Journal of Ecology

Abstract Functional traits reflecting leaf structure and functions can show tradeoff or synergetic patterns. How these patterns exert an ‘afterlife’ effect on litter decomposition, or how such an effect is mediated by soil fauna, remains poorly understood. Here, using litter traits reflecting leaf growth, defence, size and shape, we tested a hypothetical framework addressing (i) the relationships…

Abstract Increasing tree species diversity is known to enhance soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, but its effect on SOC stability remains a critical uncertainty for climate mitigation. Through examination of a subtropical karst forest diversity gradient in southwest China, we reveal a fundamental shift in SOC stabilization mechanisms using physical fractionation, 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance sp…

Abstract Trees associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi are commonly thought to dominate in nutrient‐rich and nutrient‐poor environments, respectively. However, the mechanisms underlying this pattern remain poorly understood. Here, two potential drivers were evaluated: (i) environmental filtering , where soil fertility shapes tree species dominance by regulating…

Abstract Recent evidence highlights the importance of low‐abundant subordinate plant species in regulating ecosystem functions in grasslands experiencing drought via plant–microbe interactions. We hypothesized that subordinate and dominant species have distinct carbon (C) allocation and nitrogen (N) uptake patterns affecting soil microbes and their functions during a drought event. We collected s…

Abstract Two contrasting disturbance regimes—wildfire and clear‐cutting—are common in boreal forests and create fundamentally different conditions for succession of wood‐inhabiting fungi. We investigated (i) how species richness and community composition change after these two disturbances and (ii) which stand‐level characteristics drive diversity trajectories. In two chronosequences—managed clea…

Abstract Understanding how multiple global change drivers interact to shape forest plant communities requires a long‐term perspective that extends beyond the last few decades. Mountain forests, with their strong climatic and management gradients, enable the assessment of how global and local drivers jointly shape long‐term plant diversity patterns. Our objective was to detect trends in taxonomic …

Abstract Plants store non‐structural carbohydrates (NSC) for remobilization when carbon (C) demand exceeds supply. However, large trees may not readily remobilize stored NSC across longer distances, limiting C availability for functions like growth. Furthermore, whether NSC availability limits physiological processes like defence and hydraulic function remains poorly understood, limiting our abil…

Abstract Pollen grains display striking morphological diversity, yet the ecological drivers underlying this variation remain poorly understood. We tested whether pollen morphology reflects adaptation to pollination mode, habitat moisture and stigma type, three ecological factors that impose selective pressures on pollen dispersal, desiccation tolerance and hydration dynamics. We analysed 13 morph…

Abstract We propose that transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (TEI), the transmission of environmental memories across generations, functions as an epigenetic engine for rapid adaptation to environmental changes. We argue that this engine serves a dual purpose: it acts as a direct, powerful mechanism for phenotypic adaptation to sudden environmental changes and as a transient bridge that main…

Abstract In temperate grasslands, competition between plants and soil microbes for inorganic nitrogen (N) is a critical process in regulating N retention, loss and overall ecosystem productivity. However, how grazing intensity alters this competition, particularly for specific N forms such as ammonium (NH 4 + ) and nitrate (NO 3 − ) remains poorly understood. We conducted a dual 15 N labelling ex…

Abstract With global habitat destruction progressing at an alarming rate, there is an urgent need to understand how species persist in dynamic habitats and how underlying processes influence their spatial distribution. Theories hinge on the principle that individuals of the same species are non‐randomly distributed, and recent work emphasizes that community assembly is shaped by a dynamic interpl…

Abstract Habitat loss and nutrient enrichment are major drivers of plant species declines. However, local extinction risks vary widely and are shaped by life‐history trait syndromes. Genomic life‐history traits, which are simple, stable and widely available, offer a promising yet underexplored approach to improving extinction risk assessments and informing conservation efforts. Using a spatial co…

Abstract Lightning is an important agent of tropical tree mortality, but field data on lightning‐caused disturbances is largely restricted to one lowland tropical forest in Panama. Here we quantified variation in the frequency and severity of visually detectable lightning‐caused disturbances across topography in the montane forests of Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda. This was the first systematic a…

Abstract Understanding mechanisms structuring plant communities is fundamental for predicting biodiversity responses to global change. Functional trait‐based approaches can reveal assembly processes by linking species' adaptations to community‐level patterns, with convergence signalling strong environmental filtering and divergence reflecting niche partitioning or competitive exclusion. In extrem…

Abstract Despite decades of research, the associations between plants and their mycorrhizal fungi remain poorly understood. In ecosystems with a mix of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (EM)‐associated trees, tree species richness and tree mycorrhizal association may shape mycorrhizal fungal communities and below‐ground processes. Utilizing a long‐term biodiversity–ecosystem functio…

Abstract Resource variability has multiple dimensions, and its complexity is intensifying under global change. While elevated resource levels and temporal fluctuations often promote non‐native plant growth, less is understood about how these factors interact to influence non‐native plants via changes in soil microbial communities, which are key responders to resource change and regulators of plan…

Abstract Understanding how herbivory influences plant diversity is central to plant community ecology. Although much is known about the effects of large‐bodied mammals, such as cattle or bison, the long‐term impact of small‐bodied herbivores, such as insects and small mammals, on plant diversity rarely has been examined. The paucity of such studies probably stems from the hypothesis that small he…

Abstract The long‐standing debate around the processes involved in species assembly has generated a conceptual gradient from deterministic to stochastic postulates. Environment selects traits to determine the species that ultimately participate in realised assemblages. However, neutral ecological processes (e.g. random seed dispersal, demographic stochasticity) can also lead to species co‐occurre…

Abstract The amount and frequency of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition have dramatically increased, profoundly influencing population regeneration, community composition and productivity in grasslands. Perennial species in grasslands primarily grow and expand clonally, yet it remains unclear how their below‐ground buds and above‐ground shoots respond to the amount and frequency of N deposition.…

Abstract Extreme drought often diminishes ecosystem multifunctionality in grasslands, but the potential mechanisms behind these responses are conflicting. The diversity hypothesis posits that diverse species promote grassland multifunctionality through compensatory interactions, while the mass ratio hypothesis suggests that the traits of dominant species control multifunctionality. It remains unk…