Traditional plant functional groups explain variation in economic but not size-related traits across the tundra biome
Thomas, Haydn J. D. (University of Edinburgh. School of Geosciences)
Myers-Smith, I. H. (University of Edinburgh. School of Geosciences)
Bjorkman, Anne (University of Edinburgh. School of Geosciences)
Elmendorf, Sarah C (University of Colorado. Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research)
Blok, Daan (Lund University. Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science)
Cornelissen, J. H. C. (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Department of Ecological Science)
Forbes, Bruce C. (University of Lapland. Arctic Centre)
Hollister, R. D. (Grand Valley State University. Biology Department)
Normand, S. (Aarhus University. Department of Bioscience)
Prevéy, J. S. (WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF)
Rixen, C. (WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF)
Schaepman-Strub, Gabriela. (University of Zurich. Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies)
Wilmking, M. (University of Zurich. Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies)
Wipf, Sonja (WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF)
Cornwell, W. K. (University of New South Wales. School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences)
Kattge, Jens (Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry)
Goetz, Scott J. (Northern Arizona University. School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems)
Guay, K. C. (Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences)
Alatalo, Juha M. (Qatar University. Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences)
Anadon-Rosell, Alba (Greifswald University. Institute for Botany and Landscape Ecology)
Angers-Blondin, Sandra (University of Edinburgh. School of Geosciences)
Berner, L. T. (Northern Arizona University. School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems)
Björk, Robert G (University of Gothenburg. Department of Earth Sciences)
Buchwal, Agata (University of Gothenburg. Department of Earth Sciences)
Buras, Allan (Wageningen University and Research. Forest Ecology and Forest Management)
Carbognani, Michele (University of Parma. Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability)
Christie, Katherine (The Alaska Department of Fish and Game)
Siegwart Collier, L. (Memorial University of Newfoundland. Department of Biology)
Cooper, Elisabeth J. (Universitat de Tromsø. Department of Arctic and Marine Biology)
Eskelinen, Anu (German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv))
Frei, Esther R. (University of British Columbia. Department of Geography)
Grau Fernández, Oriol (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Grogan, P. (Queen's University. Department of Biology)
Hallinger, M. (Swedish Agricultural University. Biology Department)
Heijmans, M. M. P. D. (Wageningen University & Research. Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group)
Hermanutz, L. (Memorial University of Newfoundland. Department of Biology)
Hudson, J. M. G. (British Columbia Public Service)
Hülber, K. (University of Vienna. Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research)
Iturrate-Garcia, Maitane (University of Zurich. Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies)
Iversen, C. M. (Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Climate Change Science Institute)
Jaroszynska, F. (University of Bergen. Department of Biology)
Johnstone, J. F. (University of Saskatchewan. Department of Biology)
Kaarlejärvi, Elina (Umeå University. Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences)
Kulonen, Aino (University of Bergen. Department of Biology)
Lamarque, L. J. (University of Quebec at Trois-Rivieres. Département des Sciences de l'Environnement)
Lévesque, E. (University of Quebec at Trois-Rivieres. Département des Sciences de l'Environnement)
Little, C. J. (University of Zurich. Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies)
Michelsen, Anders (University of Copenhagen. Department of Biology)
Milbau, A. (Instituut voor Natuur- en Bosonderzoek)
Nabe-Nielsen, J. (Aarhus University. Department of Bioscience)
Nielsen, S. S. (Aarhus University. Department of Bioscience)
Ninot, J. M. (Universitat de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals)
Oberbauer, S. F. (Florida International University. Department of Biological Science)
Olofsson, Johan (Umeå University. Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences)
Onipchenko, Vladimir (Lomonosov Moscow State University. Department of Geobotany)
Petraglia, Alessandro (Università di Parma. Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, della Vita e della Sostenibilità Ambientale)
Rumpf, Sabine B (Universität Wien. Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research)
Semenchuk, P. R. (Universitat de Tromsø. Department of Arctic and Marine Biology)
Soudzilovskaia, Nadejda A (Universiteit Leiden. Centrum voor Milieuwetenschappen)
Spasojevic, M. J. (University of California. Department of Biology)
Speed, J. D. M. (Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet)
Tape, K. D. (University of Alaska. Water and Environmental Research Center)
Beest, Mariska te (Umeå University. Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences)
Tomaselli, M. (Università di Parma. Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, della Vita e della Sostenibilità Ambientale)
Trant, A. (Memorial University of Newfoundland. Department of Biology)
Treier, U. A. (Aarhus University. Department of Bioscience)
Venn, S. (Australian National University. Research School of Biology)
Vowles, T. (Göteborgs universitet . Institutionen för geovetenskaper)
Weijers, S. (Universität Bonn. Geographisches Institut)
Zamin, T. J (Queen's University. Department of Biology)
Atkin, Owen K. (Australian National University. Research School of Biology)
Bahn, Michael. (Universität Innsbruck. Institut für Ökologie)
Blonder, Benjamin (University of Oxford. Environmental Change Institute)
Campetella, Giandiego (Università di Camerino. Scuola di Bioscienze e Medicina Veterinaria)
Cerabolini, Bruno Enrico Leone (Università degli Studi dell'Insubria. Dipartimento di Scienze Teoriche e Applicate)
Chapin III, F. Stuart (University of Alaska. Institute of Arctic Biology)
Dainese, Matteo (Würzburg Universität. Lehrstuhl für Tierökologie und Tropenbiologie)
Vries, F. T. de (University of Manchester. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences)
Díaz, Sandra. (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal)
Green, W. (Harvard University. Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology)
Jackson, Robert B (Stanford University. Department of Earth System Science)
Manning, Peter (Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung)
Niinemets, Ülo. (Eesti Maaülikool. Põllumajandus- ja keskkonnainstituut)
Ozinga, Wim (Über Wageningen University & Research)
Peñuelas, Josep (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Reich, P. B. (University of Minnesota. Department of Forest Resources)
Schamp, B. (Algoma University. Department of Biology)
Sheremetev, S. (Komarov Botanical Institute)
Bodegom, Peter van (Universiteit Leiden. Centrum voor Milieuwetenschappen)

