Shifting Importance of Abiotic versus Biotic Filtering from Intact Mature Forests to Post-Clearcut Secondary Forests

Although ecologists often emphasize the roles of environmental- versus biotic-filtering in structuring forest communities, relative importance these processes could vary among undisturbed disturbed forests. To test this assumption, we gathered leaf traits and site conditions data from intact mature forests (control), moderately shrublands, severely plantations subtropical China. We found that had higher area, specific nitrogen phosphorus concentrations but lower thickness, dry matter content, C:N than shrubland or forest, suggesting dominance resource acquisition strategy conservation Plantations also significantly trait ranges shrubland, play stringent environmental filtering plantation. However, intraspecific variations content were substantial plantation, while interspecific variation thickness was high forests, intra- inter-specific competition plantation Results our species-level analysis consistent with community-level results mentioned above. Overall, study demonstrates shifting biotic to