@article{fbd7fe62977142f185df5ed7f2151d1c,
title = "Scale dependence of canopy trait distributions along a tropical forest elevation gradient",
abstract = "Average responses of forest foliar traits to elevation are well understood, but far less is known about trait distributional responses to elevation at multiple ecological scales. This limits our understanding of the ecological scales at which trait variation occurs in response to environmental drivers and change. We analyzed and compared multiple canopy foliar trait distributions using field sampling and airborne imaging spectroscopy along an Andes-to-Amazon elevation gradient. Field-estimated traits were generated from three community-weighting methods, and remotely sensed estimates of traits were made at three scales defined by sampling grain size and ecological extent. Field and remote sensing approaches revealed increases in average leaf mass per unit area (LMA), water, nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) and polyphenols with increasing elevation. Foliar nutrients and photosynthetic pigments displayed little to no elevation trend. Sample weighting approaches had little impact on field-estimated trait responses to elevation. Plot representativeness of trait distributions at landscape scales decreased with increasing elevation. Remote sensing indicated elevation-dependent increases in trait variance and distributional skew. Multiscale invariance of LMA, leaf water and NSC mark these traits as candidates for tracking forest responses to changing climate. Trait-based ecological studies can be greatly enhanced with multiscale studies made possible by imaging spectroscopy.",
keywords = "Carnegie Airborne Observatory, Peru, canopy chemistry, plant functional traits, trait distributions, trait scaling",
author = "Asner, {Gregory P.} and Martin, {Roberta E.} and Anderson, {Christopher B.} and Katherine Kryston and Nicholas Vaughn and Knapp, {David E.} and Bentley, {Lisa Patrick} and Alexander Shenkin and Norma Salinas and Felipe Sinca and Raul Tupayachi and {Quispe Huaypar}, Katherine and {Montoya Pillco}, Milenka and {Ccori {\'A}lvarez}, {Flor Delis} and Sandra D{\'i}az and Enquist, {Brian J.} and Yadvinder Malhi",
note = "Funding Information: This work is a product of the Andes Biodiversity and Ecosystems Research Group ABERG (http://andesresearch.org), the Global Ecosystems Monitoring (GEM) network (http://gem.tropicalforests.ox.ac.uk), the Amazon Forest Inventory Network RAINFOR (http://www.rainfor.org), and the Carnegie Spectranomics Project (http://spectranomics.ciw.edu) research consortia. The field campaign was funded by a grant to Y.M. from the UK Natural Environment Research Council (grant NE/J023418/1), with additional support from European Research Council advanced investigator grants GEM-TRAITS (321131) and T-FORCES (291585), and a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation grant to G.P.A. We thank the Servicio Nacional de {\'A}reas Naturales Protegidas por el Estado (SERNANP) and personnel of Manu and Tambopata National Parks for logistical assistance and permission to work in the protected areas. We also thank the Explorers{\textquoteright} Inn and the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, as well as ACCA for use of the Tambopata and Wayqecha Research Stations, respectively. We thank E. Cosio (Pontifical Catholic University of Peru) for assistance with research permissions and sample analysis and storage. G.P.A. and the Spectranomics team were supported by the endowment of the Carnegie Institution for Science and a grant from the National Science Foundation (DEB-1146206). Y.M. was also supported by the Jackson Foundation. Carnegie Airborne Observatory data collection, processing and analyses were funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Use of the Carnegie Airborne Observatory was supported by the Avatar Alliance Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Mary Anne Nyburg Baker and G. Leonard Baker Jr, and William R. Hearst III. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist {\textcopyright} 2016 New Phytologist Trust",
year = "2017",
month = may,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1111/nph.14068",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "214",
pages = "973--988",
journal = "New Phytologist",
issn = "0028-646X",
publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",
number = "3",
}