Effect of climate on traits of dominant and rare tree species in the world’s forests

I Iris Hordijk L Lourens Poorter J Jingjing Liang P Peter B. Reich S Sergio de-Miguel G Gert-Jan Nabuurs J Javier G. P. Gamarra H Han Y. H. Chen M Mo Zhou S Susan K. Wiser H Hans Pretzsch A Alain Paquette N Nicolas Picard B Bruno Hérault J Jean-Francois Bastin G Giorgio Alberti M Meinrad Abegg Y Yves C. Adou Yao A Angelica M. Almeyda Zambrano B Braulio V. Alvarado E Esteban Alvarez-Davila P Patricia Alvarez-Loayza L Luciana F. Alves I Iêda Amaral C Christian Ammer C Clara Antón-Fernández A Alejandro Araujo-Murakami (Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado, Universidad Autónoma Gabriel Rene Moreno) L Luzmila Arroyo (Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado, Universidad Autónoma Gabriel Rene Moreno) V Valerio Avitabile G Gerardo A. Aymard C T Timothy Baker O Olaf Banki J Jorcely Barroso M Meredith L. Bastian L Luca Birigazzi P Philippe Birnbaum R Robert Bitariho P Pascal Boeckx F Frans Bongers O Olivier Bouriaud P Pedro H. S. Brancalion S Susanne Brandl F Francis Q. Brearley R Roel Brienen (School of Geography, University of Leeds) E Eben N. Broadbent H Helge Bruelheide (Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg) R Roberto Cazzolla Gatti R Ricardo G. Cesar G Goran Cesljar R Robin L. Chazdon C Chelsea Chisholm E Emil Cienciala C Connie J. Clark D David B. Clark G Gabriel Colletta D David Coomes F Fernando Cornejo Valverde (Andes to Amazon Biodiversity Program) J Jose J. Corral-Rivas P Philip Crim J Jonathan Cumming S Selvadurai Dayanandan A André L. de Gasper M Mathieu Decuyper G Géraldine Derroire B Ben DeVries I Ilija Djordjevic A Aurelie Dourdain J Jiri Dolezal N Nestor Laurier Engone Obiang B Brian Enquist T Teresa Eyre A Adandé Belarmain Fandohan T Tom M. Fayle L Leandro V. Ferreira T Ted R. Feldpausch (School of Geography, University of Leeds) L Leena Finér M Markus Fischer C Christine Fletcher L Lorenzo Frizzera D Damiano Gianelle H Henry B. Glick D David Harris A Andrew Hector A Andreas Hemp J John Herbohn A Annika Hillers E Euridice N. Honorio Coronado (Department for Accelerated Taxonomy, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew) C Cang Hui H Hyunkook Cho T Thomas Ibanez I Ilbin Jung N Nobuo Imai A Andrzej M. Jagodziński B Bogdan Jaroszewicz V Vivian Johannsen C Carlos A. Joly T Tommaso Jucker (School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.) V Viktor Karminov K Kuswata Kartawinata E Elizabeth Kearsley D David Kenfack D Deborah Kennard S Sebastian Kepfer-Rojas G Gunnar Keppel M Mohammed Latif Khan T Timothy Killeen H Hyun Seok Kim K Kanehiro Kitayama M Michael Köhl H Henn Korjus F Florian Kraxner D Diana Laarmann M Mait Lang S Simon Lewis H Huicui Lu N Natalia Lukina B Brian Maitner (Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida) Y Yadvinder Malhi E Eric Marcon B Beatriz Schwantes Marimon B Ben Hur Marimon-Junior A Andrew Robert Marshall E Emanuel Martin O Olga Martynenko J Jorge A. Meave O Omar Melo-Cruz C Casimiro Mendoza (Escuela de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Mayor de San Simon) C Cory Merow (Eversource Energy Center and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut) S Stanislaw Miscicki A Abel Monteagudo Mendoza (Herbario Vargas, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco) V Vanessa Moreno S Sharif A. Mukul P Philip Mundhenk M Maria G. Nava-Miranda D David Neill V Victor Neldner R Radovan Nevenic M Michael Ngugi P Pascal A. Niklaus J Jacek Oleksyn P Petr Ontikov E Edgar Ortiz-Malavasi Y Yude Pan A Alexander Parada-Gutierrez E Elena Parfenova M Minjee Park M Marc Parren N Narayanaswamy Parthasarathy P Pablo L. Peri S Sebastian Pfautsch O Oliver L. Phillips M Maria Teresa Piedade D Daniel Piotto N Nigel C. A. Pitman (Collections, Conservation and Research, The Field Museum) M Martina Pollastrini I Irina Polo A Axel Dalberg Poulsen J John R. Poulsen F Freddy Ramirez Arevalo (Facultad de Biologia, Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana) Z Zorayda Restrepo-Correa M Mirco Rodeghiero S Samir Rolim A Anand Roopsind F Francesco Rovero E Ervan Rutishauser P Purabi Saikia C Christian Salas-Eljatib P Peter Schall (Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, University of Göttingen) D Dmitry Schepaschenko M Michael Scherer-Lorenzen B Bernhard Schmid J Jochen Schöngart (Ecology, Monitoring and Sustainable Use of Wetlands, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia) E Eric B. Searle V Vladimir Seben F Federico Selvi J Josep M. Serra-Diaz D Douglas Sheil A Anatoly Shvidenko J Javier Silva-Espejo M Marcos Silveira J James Singh P Plinio Sist F Ferry Slik B Bonaventure Sonké A Alexandre F. Souza H Hans ter Steege K Krzysztof Stereńczak J Jens-Christian Svenning (Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere, Department of Biology, Aarhus University) M Miroslav Svoboda B Ben Swanepoel N Natalia Targhetta N Nadja Tchebakova R Raquel Thomas (Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development) E Elena Tikhonova P Peter Umunay V Vladimir Usoltsev R Renato Valencia F Fernando Valladares F Fons van der Plas T Tran Van Do M Michael E. Van Nuland R Rodolfo Vasquez Martinez H Hans Verbeeck H Helder Viana A Alexander C. Vibrans S Simone Vieira K Klaus von Gadow H Hua-Feng Wang J James Watson G Gijsbert D. A. Werner F Florian Wittmann (Wetland Department, Institute of Geography and Geoecology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) V Verginia Wortel R Roderick Zagt T Tomasz Zawila-Niedzwiecki C Chunyu Zhang X Xiuhai Zhao Z Zhi-Xin Zhu I Irié Casimir Zo-Bi D Daniel S. Maynard T Thomas W. Crowther

