scholarly journals Aspectos ecofisiológicos para la conservación de ecosistemas tropicales contrastantes

2017 ◽  
pp. 89
Author(s):  
Aura Azócar ◽  
Fermín Rada ◽  
Carlos García-Nuñez
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Functional Groups ◽  
Functional Group ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Plant Functional Groups ◽  
Deciduous Tree ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Water Factor ◽  
Temperature Water

<p>The identification of plant functional groups allows to evaluate plant properties as: recovering capacity, regeneration and resistence to environmental changes. It is possible to define plant functional groups in the seasonal savana and the high barren plateau taking in to account the ecophysiological plant responses to water stress and daily temperature-water rythmn, respectively. In the savana, although the wooden component is constituted by evergreen and deciduous tree species, they make only a functional group taking in to account their responses to water stress, this is similar in the herbaceous component. Results suggest that a change in environmental factors may generate a floristic replace without major changes in the system function.<br />However, in the high barren plateau, the different life forms also constitute different functional groups according to plant responses to temperature-water factor, suggesting that the substitution of any group will put in danger the preservation of this ecosystem.</p>

scholarly journals Can bryophyte groups increase functional resolution in tundra ecosystems?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Signe Lett ◽  
Ingibjörg Svala Jónsdóttir ◽  
Antoine Becker-Scarpitta ◽  
Casper T. Christiansen ◽  
Heinjo During ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Groups ◽  
Functional Group ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Intraspecific Variability ◽  
Water Holding Capacity ◽  
Plant Functional Groups ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Grouping Systems ◽  
Water Holding ◽  
Tundra Ecosystems

The relative contribution of bryophytes to plant diversity, primary productivity, and ecosystem functioning increases towards colder climates. Bryophytes respond to environmental changes at the species level, but because bryophyte species are relatively difficult to identify, they are often lumped into one functional group. Consequently, bryophyte function remains poorly resolved. Here, we explore how higher resolution of bryophyte functional diversity can be encouraged and implemented in tundra ecological studies. We briefly review previous bryophyte functional classifications and the roles of bryophytes in tundra ecosystems and their susceptibility to environmental change. Based on shoot morphology and colony organization, we then propose twelve easily distinguishable bryophyte functional groups. To illustrate how bryophyte functional groups can help elucidate variation in bryophyte effects and responses, we compiled existing data on water holding capacity, a key bryophyte trait. Although plant functional groups, can mask potentially high inter- and intraspecific variability, we found better separation of bryophyte functional group means compared to previous grouping systems regarding water holding capacity. This suggests that our bryophyte functional groups truly represent variation in the functional roles of bryophytes in tundra ecosystems. Lastly, we provide recommendations to improve monitoring of bryophyte community changes in tundra study sites.

scholarly journals Mid-term changes in the physiognomy of plant communities and functional plant groups define successional pathways of mountain vegetation in the province of Córdoba (Argentina)

2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-24
Author(s):  
Marcos Sebastián Karlin ◽  
Sebastián Abel Arnulphi ◽  
Javier Rodolfo Bernasconi Salazar
Keyword(s):  
Functional Groups ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Plant Functional Groups ◽  
Plant Interactions ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Plant Groups ◽  
Restoration Strategies ◽  
Mountain Vegetation ◽  
Successional Pathways

Abstract To identify restoration strategies over degraded semi-natural plant communities, successional pathways and their local controls should be identified. The objective of this work is to quantify the changes in the physiognomy and functional groups of plant communities in the Sierras Chicas of Córdoba along seven years. Lyapunov coefficients were calculated and arranged in two-phase diagrams, identifying different successional pathways over two soil categories and six plant communities. Du Rietz`s life forms were identified defining several plant functional groups. Results showed two successional pathways in the field of azonal soils and three in the field of intrazonal soils. Rainfall, extent of human-caused disturbances, and plant interactions are the leading causes explaining the changes in the structure of the plant communities. Fire and overgrazing retract the successions by altering the cover of plant communities and their functional groups.

scholarly journals The Significance of Aggregation Methods in Functional Group Modeling

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1560
Author(s):  
Huan Zhang ◽  
Herman H. Shugart ◽  
Bin Wang ◽  
Manuel Lerdau
Keyword(s):  
Functional Groups ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Functional Group ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Carbon Dynamics ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Plant Ecology ◽  
Basic Plant

