Niels Anten - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Niels Anten

We studied canopy structure, shoot architecture and light harvesting efficiencies of the species ... more We studied canopy structure, shoot architecture and light harvesting efficiencies of the species (photon flux captured per unit above-ground plant mass) in a series of exclosures of different age (up to 4.5 yr) in originally heavily grazed grassland in N Japan.Vegetation height and Leaf Area Index (LAI) increased in the series and Zoysia japonica, the dominant in the beginning, was replaced by the much taller Miscanthus sinensis. We showed how this displacement in dominance can be explained by inherent constraints on the above-ground architecture of these two species. In all stands light capture of plants increased with their above-ground biomass but taller species were not necessarily more efficient in light harvesting. Some subordinate species grew disproportionally large leaf areas and persisted in the shady undergrowth. Some other species first grew taller and managed to stay in the better-lit parts of the canopy, but ultimately failed to match the height growth of their neighbours in this early successional series. Their light harvesting efficiencies declined and this probably led to their exclusion. By contrast, species that maintained their position high in the canopy managed to persist in the vegetation despite their relatively low light harvesting efficiencies. In the tallest stands 'later successional' species had higher light harvesting efficiencies for the same plant height than 'early successional' species which was mostly the result of the greater area to mass ratio (specific leaf area, SLA) of their leaves.

Appendix S2. Results of a robustness test to evaluate the effect of leaf production rates on mode... more Appendix S2. Results of a robustness test to evaluate the effect of leaf production rates on model output.

Agron J, 1997

In spite of the economic importance and extensive agronomic literature on cocoa, no physiological... more In spite of the economic importance and extensive agronomic literature on cocoa, no physiological production model has been developed for cocoa so far. Such a model would be very useful to compare yields in different climates and cropping systems, and to set the agenda for future agronomic research. Here, we present and apply such a physiological growth and production model for cocoa (SUCROS-Cocoa), based on the SUCROS-family of physiological crop growth models. Our model calculates light interception, photosynthesis, maintenance respiration, evapotranspiration, biomass production and bean yield for cocoa trees grown under shade trees. It can cope with both potential and water-limited situations, and is parameterised using existing information on cocoa physiology and morphology. A validation study showed that the model produces realistic output for bean yield, standing biomass, leaf area and 0308-521X/$ -see front matter Ó Agricultural Systems 84 195-225 AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS size-age relations. Simulations were carried out using climatic information of 30 locations in 10 cocoa-producing countries, three different soil types and varying shade levels.

Ecological Complexity, 2007

# Appendix S1. Methods and R script for a size and past growth rate dependent IPM and for the ana... more # Appendix S1. Methods and R script for a size and past growth rate dependent IPM and for the analysis of the relative importance of fast growers. # Here we explain how an IPM that is based on size and past growth rate can be constructed, using results of regression analysis that relate vital rates to size (i.e. stem length) and past growth rate, based on the methods for age-size IPMs (Childs et al., 2003; Ellner and Rees, 2006). Furthermore, we explain how this model can be used to determine the contribution of fast growers to population growth compared to that of slow growers. To illustrate this, the text below can be run as an R script. This will give a figure similar to as output. It also gives the absolute and relative contribution of fast growers to population growth.

European Journal of Agronomy, 2015

Frontiers in Plant Science, 2015

Plant Signaling & Behavior, 2011

U nderstanding plant response to wind is complicated as this factor entails not only mechanical s... more U nderstanding plant response to wind is complicated as this factor entails not only mechanical stress, but also affects leaf microclimate. In a recent study, we found that plant responses to mechanical stress (MS) may be different and even in the opposite direction to those of wind. MS-treated Plantago major plants produced thinner more elongated leaves while those in wind did the opposite. The latter can be associated with the drying effect of wind as is further supported by data on petiole anatomy presented here. These results indicate that plant responses to wind will depend on the extent of water stress. It should also be recognized that the responses to wind may differ between different parts of a plant and between plant species. Physiological research on wind responses should thus focus on the signal sensing and transduction of both the mechanical and drought signals associated with wind, and consider both plant size and architecture.

