The phylogenetic signal of functional traits and their effects on community structure in an evergreen broad-leaved forest

Abstract

The phylogenetic conservatism of plant functional traits and its association with community struc- ture are important topics in ecological research. Plant functional traits are simultaneously affected by their evolutionary background, local habitat conditions and large-scale climate. In this study we asked whether functional traits have a significant phylogenetic signal and significantly affect species abundance in a com- munity. For this objective, we used data from a 24 ha Gutianshan forest plot, which included species abun- dance and six functional traits of 156 woody species: leaf nitrogen content, leaf phosphorus content, leaf area, wood density, specific leaf area and seed mass. We found that all functional traits showed significant phylogenetic signal, suggesting that all functional traits are significantly affected by their evolutionary his- tory. We also found that species abundance was correlated with leaf nitrogen content, leaf phosphorus con- tent, leaf area, woody density and specific leaf area except seed mass, suggesting that resource acquisition significantly affects species abundance distribution in a community, and that these functional traits impact