Abstract

Abstract Species’ traits and environmental conditions determine the abundance of tree species across the globe. The extent to which traits of dominant and rare tree species differ remains untested across a broad environmental range, limiting our understanding of how species traits and the environment shape forest functional composition. We use a global dataset of tree composition of >22,000 forest plots and 11 traits of 1663 tree species to ask how locally dominant and rare species differ in their trait values, and how these differences are driven by climatic gradients in temperature and water availability in forest biomes across the globe. We find three consistent trait differences between locally dominant and rare species across all biomes; dominant species are taller, have softer wood and higher loading on the multivariate stem strategy axis (related to narrow tracheids and thick bark). The difference between traits of dominant and rare species is more strongly driven by temperature compared to water availability, as temperature might affect a larger number of traits. Therefore, climate change driven global temperature rise may have a strong effect on trait differences between dominant and rare tree species and may lead to changes in species abundances and therefore strong community reassembly.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 16, Issue 1
Published May 22, 2025
ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher Nature Portfolio

Journal Info

Nature Communications

Nature Portfolio

ISSN: 2041-1723 Open Access Life Sciences

Authors (220)

I

Iris Hordijk

L

Lourens Poorter

J

Jingjing Liang

P

Peter B. Reich

S

Sergio de-Miguel

G

Gert-Jan Nabuurs

J

Javier G. P. Gamarra

H

Han Y. H. Chen

M

Mo Zhou

S

Susan K. Wiser

H

Hans Pretzsch

A

Alain Paquette

N

Nicolas Picard

B

Bruno Hérault

J

Jean-Francois Bastin

G

Giorgio Alberti

M

Meinrad Abegg

Y

Yves C. Adou Yao

A

Angelica M. Almeyda Zambrano

B

Braulio V. Alvarado

E

Esteban Alvarez-Davila

P

Patricia Alvarez-Loayza

L

Luciana F. Alves

I

Iêda Amaral

C

Christian Ammer

C

Clara Antón-Fernández

A

Alejandro Araujo-Murakami

Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado, Universidad Autónoma Gabriel Rene Moreno

L

Luzmila Arroyo

Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado, Universidad Autónoma Gabriel Rene Moreno

V

Valerio Avitabile

G

Gerardo A. Aymard C

T

Timothy Baker

O

Olaf Banki

J

Jorcely Barroso

M

Meredith L. Bastian

L

Luca Birigazzi

P

Philippe Birnbaum

R

Robert Bitariho

P

Pascal Boeckx

F

Frans Bongers

O

Olivier Bouriaud

P

Pedro H. S. Brancalion

S

Susanne Brandl

F

Francis Q. Brearley

R

Roel Brienen

School of Geography, University of Leeds

E

Eben N. Broadbent

H

Helge Bruelheide

Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg

R

Roberto Cazzolla Gatti

R

Ricardo G. Cesar

G

Goran Cesljar

R

Robin L. Chazdon

C

Chelsea Chisholm

E

Emil Cienciala

C

Connie J. Clark

D

David B. Clark

G

Gabriel Colletta

D

David Coomes

F

Fernando Cornejo Valverde

Andes to Amazon Biodiversity Program

J

Jose J. Corral-Rivas

P

Philip Crim

J

Jonathan Cumming

S

Selvadurai Dayanandan

A

André L. de Gasper

M

Mathieu Decuyper

G

Géraldine Derroire

B

Ben DeVries

I

Ilija Djordjevic

A

Aurelie Dourdain

J

Jiri Dolezal

N

Nestor Laurier Engone Obiang

B

Brian Enquist

T

Teresa Eyre

A

Adandé Belarmain Fandohan

T

Tom M. Fayle

L

Leandro V. Ferreira

T

Ted R. Feldpausch

School of Geography, University of Leeds

L

Leena Finér

M

Markus Fischer

C

Christine Fletcher

L

Lorenzo Frizzera

D

Damiano Gianelle

H

Henry B. Glick

D

David Harris

A

Andrew Hector

A

Andreas Hemp

J

John Herbohn

A

Annika Hillers

E

Euridice N. Honorio Coronado

Department for Accelerated Taxonomy, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