The Rangeland Journal, 2014

Ecology, 2015

Understanding how plants are constructed-i.e., how key size dimensions and the amount of mass inv... more Understanding how plants are constructed-i.e., how key size dimensions and the amount of mass invested in different tissues varies among individuals-is essential for modeling plant growth, carbon stocks, and energy fluxes in the terrestrial biosphere. Allocation patterns can differ through ontogeny, but also among coexisting species and among species adapted to different environments. While a variety of models dealing with biomass allocation exist, we lack a synthetic understanding of the underlying processes. This is partly due to the lack of suitable data sets for validating and parameterizing models. To that end, we present the Biomass And Allometry Database (BAAD) for woody plants. The BAAD contains 259 634 measurements collected in 176 different studies, from 21 084 individuals across 678 species. Most of these data come from existing publications. However, raw data were rarely made public at the time of publication. Thus, the BAAD contains data from different studies, transformed into standard units and variable names. The transformations were achieved using a common workflow for all raw data files. Other features that distinguish the BAAD are: (i) measurements were for individual plants rather than stand averages; (ii) individuals spanning a range of sizes were measured; (iii) plants from 0.01-100 m in height were included; and (iv) biomass was estimated directly, i.e., not indirectly via allometric equations (except in very large trees where biomass was estimated from detailed sub-sampling). We included both wild and artificially grown plants. The data set contains the following size metrics: total leaf area; area of stem cross-section including sapwood, heartwood, and bark; height of plant and crown base, crown area, and surface area; and the dry mass of leaf, stem, branches, sapwood, heartwood, bark, coarse roots, and fine root tissues. We also report other properties of individuals (age, leaf size, leaf mass per area, wood density, nitrogen content of leaves and wood), as well as information about the growing environment (location, light, experimental treatment, vegetation type) where available. It is our hope that making these data available will improve our ability to understand plant growth, ecosystem dynamics, and carbon cycling in the world's vegetation.

The New phytologist, Jan 21, 2015

Interspecific differences in functional traits are a key factor for explaining the positive diver... more Interspecific differences in functional traits are a key factor for explaining the positive diversity-productivity relationship in plant communities. However, the role of intraspecific variation attributable to phenotypic plasticity in diversity-productivity relationships has largely been overlooked. By taking a wheat (Triticum aestivum)-maize (Zea mays) intercrop as an elementary example of mixed vegetation, we show that plasticity in plant traits is an important factor contributing to complementary light capture in species mixtures. We conceptually separated net biodiversity effect into the effect attributable to interspecific trait differences and species distribution (community structure effect), and the effect attributable to phenotypic plasticity. Using a novel plant architectural modelling approach, whole-vegetation light capture was simulated for scenarios with and without plasticity based on empirical plant trait data. Light capture was 23% higher in the intercrop with plas...

Frontiers in Plant Science, 2015

Anthropogenic nitrogen deposition is currently causing a more than twofold increase of reactive n... more Anthropogenic nitrogen deposition is currently causing a more than twofold increase of reactive nitrogen input over large areas in the tropics. Elevated (15)N abundance (δ(15)N) in the growth rings of some tropical trees has been hypothesized to reflect an increased leaching of (15)N-depleted nitrate from the soil, following anthropogenic nitrogen deposition over the last decades. To find further evidence for altered nitrogen cycling in tropical forests, we measured long-term δ(15)N values in trees from Bolivia, Cameroon, and Thailand. We used two different sampling methods. In the first, wood samples were taken in a conventional way: from the pith to the bark across the stem of 28 large trees (the "radial" method). In the second, δ(15)N values were compared across a fixed diameter (the "fixed-diameter" method). We sampled 400 trees that differed widely in size, but measured δ(15)N in the stem around the same diameter (20 cm dbh) in all trees. As a result, the growth rings formed around this diameter differed in age and allowed a comparison of δ(15)N values over time with an explicit control for potential size-effects on δ(15)N values. We found a significant increase of tree-ring δ(15)N across the stem radius of large trees from Bolivia and Cameroon, but no change in tree-ring δ(15)N values over time was found in any of the study sites when controlling for tree size. This suggests that radial trends of δ(15)N values within trees reflect tree ontogeny (size development). However, for the trees from Cameroon and Thailand, a low statistical power in the fixed-diameter method prevents to conclude this with high certainty. For the trees from Bolivia, statistical power in the fixed-diameter method was high, showing that the temporal trend in tree-ring δ(15)N values in the radial method is primarily caused by tree ontogeny and unlikely by a change in nitrogen cycling. We therefore stress to account for tree size before tree-ring δ(15)N values can be properly interpreted.