The growth of forests and the feedbacks between forests and environmental changes are central issues in the planetary carbon cycle, global climate change, and basic plant ecology. A challenge to understanding both growth and feedbacks from local to global scales is that many critical metabolic processes vary among species. An innovation in solving this challenge is the recognition that species can be lumped into “functional groups” based on metabolic similarity, and these functional groups can then be studied in computational models that simulate ecosystem function. Despite the vast resources devoted to functional group studies and the progress made by them, an important logical and biological question has not been formally addressed, “How do the groupings alter the results of modeling studies?” To what extent do modeling results depend on the choices made in aggregating taxa into functional groups. Here, we consider the effects of using different aggregation strategies in simulating the carbon dynamics of a deciduous forest. Understanding the impacts that aggregation strategy has on efforts to simulate regional-to-global-scale forest dynamics offers insights into both ecosystem regulation and model function and addresses this central problem in the study of carbon dynamics.

scholarly journals Responses of Alpine Grassland Plant Functional Groups To Environmental Changes In The Altunshan At North Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ailin Zhang ◽  
Shixin Wu ◽  
Fanjiang Zeng ◽  
Yong Jiang ◽  
Ruzhen Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Groups ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Community Diversity ◽  
Alpine Grassland ◽  
Plant Functional Groups ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Individual Plant ◽  
Hydrothermal Conditions ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Abstract Purpose: In grassland ecosystems, plant functional group (PFG) is an important bridge connecting individual plant to community system. Grassland ecosystem is the main ecosystem type on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, so the change of community structure of grassland vegetation.Methods: The Altun Mountains in the northern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were used as the study area to investigate the PFGs of a high-altitude (> 3700m) grassland in desert areas and their response to temperature and moisture.Results: The main functional groups were forbs and grasses, and the importance values (IV) accounted for more than 50%. Plant species diversity of the community was influenced by the functional groups of legumes IV, and the increase of legumes would promote the increase of plant community diversity. The C, N, P of plant communities were mainly influenced by forbs and grasses, and the relationship between forbs and C, N, P was opposite to that of grasses. There was a positive correlation between forbs and soil TP; a negative correlation between grasses and soil TP; a positive correlation between legumes with soil SOC and TN; and a positive correlation between sedge and soil SOC. However, under the influence of different hydrothermal conditions, forbs and grasses as dominant functional groups had stronger correlation with community and soil nutrients. Conclusions: This indicated that the PFGs with the largest proportion in the community had the greatest influence on the community. This provides a basis for the study of alpine grassland community development and ecosystem function under alpine grassland.

scholarly journals Root trait responses to drought depend on plant functional group

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y.M. Lozano ◽  
C.A. Aguilar-Trigueros ◽  
I.C. Flaig ◽  
M.C. Rillig
Keyword(s):  
Functional Groups ◽  
Morphological Traits ◽  
Functional Group ◽  
Carbon Allocation ◽  
Root Traits ◽  
Root Trait ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Plant Functional Group ◽  
Tissue Density ◽  
Root Carbon

ABSTRACTDrought can strongly modify plant diversity and ecosystem processes. As droughts are expected to intensify in the future, it is important to better understand plant responses to drought. We expect that roots traits constitute an overlooked but powerful predictor of plant responses as roots are in direct contact with the soil environment, taking up nutrients and water.Here, we determine which root traits are sensitive to drought, the magnitude of that response, whether their predictive power and relationships with shoot biomass are affected by drought and whether all these responses depend on plant functional group. To do so, we conducted a glasshouse experiment with 24 plant species grown in pots (10 replicates per species), which represent three different functional groups: grasses, herbs and legumes. All replicates were well watered during the first month and then half of the replicates were kept under drought (30 % water holding capacity (WHC)) with the other half serving as control (kept at 70% WHC). After two months of the treatment, leaf and root traits were measured.Leaf traits had a strong but more uniform response to drought compared to root traits. Root trait response was variable and differed by plant functional group. Most grasses had increased root diameter, specific root surface area (SRSA) while decreased root tissue density (RTD) with drought. Production of thicker roots with a low tissue density could allow grasses to achieve greater nutrient and water acquisition through mycotrophy and would be linked to an increase in the reserve of non-structural carbohydrates needed for osmoregulation. Herbs had decreased SRSA and specific root length (SRL) while increase root carbon allocation. Reduction of root elongation or sacrifice of fine roots would be compensated by an increase in root carbon allocation, which allow herbs to improve water uptake. Legumes did not alter root morphological traits but promote an early flowering in order to scape drought.Our results identify changes in root morphological traits as mechanisms to likely face drought, a response that is species-specific and differed among functional groups.

