) higher values than locally co-occurring trees for traits linked to competitive ability. Location Global. Time period Recent. Major taxa studied Trees. Methods We combined three global plant databases: sPlot vegetation-plot database, TRY plant trait database and Global Naturalized Alien Flora (GloNAF) database. We used a hierarchical Bayesian linear regression model to assess the factors associated with variation in local abundance, and how these relationships vary between native and alien ranges and depend on species' traits. Results In both ranges, species reach highest abundance if they are functionally similar to co-occurring species, yet are taller and have higher seed mass and wood density than co-occurring species. Main conclusions Our results suggest that light limitation leads to strong environmental and biotic filtering, and that it is advantageous to be taller and have denser wood. The striking similarities in abundance between native and alien ranges imply that information from tree species' native ranges can be used to predict in which habitats introduced species may become dominant.