Journal of experimental botany, Jan 11, 2015

Plant leaves commonly exhibit a thin, flat structure that facilitates a high light interception p... more Plant leaves commonly exhibit a thin, flat structure that facilitates a high light interception per unit mass, but may increase risks of mechanical failure when subjected to gravity, wind and herbivory as well as other stresses. Leaf laminas are composed of thin epidermis layers and thicker intervening mesophyll layers, which resemble a composite material, i.e. sandwich structure, used in engineering constructions (e.g. airplane wings) where high bending stiffness with minimum weight is important. Yet, to what extent leaf laminas are mechanically designed and behave as a sandwich structure remains unclear. To resolve this issue, we developed and applied a novel method to estimate stiffness of epidermis- and mesophyll layers without separating the layers. Across a phylogenetically diverse range of 36 angiosperm species, the estimated Young's moduli (a measure of stiffness) of mesophyll layers were much lower than those of the epidermis layers, indicating that leaf laminas behaved...

Plant biology (Stuttgart, Germany), 2013

In drylands, wind, sand burial and grazing are three important factors affecting growth and mecha... more In drylands, wind, sand burial and grazing are three important factors affecting growth and mechanical properties of plants, but their interactive effects have not yet been investigated. Plants of the semi-shrub Cynanchum komarovii, common in semi-arid parts of NE Asia, were subjected to brushing, burial and defoliation. We measured biomass allocation and relative increment rates of dry mass (RGR(m)), height (RGR(h)) and basal diameter (RGR(d)). We also measured the stem mechanical properties, Young's modulus (E), second moment of area (I), flexural stiffness (EI) and breaking stress (σ(b)), and scaled these traits to the whole-plant level to determine the maximum lateral force (F(lateral)) and the buckling safety factor (BSF). Brushing increased RGR(m); neither burial nor defoliation independently affected RGR(m), but together they reduced it. Among buried plants, brushing positively affected stem rigidity and strength through increasing RGR(d), E, I and EI, and at whole plant ...

We studied canopy structure, shoot architecture and light harvesting efficiencies of the species ... more We studied canopy structure, shoot architecture and light harvesting efficiencies of the species (photon flux captured per unit above-ground plant mass) in a series of exclosures of different age (up to 4.5 yr) in originally heavily grazed grassland in N Japan.Vegetation height and Leaf Area Index (LAI) increased in the series and Zoysia japonica, the dominant in the beginning, was replaced by the much taller Miscanthus sinensis. We showed how this displacement in dominance can be explained by inherent constraints on the above-ground architecture of these two species. In all stands light capture of plants increased with their above-ground biomass but taller species were not necessarily more efficient in light harvesting. Some subordinate species grew disproportionally large leaf areas and persisted in the shady undergrowth. Some other species first grew taller and managed to stay in the better-lit parts of the canopy, but ultimately failed to match the height growth of their neighbours in this early successional series. Their light harvesting efficiencies declined and this probably led to their exclusion. By contrast, species that maintained their position high in the canopy managed to persist in the vegetation despite their relatively low light harvesting efficiencies. In the tallest stands 'later successional' species had higher light harvesting efficiencies for the same plant height than 'early successional' species which was mostly the result of the greater area to mass ratio (specific leaf area, SLA) of their leaves.

Appendix S2. Results of a robustness test to evaluate the effect of leaf production rates on mode... more Appendix S2. Results of a robustness test to evaluate the effect of leaf production rates on model output.

Agron J, 1997

In spite of the economic importance and extensive agronomic literature on cocoa, no physiological... more In spite of the economic importance and extensive agronomic literature on cocoa, no physiological production model has been developed for cocoa so far. Such a model would be very useful to compare yields in different climates and cropping systems, and to set the agenda for future agronomic research. Here, we present and apply such a physiological growth and production model for cocoa (SUCROS-Cocoa), based on the SUCROS-family of physiological crop growth models. Our model calculates light interception, photosynthesis, maintenance respiration, evapotranspiration, biomass production and bean yield for cocoa trees grown under shade trees. It can cope with both potential and water-limited situations, and is parameterised using existing information on cocoa physiology and morphology. A validation study showed that the model produces realistic output for bean yield, standing biomass, leaf area and 0308-521X/$ -see front matter Ó Agricultural Systems 84 195-225 AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS size-age relations. Simulations were carried out using climatic information of 30 locations in 10 cocoa-producing countries, three different soil types and varying shade levels.

