OOS 28
Functional, Phylogenetic and Genetic Dimensions of Forest Diversity and Change

Tuesday, August 11, 2015: 1:30 PM-5:00 PM
317, Baltimore Convention Center
Organizer:
Stuart J. Davies, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Co-organizer:
Kristin I. Powell, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Moderator:
Stuart J. Davies, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Forests worldwide face multiple pressures because of shifts in temperature and precipitation, as well as deforestation and degradation due to land use change. Predicting how forest communities will be affected by future shifts in climate and land-use change remains a major challenge. The response of forests to climate change and land use will depend not only on species composition and diversity, but also on the functional diversity among species and the genetic variation within species. The talks in this session represent a major step towards a more mechanistic understanding of the drivers of tree species abundance, distribution, and demography across landscapes. Previous studies have focused on predicting how species distributions will be altered by global changes using niche based or climate-envelope models. However, current distributions may not reflect species' environmental tolerances. A more mechanistic approach is needed that uses information on individual or population-level variation in responses to environmental variables. This process-based approach is rare because it relies on detailed demographic or physiological data, which is lacking for most species. For example, in areas that will experience more frequent or severe droughts, shifts in species composition and diversity within communities will depend on the variation both among- and within-species in drought tolerance. Thus, an understanding of phenotypic plasticity and intraspecific genetic variation will more accurately predict the resilience of species and communities to changing climate. Session talks incorporate multiple dimensions of diversity that are key to predicting the resilience of forest communities to global change. Specific questions the talks will address include: (i) What functional traits underlie species' environmental tolerances and drive species’ distributions and dynamics? (ii) Does shared evolutionary history predict the distribution of functional traits among species and forest communities through space and time? (iii) How are species and functional diversity likely to shift under climate change? (iv) How much do functional traits and environmental tolerances vary among individuals within species, at both local and regional scales? And, to what extent is intraspecific functional variation due to phenotypic plasticity or genetic variation?
1:30 PM
 The phylogenetic distribution of functional diversity across a worldwide forest dynamics plot network
Nathan Swenson, University of Maryland; Stuart J. Davies, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; David L. Erickson, Smithsonian Institution; Keping Ma, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences; W. John Kress, Smithsonian Institution
1:50 PM
 Intraspecific and phylogenetic density-dependent recruitment in a subtropical evergreen forest
Yanjun Du, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Liza S. Comita, Yale University; Lei Chen, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Simon A. Queenborough, Yale University; Xiangcheng Mi, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Keping Ma, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2:10 PM
 Demographic diversity in tropical forests: Functional trade-offs and consequences for species distributions
Sabrina E. Russo, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Richard Condit, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Sean M. McMahon, Smithsonian Institution Global Earth Observatory; Stuart J. Davies, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Matteo Detto, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Corneille E. N. Ewango, Wildlife Conservation Society; Serafina Christine Dawn Fletcher, Forest Research Institute Malaysia; C. V. Savi Gunatilleke, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya; I. A. U. Nimal Gunatilleke, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya; John Hart, Wildlife Conservation Society; Terese Hart, Wildlife Conservation Society; Stephen P. Hubbell, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Akira Itoh, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University; Abdul Rahman Kassim, Forest Research Institute Malaysia; Shawn Lum, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University; Jean-Remy Makana, Wildlife Conservation Society; Perry Ong, University of the Philippines - Diliman; Sylvester Tan, Forest Department Sarawak; S. Joseph Wright, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Sandra L. Yap, University of the Philippines - Diliman
2:30 PM
 The cumulative effect of phylogenetic relatedness on the assembly of forest tree neighborhoods
