Characteristics and factors driving the variations in bark thickness of major woody plants in China

Wen Nie; Yifu Liu; Cancan Tan; Ya Wang; Jianfeng Liu; Xiulian Zhao; Zeping Jiang; Zirui Jia

Ecological Indicators (Nov 2022)

Characteristics and factors driving the variations in bark thickness of major woody plants in China

Wen Nie,
Yifu Liu,
Cancan Tan,
Ya Wang,
Jianfeng Liu,
Xiulian Zhao,
Zeping Jiang,
Zirui Jia

Affiliations

Wen Nie: Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
Yifu Liu: Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
Cancan Tan: Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
Ya Wang: State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
Jianfeng Liu: State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
Xiulian Zhao: State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China
Zeping Jiang: Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China; State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China; Corresponding authors at: Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China (Z. Jiang); State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China (Z. Jia).
Zirui Jia: State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China; Corresponding authors at: Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China (Z. Jiang); State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China (Z. Jia).

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 144
p. 109447

Abstract

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Bark is an important protective tissue and vegetative organ of woody plants. Variations in bark thickness have a direct effect on plant growth and development, forest community structure, and terrestrial ecosystem function. However, the characteristics of these variations in tree bark thickness (BT) and adaptation to environmental factors remain unclear. In this study, we established comprehensive BT traits and environmental factor dataset for 75 major woody plant species in China and analyzed the spatial pattern and factors driving BT traits in the major woody plants of China. As results, the BT of major woody plants in China varied significantly with spatial location (latitude and longitude) (P < 0.001). A significant difference was observed in the relative age bark thickness among different plant types (gymnosperms and angiosperms) and life forms (evergreen and deciduous) (P < 0.001). Significant differences in relative bark thickness (RBT) were detected among the different bark phenotypes (smooth and rough) (P < 0.05). However, no significant difference in the relative bark volume was observed among the three groups (plant types, life forms, or bark phenotypes). All BT traits had particular phylogenetic signals. The Mantel test results showed that all BT traits except RBT were correlated with the environmental factors (Mantel’s P < 0.05). The redundancy analysis revealed that the spatial variation in BT traits was significantly affected by the annual mean temperature, the mean diurnal range, and altitude (P < 0.05). The results of variance decomposition showed that the BT traits were affected by spatial factors (20 %), climatic factors (8 %), and their interaction (8 %), while the effects of soil factors could be ignored. Our results demonstrate that the biotic factors affecting the BT of woody plants in China were the different plant types, life forms, and bark phenotypes, while the abiotic factors were the spatial and climatic factors and their combined effects.

Published in Ecological Indicators

ISSN: 1470-160X (Print); 1872-7034 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General): Ecology
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/ecological-indicators

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