Response of plant functional groups within plantations and naturally regenerated forests in southern New Brunswick, Canada

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 1261-1276 ◽  
Author(s):  
B V Ramovs ◽  
M R Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Functional Groups ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Plant Functional Groups ◽  
Growth Forms ◽  
Managed Forests ◽  
Natural Forests ◽  
Old Field ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Young Forests

We examined the composition of understory vascular plant species in managed forests to determine how life-history attributes influence plant response to disturbance. Forest types investigated were plantations on old fields (31–77 years old, n = 6), plantations on cutover land (19–64 years old, n = 8), young forests naturally regenerated after clear-cutting (27–66 years old, n = 6), and mature natural forests with no recent harvesting activity (80–100 years old, n = 6). Species were categorized by habitat preference (forest, intermediate, disturbed), growth form (12 categories), and life form (15 categories). Forest-habitat species dominated both natural stand types, whereas disturbed-habitat species dominated both plantation types. Mature natural stands contained higher frequency and cover of many herb growth forms, and cutover plantations contained higher values for shrubs. Old-field plantations contained low values for all growth forms. Two life forms, geophytes and rosette hemicryptophytes, were not well represented in either plantation type. All plant functional groups were present in each stand type, suggesting that differences among stand types occur as shifts in the relative abundances of functional groups. We hypothesize that some species may be at risk of local extirpation in plantations because of their limited growth rates and reproductive characteristics.

scholarly journals Phytoplankton functional groups as environmental indicators at a high neotropical mountain reservoir in Colombia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian Hakspiel-Segura ◽  
Betsy Paola Barrios-Galván ◽  
Gabriel Pinilla-Agudelo
Keyword(s):  
Functional Groups ◽  
Suspended Solids ◽  
Functional Group ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Mixing Conditions ◽  
Chlorella Sp ◽  
Phytoplankton Functional Groups ◽  
Selection Of

Phytoplankton is a fundamental productive component of lentic ecosystems, which also directly reflects environmental variability. This study evaluated the dynamics of phytoplankton in response to the monthly variability of physicochemical properties of a neotropical high Andes reservoir, El Neusa, from July to October 2004. Samples were collected and analyzed for taxonomic identification to species or the lowest possible level and categorized in functional groups (FGs). A total of 111 species of phytoplankton belonging to nine classes and 20 FGs were recorded. Among these phytoplankton classes, Chlorophyceae (36 species), Euglenophyceae (13 species), Bacillariophyceae, (14 species), and Conjugatophyceae (25 species) were the most species-rich and highest in abundance. The overall phytoplankton abundance was largest in August (8.5×104 ±2.7 ×104 ind.L-1) and September (8.9×104 ±4.6×104 ind.L-1); however, the distribution of phytoplankton classes was not statistically different among sampling sites (Friedman-ANOVA; p>0.01)  Chlorella sp. (2.4×104 ±2.0×104 ind.L-1), and Chloromonas grovei (2.5×104 ±4.4×103 ind.L-1), belonging to functional group X1, were dominant, representing together between 54% and 78% of the average monthly abundance. Simple correlations and multivariate analysis between physicochemical variables and phytoplankton revealed that conductivity, pH, and total suspended solids had a key influence on the distribution of both dominant species and FGs. These analyses indicated that hydrological (precipitation and runoff) and water stability (stratification and mixing) conditions determined environmental changes and the selection of phytoplankton functional groups. The main features of the dominant FGs and the trophic state of El Neusa were also discussed. 

scholarly journals Impact of Grazing Intensity on Plant Functional Groups richness, Biomass and Diversity in Hulunbuir Meadow Steppe, China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
YOUSIF ZAINELABDEEN
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Functional Groups ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Functional Group ◽  
Grazing Intensity ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Community Diversity ◽  
Plant Functional Groups ◽  
Tall Grass ◽  
Plant Functional Group