Ecological Complexity, 2007

# Appendix S1. Methods and R script for a size and past growth rate dependent IPM and for the ana... more # Appendix S1. Methods and R script for a size and past growth rate dependent IPM and for the analysis of the relative importance of fast growers. # Here we explain how an IPM that is based on size and past growth rate can be constructed, using results of regression analysis that relate vital rates to size (i.e. stem length) and past growth rate, based on the methods for age-size IPMs (Childs et al., 2003; Ellner and Rees, 2006). Furthermore, we explain how this model can be used to determine the contribution of fast growers to population growth compared to that of slow growers. To illustrate this, the text below can be run as an R script. This will give a figure similar to as output. It also gives the absolute and relative contribution of fast growers to population growth.

European Journal of Agronomy, 2015

Frontiers in Plant Science, 2015

Plant Signaling & Behavior, 2011

U nderstanding plant response to wind is complicated as this factor entails not only mechanical s... more U nderstanding plant response to wind is complicated as this factor entails not only mechanical stress, but also affects leaf microclimate. In a recent study, we found that plant responses to mechanical stress (MS) may be different and even in the opposite direction to those of wind. MS-treated Plantago major plants produced thinner more elongated leaves while those in wind did the opposite. The latter can be associated with the drying effect of wind as is further supported by data on petiole anatomy presented here. These results indicate that plant responses to wind will depend on the extent of water stress. It should also be recognized that the responses to wind may differ between different parts of a plant and between plant species. Physiological research on wind responses should thus focus on the signal sensing and transduction of both the mechanical and drought signals associated with wind, and consider both plant size and architecture.

The Rangeland Journal, 2014

Ecology, 2015

Understanding how plants are constructed-i.e., how key size dimensions and the amount of mass inv... more Understanding how plants are constructed-i.e., how key size dimensions and the amount of mass invested in different tissues varies among individuals-is essential for modeling plant growth, carbon stocks, and energy fluxes in the terrestrial biosphere. Allocation patterns can differ through ontogeny, but also among coexisting species and among species adapted to different environments. While a variety of models dealing with biomass allocation exist, we lack a synthetic understanding of the underlying processes. This is partly due to the lack of suitable data sets for validating and parameterizing models. To that end, we present the Biomass And Allometry Database (BAAD) for woody plants. The BAAD contains 259 634 measurements collected in 176 different studies, from 21 084 individuals across 678 species. Most of these data come from existing publications. However, raw data were rarely made public at the time of publication. Thus, the BAAD contains data from different studies, transformed into standard units and variable names. The transformations were achieved using a common workflow for all raw data files. Other features that distinguish the BAAD are: (i) measurements were for individual plants rather than stand averages; (ii) individuals spanning a range of sizes were measured; (iii) plants from 0.01-100 m in height were included; and (iv) biomass was estimated directly, i.e., not indirectly via allometric equations (except in very large trees where biomass was estimated from detailed sub-sampling). We included both wild and artificially grown plants. The data set contains the following size metrics: total leaf area; area of stem cross-section including sapwood, heartwood, and bark; height of plant and crown base, crown area, and surface area; and the dry mass of leaf, stem, branches, sapwood, heartwood, bark, coarse roots, and fine root tissues. We also report other properties of individuals (age, leaf size, leaf mass per area, wood density, nitrogen content of leaves and wood), as well as information about the growing environment (location, light, experimental treatment, vegetation type) where available. It is our hope that making these data available will improve our ability to understand plant growth, ecosystem dynamics, and carbon cycling in the world's vegetation.

