Plant functional traits related to aboveground tree biomass in cloud forests of southeastern Mexico

Cloud forests are one of the most important ecosystems on a global scale, due to their biodiversity and the services they provide to human populations. Understanding the causal factors determining the structural variation and functioning of cloud forests continues to be one of the most relevant rese...

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Main Authors: Noé Velázquez-Rosas, Elizabeth Fuentes Romero, Betsabé Ruiz-Guerra, Hugo López Rosas, Norma Eugenia García Calderón
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-03-01
Series:Trees, Forests and People
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666719324002735
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author Noé Velázquez-Rosas
Elizabeth Fuentes Romero
Betsabé Ruiz-Guerra
Hugo López Rosas
Norma Eugenia García Calderón
author_facet Noé Velázquez-Rosas
Elizabeth Fuentes Romero
Betsabé Ruiz-Guerra
Hugo López Rosas
Norma Eugenia García Calderón
author_sort Noé Velázquez-Rosas
collection DOAJ
description Cloud forests are one of the most important ecosystems on a global scale, due to their biodiversity and the services they provide to human populations. Understanding the causal factors determining the structural variation and functioning of cloud forests continues to be one of the most relevant research challenges in these forests. In this study, we analyzed the relationship of functional responses (foliar and wood density) with aboveground tree biomass in cloud forest communities, with the purpose of identifying the causal factors determining the structural variation of these communities along an altitudinal gradient. Tree biomass varied between 124.02 and 487.93 Mg ha-1; however, it did not exhibit a gradual change associated with altitude. Foliar N content, C:N ratio, and wood density were associated with tree biomass production, suggesting that N nutrient stress may explain the inconsistent patterns of biomass production. The spatial variation of nutrient stress in these communities may be caused by topographic variation, which determines differential nutrient leaching processes, as well as the composition of plant communities and foliar nutritional quality.
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spelling doaj-art-1799f915aee54efeb8bdce5c025074592025-08-20T02:00:33ZengElsevierTrees, Forests and People2666-71932025-03-011910076710.1016/j.tfp.2024.100767Plant functional traits related to aboveground tree biomass in cloud forests of southeastern MexicoNoé Velázquez-Rosas0Elizabeth Fuentes Romero1Betsabé Ruiz-Guerra2Hugo López Rosas3Norma Eugenia García Calderón4Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, 91000, Veracruz, México; Corresponding authors.Unidad Multidisciplinaria de Docencia e Investigación-Juriquilla, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Juriquilla, Querétaro, 76230, México.Red de Interacciones Multitróficas, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, 91073, México.Academia de Desarrollo Regional Sustentable, El Colegio de Veracruz, Xalapa, 91000, México.Unidad Multidisciplinaria de Docencia e Investigación-Juriquilla, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Juriquilla, Querétaro, 76230, México.Cloud forests are one of the most important ecosystems on a global scale, due to their biodiversity and the services they provide to human populations. Understanding the causal factors determining the structural variation and functioning of cloud forests continues to be one of the most relevant research challenges in these forests. In this study, we analyzed the relationship of functional responses (foliar and wood density) with aboveground tree biomass in cloud forest communities, with the purpose of identifying the causal factors determining the structural variation of these communities along an altitudinal gradient. Tree biomass varied between 124.02 and 487.93 Mg ha-1; however, it did not exhibit a gradual change associated with altitude. Foliar N content, C:N ratio, and wood density were associated with tree biomass production, suggesting that N nutrient stress may explain the inconsistent patterns of biomass production. The spatial variation of nutrient stress in these communities may be caused by topographic variation, which determines differential nutrient leaching processes, as well as the composition of plant communities and foliar nutritional quality.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666719324002735Cloud forestFoliar N contentFunctional TraitsTree biomassNutrient stress
spellingShingle Noé Velázquez-Rosas
Elizabeth Fuentes Romero
Betsabé Ruiz-Guerra
Hugo López Rosas
Norma Eugenia García Calderón
Plant functional traits related to aboveground tree biomass in cloud forests of southeastern Mexico
Trees, Forests and People
Cloud forest
Foliar N content
Functional Traits
Tree biomass
Nutrient stress
title Plant functional traits related to aboveground tree biomass in cloud forests of southeastern Mexico
title_full Plant functional traits related to aboveground tree biomass in cloud forests of southeastern Mexico
title_fullStr Plant functional traits related to aboveground tree biomass in cloud forests of southeastern Mexico
title_full_unstemmed Plant functional traits related to aboveground tree biomass in cloud forests of southeastern Mexico
title_short Plant functional traits related to aboveground tree biomass in cloud forests of southeastern Mexico
title_sort plant functional traits related to aboveground tree biomass in cloud forests of southeastern mexico
topic Cloud forest
Foliar N content
Functional Traits
Tree biomass
Nutrient stress
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666719324002735
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