Livestock grazing is one of the major human activities that cause a change in plant community structure and composition. We studied the effect of different grazing intensities (light, moderate, heavy, and no grazing) on aboveground biomass, species richness, and plant functional group (PFG) diversity. The light, moderate, heavy, and no grazing treatments correspond to 0.23, 0.46, 0.92, and 0.00 Animal Units ha-1 respectively. A total of 78 species classified into eight PFGs (perennial tall grass, perennial short grass, shrubs, legumes, Liliaceae herb, annual/biennial plant, perennial tall forbs and perennial short forbs) were identified. We found that the total species richness increased under light and moderate grazing intensity. However, the responses of each PFG to grazing differed. As grazing intensity increased, so did the richness of short species (perennial short grass, perennial short grass and legume) in the community. The richness of shrub is unaffected by grazing. With increasing grazing intensity, the aboveground biomass of perennial tall grass and perennial tall forbs decreased significantly, while that of annual/biennial plant functional groups increased. The community diversity and evenness of annual/biennial plants increased significantly with grazing intensity. We concluded that heavy grazing has negative impacts on plant functional group richness and aboveground biomass.

scholarly journals Near-infrared spectroscopy calibration strategies to predict multiple nutritional parameters of pasture species from different functional groups

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen L. M. Catunda ◽  
Amy A. Churchill ◽  
Sally A. Power ◽  
Ben D. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Functional Groups ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Functional Group ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Nutritional Composition ◽  
Plant Functional Groups ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
C4 Grasses ◽  
Near Infrared Reflectance ◽  
Nutritional Parameters

Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) has been used by the agricultural industry as a high-precision technique to quantify nutritional chemistry in plants both rapidly and inexpensively. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of NIRS calibrations in predicting the nutritional composition of ten pasture species that underpin livestock industries in many countries. These species comprised a range of functional diversity (C3 legumes; C3/C4 grasses; annuals/perennials) and origins (tropical/temperate; introduced/native) that grew under varied environmental conditions (control and experimentally induced warming and drought) over a period of more than 2 years (n = 2,622). A maximal calibration set including 391 samples was used to develop and evaluate calibrations for all ten pasture species (global calibrations), as well as for subsets comprised of the plant functional groups. We found that the global calibrations were appropriate to predict the six key nutritional quality parameters studied for our pasture species, with the highest accuracy found for ash (ASH), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre (ADF), and the lowest for ether extract (EE) and acid detergent lignin parameters. The plant functional group calibrations for C3 grasses performed better than the global calibrations for ASH, CP, ADF and EE parameters, whereas for C3 legumes and C4 grasses the functional group calibrations performed less well than the global calibrations for all nutritional parameters of these groups. Additionally, our calibrations were able to capture the range of variation in forage quality caused by future climate scenarios of warming and severe drought.

scholarly journals Testing functional trait-based mechanisms underpinning plant responses to grazing and linkages to ecosystem functioning in grasslands

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 13157-13186 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. X. Zheng ◽  
W. H. Li ◽  
Z. C. Lan ◽  
H. Y. Ren ◽  
K. B. Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Resource Availability ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Functional Group ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Leaf N Content ◽  
Leaf N

Abstract. Abundant evidence has shown that grazing alters plant functional traits, ecological strategies, community structure, and ecosystem functioning of grasslands. Few studies, however, have examined how plant responses to grazing are mediated by resource availability and functional group identity. We test functional trait-based mechanisms underlying the responses of different life forms to grazing and linkages to ecosystem functioning along a soil moisture gradient in the Inner Mongolia grassland. A principal component analysis (PCA) based on 9 traits × 276 species matrix showed that the plant size spectrum (i.e., individual biomass), leaf economics spectrum (leaf N content and leaf density), and light competition spectrum (height and stem-leaf biomass ratio) distinguished plant species responses to grazing. The three life forms exhibited differential strategies as indicated by trait responses to grazing. The annuals and biennials adopted grazing-tolerant strategies associated with high growth rate, reflected by high leaf N content and specific leaf area. The perennial grasses exhibited grazing-tolerant strategies associated with great regrowth capacity and high palatability scores, whereas perennial forbs showed grazing-avoidant strategies with short stature and low palatability scores. In addition, the dominant perennial bunchgrasses exhibited mixed tolerance–resistance strategies to grazing and mixed acquisitive–conservative strategies in resource utilization. Grazing increased the relative abundance of perennial forbs with low palatability in the wet and fertile meadow, but it promoted perennial grasses with high palatability in the dry and infertile typical steppe. Our findings suggest that the effects of grazing on plant functional traits are dependent on both the abiotic (e.g., soil moisture) and biotic (e.g., plant functional group identity and composition) factors. Grazing-induced shifts in functional group composition are largely dependent on resource availability, particularly water availability.

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