The New phytologist, Jan 21, 2015

Interspecific differences in functional traits are a key factor for explaining the positive diver... more Interspecific differences in functional traits are a key factor for explaining the positive diversity-productivity relationship in plant communities. However, the role of intraspecific variation attributable to phenotypic plasticity in diversity-productivity relationships has largely been overlooked. By taking a wheat (Triticum aestivum)-maize (Zea mays) intercrop as an elementary example of mixed vegetation, we show that plasticity in plant traits is an important factor contributing to complementary light capture in species mixtures. We conceptually separated net biodiversity effect into the effect attributable to interspecific trait differences and species distribution (community structure effect), and the effect attributable to phenotypic plasticity. Using a novel plant architectural modelling approach, whole-vegetation light capture was simulated for scenarios with and without plasticity based on empirical plant trait data. Light capture was 23% higher in the intercrop with plas...

Frontiers in Plant Science, 2015

Anthropogenic nitrogen deposition is currently causing a more than twofold increase of reactive n... more Anthropogenic nitrogen deposition is currently causing a more than twofold increase of reactive nitrogen input over large areas in the tropics. Elevated (15)N abundance (δ(15)N) in the growth rings of some tropical trees has been hypothesized to reflect an increased leaching of (15)N-depleted nitrate from the soil, following anthropogenic nitrogen deposition over the last decades. To find further evidence for altered nitrogen cycling in tropical forests, we measured long-term δ(15)N values in trees from Bolivia, Cameroon, and Thailand. We used two different sampling methods. In the first, wood samples were taken in a conventional way: from the pith to the bark across the stem of 28 large trees (the "radial" method). In the second, δ(15)N values were compared across a fixed diameter (the "fixed-diameter" method). We sampled 400 trees that differed widely in size, but measured δ(15)N in the stem around the same diameter (20 cm dbh) in all trees. As a result, the growth rings formed around this diameter differed in age and allowed a comparison of δ(15)N values over time with an explicit control for potential size-effects on δ(15)N values. We found a significant increase of tree-ring δ(15)N across the stem radius of large trees from Bolivia and Cameroon, but no change in tree-ring δ(15)N values over time was found in any of the study sites when controlling for tree size. This suggests that radial trends of δ(15)N values within trees reflect tree ontogeny (size development). However, for the trees from Cameroon and Thailand, a low statistical power in the fixed-diameter method prevents to conclude this with high certainty. For the trees from Bolivia, statistical power in the fixed-diameter method was high, showing that the temporal trend in tree-ring δ(15)N values in the radial method is primarily caused by tree ontogeny and unlikely by a change in nitrogen cycling. We therefore stress to account for tree size before tree-ring δ(15)N values can be properly interpreted.

Journal of experimental botany, Jan 11, 2015

Plant leaves commonly exhibit a thin, flat structure that facilitates a high light interception p... more Plant leaves commonly exhibit a thin, flat structure that facilitates a high light interception per unit mass, but may increase risks of mechanical failure when subjected to gravity, wind and herbivory as well as other stresses. Leaf laminas are composed of thin epidermis layers and thicker intervening mesophyll layers, which resemble a composite material, i.e. sandwich structure, used in engineering constructions (e.g. airplane wings) where high bending stiffness with minimum weight is important. Yet, to what extent leaf laminas are mechanically designed and behave as a sandwich structure remains unclear. To resolve this issue, we developed and applied a novel method to estimate stiffness of epidermis- and mesophyll layers without separating the layers. Across a phylogenetically diverse range of 36 angiosperm species, the estimated Young's moduli (a measure of stiffness) of mesophyll layers were much lower than those of the epidermis layers, indicating that leaf laminas behaved...

Plant biology (Stuttgart, Germany), 2013

In drylands, wind, sand burial and grazing are three important factors affecting growth and mecha... more In drylands, wind, sand burial and grazing are three important factors affecting growth and mechanical properties of plants, but their interactive effects have not yet been investigated. Plants of the semi-shrub Cynanchum komarovii, common in semi-arid parts of NE Asia, were subjected to brushing, burial and defoliation. We measured biomass allocation and relative increment rates of dry mass (RGR(m)), height (RGR(h)) and basal diameter (RGR(d)). We also measured the stem mechanical properties, Young's modulus (E), second moment of area (I), flexural stiffness (EI) and breaking stress (σ(b)), and scaled these traits to the whole-plant level to determine the maximum lateral force (F(lateral)) and the buckling safety factor (BSF). Brushing increased RGR(m); neither burial nor defoliation independently affected RGR(m), but together they reduced it. Among buried plants, brushing positively affected stem rigidity and strength through increasing RGR(d), E, I and EI, and at whole plant ...