Date:	2019
Abstract:	Aim Plant functional groups are widely used in community ecology and earth system modelling to describe trait variation within and across plant communities. However, this approach rests on the assumption that functional groups explain a large proportion of trait variation among species. We test whether four commonly used plant functional groups represent variation in six ecologically important plant traits. Location Tundra biome. Time period Data collected between 1964 and 2016. Major taxa studied 295 tundra vascular plant species. Methods We compiled a database of six plant traits (plant height, leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen, seed mass) for tundra species. We examined the variation in species-level trait expression explained by four traditional functional groups (evergreen shrubs, deciduous shrubs, graminoids, forbs), and whether variation explained was dependent upon the traits included in analysis. We further compared the explanatory power and species composition of functional groups to alternative classifications generated using post hoc clustering of species-level traits. Results Traditional functional groups explained significant differences in trait expression, particularly amongst traits associated with resource economics, which were consistent across sites and at the biome scale. However, functional groups explained 19% of overall trait variation and poorly represented differences in traits associated with plant size. Post hoc classification of species did not correspond well with traditional functional groups, and explained twice as much variation in species-level trait expression. Main conclusions Traditional functional groups only coarsely represent variation in well-measured traits within tundra plant communities, and better explain resource economic traits than size-related traits. We recommend caution when using functional group approaches to predict tundra ecosystem change, or ecosystem functions relating to plant size, such as albedo or carbon storage. We argue that alternative classifications or direct use of specific plant traits could provide new insight into ecological prediction and modelling.
Grants:	European Commission 610028 European Commission 600398
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Cluster analysis ; Community composition ; Ecosystem function ; Plant functional groups ; Plant functional types ; Plant traits ; Tundra biome ; Vegetation change
Published in:	Global ecology and biogeography, Vol. 28, Issue 2 (January 2019) , p. 78-95, ISSN 1466-822X

DOI: 10.1111/geb.12783
PMID: 31007605

18 p, 6.5 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > CREAF (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) > Imbalance-P
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