Lei Chen, Chinese Academy of Sciences; S. Joseph Wright, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Liza S. Comita, The Ohio State University; Nathan Swenson, Michigan State University; Jess K. Zimmerman, University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras; Xiangcheng Mi, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Zhanqing Hao, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Wanhui Ye, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China; Stephen P. Hubbell, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; W. John Kress, Smithsonian Institution; Maria Uriarte, Columbia University; Jill Thompson, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Edinburgh); Christopher Nytch, University of Puerto Rico; Xugao Wang, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Juyu Lian, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Keping Ma, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2:50 PM
 Role of mycorrhizal associations in structuring forest communities across environmental and climatic gradients
Daniel Johnson, Yale University; Jonathan A. Myers, Washington University in St. Louis; Richard P. Phillips, Indiana University; Keith Clay, Indiana University
3:10 PM
3:20 PM
 Interspecific variation in responses of tropical trees to interannual climate variation and their relationships to species traits
Helene C. Muller-Landau, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; S. Joseph Wright, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Marco D Visser, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
3:40 PM
 Analyzing global tree and climate datasets to quantify the response of forest biodiversity to environmental change
Tak Fung, National University of Singapore; Ryan A. Chisholm, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Mauricio Alvarez, Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humbold; Kristina J. Anderson-Teixeira, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute; Norman A. Bourg, Smithsonian Institution - National Zoological Park; Warren Y. Brockelman, BIOTEC Central Research Unit; Nick Brokaw, University of Puerto Rico; Sarayudh Bunyavejchewin, Department of National Parks; Rutuja Chitra-Tarak, Indian Institute of Science; George B. Chuyong, University of Buea; Richard Condit, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; H. S. Dattaraja, Indian Institute of Science; Stuart J. Davies, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Corneille E. N. Ewango, Wildlife Conservation Society; Gary Fewless, University of Wisconsin; Serafina Christine Dawn Fletcher, Forest Research Institute Malaysia; C.V. Savitri Gunatilleke, University of Peradeniya, Faculty of Science; I.A.U. Nimal Gunatilleke, University of Peradeniya, Faculty of Science; Zhanqing Hao, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; John Hart, Wildlife Conservation Society; Terese Hart, Wildlife Conservation Society; Aaron Hogan, University of Puerto Rico; Robert W. Howe, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay; Chang-Fu Hsieh, National Dong Hwa University; Stephen P. Hubbell, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; David Kenfack, Center for Tropical Forest Science & Smithsonian Global Earth Observatory; YiChing Lin, Tunghai University; Keping Ma, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Jean-Remy Makana, Wildlife Conservation Society; William J. McShea, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute at the National Zoological Park; Xiangcheng Mi, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Anuttara Nathalang, BIOTEC Central Research Unit; Perry Ong, University of the Philippines - Diliman; Geoffrey G. Parker, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center; Jessica Shue, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center; Raman Sukumar, Indian Institute of Science; I-Fang Sun, National Dong Hwa University; H. S. Suresh, Indian Institute of Science; Sylvester Tan, Forest Department Sarawak; Duncan Thomas, Oregon State University; Jill Thompson, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Edinburgh); Renato Valencia, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador; Martha I. Vallejo, Instituto Alexander von Humboldt; Xugao Wang, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Yunquan Wang, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Pushpa Wijekoon, University of Peradeniya; Amy T. Wolf, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay; Sandra Yap, University of the Philippines; Jess Zimmerman, University of Puerto Rico
4:00 PM
 Comparative population genetics of tropical trees across a rainfall gradient in Central Panama: Implications for species' responses to climate change
F. Andrew Jones, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Ivania Ceron-Souza, Oregon State University; Eric J. Manzane-Pinzon, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Bettina Engelbrecht, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Liza S. Comita, Yale University
4:20 PM
 What determines local phylogenetic and functional beta diversity in temperate forests?
Xugao Wang, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
4:40 PM
 Relating intra-specific variation in function and performance to relative abundance: An example from Chinese tropical tree seedlings
María Natalia Umaña, Michigan State University; Luxiang Lin, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, CAS; Min Cao, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, CAS; Nathan G. Swenson, Michigan State University