Intraspecific functional trait variability across different
spatial scales: a case study of two dominant trees in Korean
pine broadleaved forest
Tingting Li
.
Jian Wu
.
Hua Chen
.
Lanzhu Ji
.
Dapao Yu
.
Li Zhou
.
Wangming Zhou
.
Yuewei Tong
.
Yinghua Li
.
Limin Dai
Received: 24 November 2017 / Accepted: 15 May 2018 / Published online: 1 June 2018
Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature 2018
Abstract Intraspecific functional trait variability
plays an important role in the response of plants to
environmental changes. However, it is still unclear
how the variability differs across three nested spatial
scales (individual, plot, and site) and which determi-
nants (climatic, soil, and ontogenetic variables) shape
the trait variability. Along a latitudinal gradient in
Korean pine broadleaved forest of northeast China, we
quantified the extent of intraspecific variability of four
functional traits in two dominant trees Pinus koraien-
sis and Fraxinus mandshurica at eight sites, including
specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content (morpho-
logical traits) and leaf nitrogen content, leaf phospho-
rus content (physiological traits). Results showed a
large trait variation within and between species
(coefficient variation: 6.07–23.3%). The leaf physio-
logical traits of F. mandshurica and morphological
traits of P. koraiensis were more responsive at site
scale, while the morphological traits of F. mand-
shurica and physiological traits of P. koraiensis were
more responsive at individual scale. In addition,
abiotic and biotic factors explaining functional trait
variation differ markedly between the two tree species,
with physiological trait of F. mandshurica being more
associated with climate and soil, while traits variabil-
ity in P. koraiensis was not affected by climate, soil,
and ontogeny, except for leaf phosphorus content.
Overall, we can predict that the physiological traits of
broadleaved species tend to be more sensitive to
environmental changes, while pines are more sensitive
to competition. It is critical to determine which spatial
scale and trait type should be taken into account in
predictive models of vegetation dynamics.
Keywords Morphological traits Á Physiological
traits Á Intraspecific functional trait variability Á Spatial
scales Á Environmental changes
Introduction
Plant functional traits are defined as any measurable
morphological or physiological feature at the
Communicated by Dafeng Hui.
T. Li Á J. Wu Á L. Ji Á D. Yu Á L. Zhou Á
W. Zhou Á Y. Tong Á Y. Li Á L. Dai (&)
Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
e-mail: lmdai@iae.ac.cn
T. Li Á J. Wu Á Y. Tong Á Y. Li
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,
Beijing 100049, China
H. Chen
Department of Biology, University of Illinois at
Springfield, Springfield, IL 62703, USA
H. Chen
Jiyang College, Zhejiang A & F University, Zhuji 311800,
China
123
Plant Ecol (2018) 219:875–886
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-018-0840-4
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