title: Complementarity effects on tree growth are contingent on tree size and climatic conditions across Europe.
abstract: Neglecting tree size and stand structure dynamics might bias the interpretation of the diversity-productivity relationship in forests. Here we show evidence that complementarity is contingent on tree size across large-scale climatic gradients in Europe. We compiled growth data of the 14 most dominant tree species in 32,628 permanent plots covering boreal, temperate and Mediterranean forest biomes. Niche complementarity is expected to result in significant growth increments of trees surrounded by a larger proportion of functionally dissimilar neighbours. Functional dissimilarity at the tree level was assessed using four functional types: i.e. broad-leaved deciduous, broad-leaved evergreen, needle-leaved deciduous and needle-leaved evergreen. Using Linear Mixed Models we show that, complementarity effects depend on tree size along an energy availability gradient across Europe. Specifically: (i) complementarity effects at low and intermediate positions of the gradient (coldest-temperate areas) were stronger for small than for large trees; (ii) in contrast, at the upper end of the gradient (warmer regions), complementarity is more widespread in larger than smaller trees, which in turn showed negative growth responses to increased functional dissimilarity. Our findings suggest that the outcome of species mixing on stand productivity might critically depend on individual size distribution structure along gradients of environmental variation.
authors: Forest Ecology and Restoration Group, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alcalá, Campus Universitario, 28871, Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), Spain.
authors: Jaime
authors: J
authors: Madrigal-González
authors: Forest Ecology and Restoration Group, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alcalá, Campus Universitario, 28871, Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), Spain.|Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Natural Sciences.University of Stirling, FK9 4LA, Stirling, United Kingdom.
authors: Paloma
authors: P
authors: Ruiz-Benito
authors: Department of Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, University Leipzig (ULE, Germany).
authors: Sophia
authors: S
authors: Ratcliffe
authors: Forest Ecology and Restoration Group, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alcalá, Campus Universitario, 28871, Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), Spain.|Department of Biogeography and Global Change, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), C/José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid Spain.
authors: Joaquín
authors: J
authors: Calatayud
authors: Forstliche Versuchs- und Forschungsanstalt Baden-Württemberg (FVA, Germany).
authors: Gerald
authors: G
authors: Kändler
authors: Natural Resource Institute Finland (LUKE, Finland).
authors: Aleksi
authors: A
authors: Lehtonen
authors: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU, Sweden).
authors: Jonas
authors: J
authors: Dahlgren
authors: Department of Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, University Leipzig (ULE, Germany).|German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv, Germany).
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Wirth
authors: Forest Ecology and Restoration Group, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alcalá, Campus Universitario, 28871, Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), Spain.
authors: Miguel A
authors: MA
authors: Zavala
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D044822:Biodiversity; D002980:Climate; D017753:Ecosystem; D005060:Europe; D005843:Geography; D008954:Models, Biological; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000254:growth & development; D013045:Species Specificity; D014197:Trees / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development*