I‐Fang Sun
A5086699507- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Forest ecology and management
- Plant and animal studies
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Land Use and Ecosystem Services
- Forest Management and Policy
- Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies
- Fire effects on ecosystems
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Forest Insect Ecology and Management
- Tree Root and Stability Studies
- Ecosystem dynamics and resilience
- Soil Geostatistics and Mapping
- Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions
- Aeolian processes and effects
- Bayesian Methods and Mixture Models
- Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Botany and Plant Ecology Studies
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
- Marine and environmental studies
- Scarabaeidae Beetle Taxonomy and Biogeography
- Sustainability and Ecological Systems Analysis
National Dong Hwa University
2016-2025
National Museum of Natural History
2020
ForestGEO
2006-2020
Universiti Brunei Darussalam
2020
National Taiwan University
2019
Chinese Academy of Sciences
2013
Tunghai University
1997-2012
University of Georgia
2007
University of California, San Diego
2006
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
2006
The classical environmental control model assumes that species distribution is determined by the spatial variation of underlying habitat conditions. This niche-based has recently been challenged neutral theory biodiversity which ecological drift a key process regulating coexistence. Understanding mechanisms maintain in communities critically depends on our ability to decompose diversity into contributions different processes affecting it. Here we investigated effects pure habitat, spatial,...
Abstract Aim To examine the contribution of large‐diameter trees to biomass, stand structure, and species richness across forest biomes. Location Global. Time period Early 21st century. Major taxa studied Woody plants. Methods We examined large density, biomass using a global network 48 (from 2 60 ha) plots representing 5,601,473 stems 9,298 210 plant families. This was assessed three metrics: largest 1% ≥ 1 cm diameter at breast height (DBH), all DBH, those rank‐ordered that cumulatively...
Summary The relationship between species richness and ecosystem function, as measured by productivity or biomass, is of long‐standing theoretical practical interest in ecology. This especially true for forests, which represent a majority global biodiversity. Here, we conduct an analysis relationships tree richness, biomass 25 forest plots area 8–50 ha from across the world. data were collected using standardized protocols, obviating need to correct methodological differences that plague many...
Maintaining tree diversity Negative interaction among plant species is known as conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD). This ecological pattern thought to maintain higher in the tropics. LaManna et al. tested this hypothesis by comparing how changes with intensity of local biotic interactions tropical and temperate latitudes (see Perspective Comita). Stronger specialized seem prevent erosion biodiversity forests, not only limiting populations common species, but also strongly...
Abstract Numerous studies have shown reduced performance in plants that are surrounded by neighbours of the same species 1,2 , a phenomenon known as conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD) 3 . A long-held ecological hypothesis posits CNDD is more pronounced tropical than temperate forests 4,5 which increases community stabilization, coexistence and diversity local tree 6,7 Previous analyses supporting such latitudinal gradient 8,9 suffered from methodological limitations related to...
Abstract All species must partition resources among the processes that underly growth, survival, and reproduction. The resulting demographic trade‐offs constrain range of viable life‐history strategies are hypothesized to promote local coexistence. Tropical forests pose ideal systems study as they have a high diversity coexisting tree whose tend align along two orthogonal axes variation: growth–survival trade‐off separates with fast growth from survival stature–recruitment achieve large...
The search for simple principles that underlie the spatial structure and dynamics of plant communities is a long-standing challenge in ecology1–6. In particular, relationship between species coexistence distribution plants challenging to resolve species-rich communities7–9. Here we present comprehensive analysis patterns 720 tree 21 large forest plots their consequences coexistence. We show with low abundance tend be more spatially aggregated than abundant species. Moreover, there...
An ecological community's species diversity tends to erode through time as a result of stochastic extinction, competitive exclusion, and unstable host-enemy dynamics. This erosion can be prevented over the short term if recruits are highly diverse preferential recruitment rare or, alternatively, survive preferentially, which increases ages individuals increase. Here, we present census data from seven New Old World tropical forest dynamics plots that all show latter pattern. Within local...
Species–area relationships (SARs) characterize the spatial distribution of species diversity in community ecology, but biological mechanisms underlying SARs have not been fully explored. Here, we examined roles dispersal limitation and habitat heterogeneity shaping two large‐scale forest plots. One is a 24‐ha subtropical Gutianshan National Nature Reserve, China. The other 50‐ha tropical rain Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Spatial point pattern models were applied to investigate...
ABSTRACT Aims With the aim of understanding why some world's forests exhibit higher tree beta diversity values than others, we asked: (1) what is contribution environmentally related variation versus pure spatial and local stochastic to assessed at forest plot scale; (2) resolution are these beta‐diversity components more apparent; (3) determines in observed across regions/continents? Location World‐wide. Methods We compiled an unprecedented data set 10 large‐scale stem‐mapping plots...
Long-term surveys of entire communities species are needed to measure fluctuations in natural populations and elucidate the mechanisms driving population dynamics community assembly. We analysed changes abundance over 4000 tree 12 forests across world periods 6-28 years. Abundance all large consistent with models which temporal environmental variance plays a central role. At some sites we identify clear drivers, such as fire drought, that could underlie these patterns, but at other there is...
The spatial dispersion of individuals in a species is an important pattern that controlled by many mechanisms. In this study we analyzed distributions tree large‐scale (20 ha) stem‐mapping plot species‐rich subtropical forest China. O‐ring statistic was used to measure patterns with abundance >10. Ω 0–10 , the mean conspecific density within 10 m tree, as intensity aggregation species. Our results showed: (1) aggregated distribution dominant plot. percentage decreased increased scale. (2)...
Summary An important goal in plant community ecology is to understand how species traits determine demographic performance. Several functional have been shown correlate with growth and mortality rates trees, but less known about the relationships between change tree size. We examined associations of across 43 Fushan 25‐ha subtropical rain forest plot northern Taiwan. estimated 95th percentile maximum stem diameter, wood density six leaf (leaf area, specific thickness, succulence, mass‐based...
Abstract Based on the framework of attribute diversity (a generalization Hill numbers order q ), we develop a class functional measures sensitive not only to species abundances but also trait‐based species‐pairwise distances. The new method refines and improves conventional species‐equivalent approach in three areas: (1) often gives similar values (close unity) assemblages with contrasting levels diversity; (2) when distance metric is unbounded, depends presence/absence other study; (3)...
Neutral and niche theories give contrasting explanations for the maintenance of tropical tree species diversity. Both have some empirical support, but methods to disentangle their effects not yet been developed. We applied a statistical measure spatial structure data from 14 large forest plots test prediction theory that is incompatible with neutral theory: in heterogeneous environments should separate out space according preferences. chose across range topographic heterogeneity, tested...
Summary Tree size shapes forest carbon dynamics and determines how trees interact with their environment, including a changing climate. Here, we conduct the first global analysis of among‐site differences in aboveground biomass stocks fluxes are distributed tree size. We analyzed repeat censuses from 25 large‐scale (4–52 ha) plots spanning broad climatic range over five continents to characterize biomass, woody productivity, mortality vary diameter. examined median, dispersion, skewness...