C

Cang Hui

H

Hyunkook Cho

T

Thomas Ibanez

I

Ilbin Jung

N

Nobuo Imai

A

Andrzej M. Jagodziński

B

Bogdan Jaroszewicz

V

Vivian Johannsen

C

Carlos A. Joly

T

Tommaso Jucker

School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.

V

Viktor Karminov

K

Kuswata Kartawinata

E

Elizabeth Kearsley

D

David Kenfack

D

Deborah Kennard

S

Sebastian Kepfer-Rojas

G

Gunnar Keppel

M

Mohammed Latif Khan

T

Timothy Killeen

H

Hyun Seok Kim

K

Kanehiro Kitayama

M

Michael Köhl

H

Henn Korjus

F

Florian Kraxner

D

Diana Laarmann

M

Mait Lang

S

Simon Lewis

H

Huicui Lu

N

Natalia Lukina

B

Brian Maitner

Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida

Y

Yadvinder Malhi

E

Eric Marcon

B

Beatriz Schwantes Marimon

B

Ben Hur Marimon-Junior

A

Andrew Robert Marshall

E

Emanuel Martin

O

Olga Martynenko

J

Jorge A. Meave

O

Omar Melo-Cruz

C

Casimiro Mendoza

Escuela de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Mayor de San Simon

C

Cory Merow

Eversource Energy Center and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut

S

Stanislaw Miscicki

A

Abel Monteagudo Mendoza

Herbario Vargas, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco

V

Vanessa Moreno

S

Sharif A. Mukul

P

Philip Mundhenk

M

Maria G. Nava-Miranda

D

David Neill

V

Victor Neldner

R

Radovan Nevenic

M

Michael Ngugi

P

Pascal A. Niklaus

J

Jacek Oleksyn

P

Petr Ontikov

E

Edgar Ortiz-Malavasi

Y

Yude Pan

A

Alexander Parada-Gutierrez

E

Elena Parfenova

M

Minjee Park

M

Marc Parren

N

Narayanaswamy Parthasarathy

P

Pablo L. Peri

S

Sebastian Pfautsch

O

Oliver L. Phillips

M

Maria Teresa Piedade

D

Daniel Piotto

N

Nigel C. A. Pitman

Collections, Conservation and Research, The Field Museum

M

Martina Pollastrini

I

Irina Polo

A

Axel Dalberg Poulsen

J

John R. Poulsen

F

Freddy Ramirez Arevalo

Facultad de Biologia, Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana

Z

Zorayda Restrepo-Correa

M

Mirco Rodeghiero

S

Samir Rolim

A

Anand Roopsind

F

Francesco Rovero

E

Ervan Rutishauser

P

Purabi Saikia

C

Christian Salas-Eljatib

P

Peter Schall

Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, University of Göttingen

D

Dmitry Schepaschenko

M

Michael Scherer-Lorenzen

B

Bernhard Schmid

J

Jochen Schöngart

Ecology, Monitoring and Sustainable Use of Wetlands, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia

E

Eric B. Searle

V

Vladimir Seben

F

Federico Selvi

J

Josep M. Serra-Diaz

D

Douglas Sheil

A

Anatoly Shvidenko

J

Javier Silva-Espejo

M

Marcos Silveira

J

James Singh

P

Plinio Sist

F

Ferry Slik

B

Bonaventure Sonké

A

Alexandre F. Souza

H

Hans ter Steege

K

Krzysztof Stereńczak

J

Jens-Christian Svenning

Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere, Department of Biology, Aarhus University

M

Miroslav Svoboda

B

Ben Swanepoel

N

Natalia Targhetta

N

Nadja Tchebakova

R

Raquel Thomas

Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development

E

Elena Tikhonova

P

Peter Umunay

V

Vladimir Usoltsev

R

Renato Valencia

F

Fernando Valladares

F

Fons van der Plas

T

Tran Van Do

M

Michael E. Van Nuland

R

Rodolfo Vasquez Martinez

H

Hans Verbeeck

H

Helder Viana

A

Alexander C. Vibrans

S

Simone Vieira

K

Klaus von Gadow

H

Hua-Feng Wang

J

James Watson

G

Gijsbert D. A. Werner

F

Florian Wittmann

Wetland Department, Institute of Geography and Geoecology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

V

Verginia Wortel

R

Roderick Zagt

T

Tomasz Zawila-Niedzwiecki

C

Chunyu Zhang

X

Xiuhai Zhao

Z

Zhi-Xin Zhu

I

Irié Casimir Zo-Bi

D

Daniel S. Maynard

T

Thomas W. Crowther