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journal article Dec 07, 2025

Linking drought characteristics and community functional traits to explain multidimensional forest stability

Keda Cui ORCID Xinyu Han ORCID Huaijiang He ORCID Chunyu Fan ORCID Lushuang Gao ORCID Chunyu Zhang ORCID Klaus von Gadow ORCID Xiuhai Zhao ORCID
New Phytologist Vol. 249 No. 5 pp. 2311-2325 · Wiley
View at Publisher Save 10.1111/nph.70814
Abstract
Summary



The increasing frequency and intensity of drought events in temperate regions threaten forest ecosystem stability. However, the multidimensional stability, including resistance, recovery, and temporal invariability, and its ecological drivers, remain poorly understood.


In this study, we integrate trait‐based approaches with biomass dynamics reconstructed using tree rings from temperate forests in northeastern China to explore how functional composition and diversity influence multidimensional stability across varying drought regimes. Using 234 drought events, we quantified four dimensions of stability: resistance (capacity to withstand drought), recovery (ability to regain productivity after drought), resilience (return to pre‐drought levels), and temporal invariability (long‐term stability in productivity).


We found significant linear and nonlinear relationships among stability dimensions, demonstrating their interdependencies. Communities dominated by conservative strategies, characterized by higher wood density, exhibited greater resistance and temporal invariability. By contrast, communities dominated by acquisitive strategies, characterized by larger specific leaf area, showed rapid recovery, though the benefits of these strategies decreased with increasing drought intensity. Functional diversity improved resistance during prolonged droughts but hindered recovery, highlighting context‐dependent trait effects.


This study emphasizes the importance of establishing a comprehensive stability framework that integrates drought characteristics and community traits to predict forest responses to climate extremes.
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Details
Published
Dec 07, 2025
Vol/Issue
249(5)
Pages
2311-2325
License
View
Authors
K
Keda Cui

State Key Laboratory of Efficient Production of Forest Resources Beijing Forestry University 100083 Beijing China; Research Center of Forest Management Engineering of State Forestry and Grassland Administration Beijing Forestry University 100083 Beijing China

X
Xinyu Han

State Key Laboratory of Efficient Production of Forest Resources Beijing Forestry University 100083 Beijing China; Research Center of Forest Management Engineering of State Forestry and Grassland Administration Beijing Forestry University 100083 Beijing China

H
Huaijiang He

Jilin Provincial Academy of Forestry Sciences 130062 Changchun China

C
Chunyu Fan

State Key Laboratory of Efficient Production of Forest Resources Beijing Forestry University 100083 Beijing China; Research Center of Forest Management Engineering of State Forestry and Grassland Administration Beijing Forestry University 100083 Beijing China

L
Lushuang Gao

State Key Laboratory of Efficient Production of Forest Resources Beijing Forestry University 100083 Beijing China; Research Center of Forest Management Engineering of State Forestry and Grassland Administration Beijing Forestry University 100083 Beijing China

C
Chunyu Zhang

State Key Laboratory of Efficient Production of Forest Resources Beijing Forestry University 100083 Beijing China; Research Center of Forest Management Engineering of State Forestry and Grassland Administration Beijing Forestry University 100083 Beijing China

K
Klaus von Gadow

Faculty of Forestry and Forest Ecology Georg‐August‐University Göttingen 37073 Göttingen Germany; Department of Forest and Wood Science University of Stellenbosch 7599 Stellenbosch South Africa

X
Xiuhai Zhao

State Key Laboratory of Efficient Production of Forest Resources Beijing Forestry University 100083 Beijing China; Research Center of Forest Management Engineering of State Forestry and Grassland Administration Beijing Forestry University 100083 Beijing China

Funding
National Key Research and Development Program of China Award: 32371870
Cite This Article
Keda Cui, Xinyu Han, Huaijiang He, et al. (2025). Linking drought characteristics and community functional traits to explain multidimensional forest stability. New Phytologist, 249(5), 2311-2325. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70814
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