Acquisitive traits improve seedling survival with reduced soil moisture at the edges of a fragmented tropical forest
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Climate change and habitat fragmentation threaten biodiversity, but their interactive effects remain poorly understood. In closed-canopy forests, altered rainfall patterns may induce drought conditions that are exacerbated at forest edges due to warmer, drier microclimates. Plant responses to water limitation can be mediated by functional traits related to resource acquisition and stress tolerance. We examined how drought and edge conditions jointly affect seedling survival, and whether species’ responses are explained by their traits. In a human-modified forest in the central Western Ghats, India, we transplanted ~ 1-year-old seedlings in a factorial combination of habitat (forest edge vs. interior) and drought (throughfall exclusion vs. control). We monitored survival through one year and estimated drought response (survival in drought relative to control), which was related to six traits. Throughfall exclusion reduced soil moisture more at edges, particularly during dry months. At the edge, three species showed significantly lower survival under drought, whereas survival in the interior did not differ with water treatment. Acquisitive traits (high leaf area, low stem specific density, low leaf dry matter content, and low leaf mass per area) improved survival with drought at edges. Trait-mediated responses were not evident in the interior, likely due to buffered microclimates. Multi-trait combinations were better predictors of drought response than individual traits, suggesting trait coordination. Our results suggest that droughts may favour acquisitive species at forest edges, potentially altering community composition, which has implications for management and restoration of fragmented forests in a changing climate.
Source: Plant Ecology
Authors: Peddiraju Bandaru, Lakshmipriya Cannanbilla, Ashish Nambiar, Rishanth Kuruvankunath Ravi, Ashok Kumar Mani, S Saravanan Karuna Moorthy, Sharath Prakash, Ranjana Gauri Muniraja, Malavika Kamath, Meghna Krishnadas
Institutions: Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, National Centre for Biological Sciences, University of Bayreuth, Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana University, Hester, Microsoft (India), Pondicherry University, University of Bonn, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research
Language: English
Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,090
Funder: National Geographic Society
OpenAlex ID: W7108737361