naa a22 4500 510738001 CHVBK 20180411083017.0 cr unu---uuuuu 180411e20130301xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s11284-012-1025-6 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s11284-012-1025-6 The need for a canopy perspective to understand the importance of phenotypic plasticity for promoting species coexistence and light-use complementarity in forest ecosystems [Elektronische Daten] [Hiroaki Ishii, Wakana Azuma, Eri Nabeshima] Because of their overwhelming size over other organisms, trees define the structural and energetic properties of forest ecosystems. From grasslands to forests, leaf area index, which determines the amount of light energy intercepted for photosynthesis, increases with increasing canopy height across the various terrestrial ecosystems of the world. In vertically well-developed forests, niche differentiation along the vertical gradient of light availability may promote species coexistence. In addition, spatial and temporal differentiation of photosynthetic traits among the coexisting tree species (functional diversity) may promote complementary use of light energy, resulting in higher biomass and productivity in multi-species forests. Trees have evolved retaining high phenotypic plasticity because the spatial/temporal distribution of resources in forest ecosystems is highly heterogeneous and trees modify their own environment as they increase nearly 1,000 times in size through ontogeny. High phenotypic plasticity may enable coexistence of tree species through divergence in resource-rich environments, as well as through convergence in resource-limited environments. We propose that the breadth of individual-level phenotypic plasticity, expressed at the metamer level (leaves and shoots), is an important factor that promotes species coexistence and resource-use complementarity in forest ecosystems. A cross-biome comparison of the link between plasticity of photosynthesis-related traits and stand productivity will provide a functional explanation for the relationship between species assemblages and productivity of forest ecosystems. The Ecological Society of Japan, 2013 Complementarity theory nationallicence Diversity-productivity theory nationallicence Forest architecture theory nationallicence Niche differentiation nationallicence Species coexistence nationallicence Ishii Hiroaki Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, 657-8501, Kobe, Japan aut Azuma Wakana Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, 657-8501, Kobe, Japan aut Nabeshima Eri Institute of Symbiotic Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 183-8509, Fuchu, Japan aut Ecological Research Springer Japan 28/2(2013-03-01), 191-198 0912-3814 28:2<191 2013 28 11284 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-012-1025-6 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-012-1025-6 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Ishii Hiroaki Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, 657-8501, Kobe, Japan aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Azuma Wakana Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, 657-8501, Kobe, Japan aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Nabeshima Eri Institute of Symbiotic Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 183-8509, Fuchu, Japan aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Ecological Research Springer Japan 28/2(2013-03-01), 191-198 0912-3814 28:2<191 2013 28 11284 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer