Summary
Plant functional traits are important to understanding biodiversity and ecosystem functioning responses to global change. However, traditional plant trait network (PTN) theory does not adequately capture coordinated adjustment mechanisms operating among traits across multiple organs and functional systems.
To address this challenge, we introduce the use of plant trait multilayer networks (PTMNs). This innovative framework systematically integrates multilayer network theory with plant functional trait analysis, enabling quantitative assessments of trait relationships across plant organs and functional systems.
We applied both traditional PTN and PTMN analyses to a dataset of 76 native and non-native woody species in North American deciduous forests, examining relationships among leaf, stem, and root traits. PTN results showed that non-native species already displayed higher connectivity and integration within single-layer networks, while PTMN analysis further revealed stronger cross-layer links and more efficient coordination across multiple organs and functional systems, indicating enhanced integrative capacity and adjustment potential in non-native species.
In conclusion, by analyzing trait interdependencies across organs and functional systems, PTMNs provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the complex ways plants respond to environmental change, thereby enhancing predictions of biodiversity patterns and ecosystem resilience.
摘要
植物功能性状对于理解生物多样性和生态系统功能如何响应全球变化至关重要。然而，传统的植物性状网络(PTN)理论未能充分捕捉跨多个器官和功能系统之间性状协同调节的内在机制。
为应对这一挑战，我们引入了植物性状多层网络(PTMNs)这一创新框架。该框架系统地将多层网络理论与植物功能性状分析相结合，从而能够定量评估跨植物器官和功能系统的性状间关系。
我们将PTN和PTMN分析方法应用于一个包含北美落叶林中76种本地和非本地木本植物的数据集，研究了它们的叶、茎和根性状之间的关系。PTN分析结果显示，在单层网络中，非本地物种已表现出更高的连通性和整合度；而PTMN分析进一步揭示，非本地物种在不同器官和功能系统之间拥有更强的跨层连接和更高效的协同作用，表明它们具备更强的整合能力和调节潜力。
通过分析跨器官和功能系统的性状相互依赖关系，PTMNs为理解植物响应环境变化的复杂方式提供了一个全面的框架，从而有望提升对生物多样性格局和生态系统恢复力的预测能力。
