The ‘plant economic spectrum’ in bryophytes, a comparative study in subalpine forest

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Tradeoffs among functional traits of vascular plants are starting to be better understood, but it is unclear whether bryophytes possess similar tradeoffs or how trait relationships, or the ‘economic spectrum’, differ between the two groups. METHODS: We determined functional-trait values [including shoot mass per area (SMA), light-saturated assimilation rate (Amass), dark respiration rate (Rdmass), N and P concentrations (Nmass and Pmass), and photosynthetic N and P use efficiency (PNUE and PPUE)] and their bivariate relationships for 28 bryophytes growing in a subalpine old-growth fir forest on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Trait values and scaling relationships of these bryophytes were compared with data for vascular plant leaves from the Global Plant Trait Network (GLOPNET) dataset. KEY RESULTS: We found that the Amass, Nmass, N:P, PNUE and PPUE of bryophyte shoots were lower than those of vascular plant leaves. In contrast, bryophytes possessed higher Pmass and t...