Plant functional types: are we getting any closer to the Holy Grail?

1 Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine, CNRS UMR 5553, Université Joseph Fourier, BP 53X, 38041 Grenoble Cedex 9, France. sandra.lavorel@ujf-grenoble.fr 2 Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (CONICET – UNC) and FCECFyN, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina 3 Department of System Ecology, Institute of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands 4 Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CNRS UMR 5175, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France 5 School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, University Road, Bristol BS8 1SS, UK 6 CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, GPO Box 284, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia 7 Centro de Estudios Ambientales del Mediterraneo (CEAM), C/ Charles R. Darwin 14, Parc Tecnologic, 46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain

[1]  Andrew Ash,et al.  A rule‐based model for the functional analysis of vegetation change in Australasian grasslands , 1999 .

[2]  Michelle R. Leishman,et al.  Classifying plants into groups on the basis of associations of individual traits: evidence from Australian semi-arid woodlands , 1992 .

[3]  F. Stuart Chapin,et al.  Functional Diversity — at the Crossroads between Ecosystem Functioning and Environmental Filters , 2007 .

[4]  R. B. Jackson,et al.  Rooting depths, lateral root spreads and below‐ground/above‐ground allometries of plants in water‐limited ecosystems , 2002 .

[5]  Ronald P. Neilson,et al.  Regional and Local Vegetation Patterns: The Responses of Vegetation Diversity to Subcontinental Air Masses , 1992 .

[6]  M. Duru,et al.  Une nouvelle approche pour caractériser les prairies naturelles et leur valeur d'usage , 2002 .

[7]  Sandra Lavorel,et al.  Plant response to disturbance in a Mediterranean grassland: How many functional groups? , 1999 .

[8]  M. Westoby,et al.  ECOLOGICAL STRATEGIES : Some Leading Dimensions of Variation Between Species , 2002 .

[9]  Peter J. Grubb,et al.  Physiological basis and ecological significance of the seed size and relative growth rate relationship in Mediterranean annuals , 1993 .

[10]  J. P. Grime,et al.  Plant Strategies and Vegetation Processes. , 1980 .

[11]  H. Grassl,et al.  Status and improvements of coupled general circulation models , 2000, Science.

[12]  Sandra Lavorel,et al.  Disturbance response in vegetation – towards a global perspective on functional traits , 1999 .

[13]  S. Collins.  INTERACTION OF DISTURBANCES IN TALLGRASS PRAIRIE: A FIELD EXPERIMENT' , 1987 .

[14]  Bruce A. Hungate,et al.  MYCORRHIZAL CONTROLS ON BELOWGROUND LITTER QUALITY , 2003 .

[15]  Thomas M. Smith,et al.  Plant functional types : their relevance to ecosystem properties and global change , 1998 .

[16]  Michael Kleyer,et al.  Distribution of plant functional types along gradients of disturbance intensity and resource supply in an agricultural landscape , 1999 .

[17]  Michelle R. Leishman,et al.  Predicting dispersal spectra: A minimal set of hypotheses based on plant attributes , 1994 .

[18]  Stephen Sitch,et al.  The Carbon Balance of the Terrestrial Biosphere: Ecosystem Models and Atmospheric Observations , 2000 .

[19]  V. Pillar,et al.  An improved method for searching plant functional types by numerical analysis , 2003 .

[20]  F. Woodward,et al.  Vegetation-climate feedbacks in a greenhouse world , 1998 .

[21]  M. Duru,et al.  Using plant traits to compare sward structure and composition of grass species across environmental gradients , 2004 .

[22]  M Bullock James,et al.  A plant trait analysis of responses to grazing in a long-term experiment , 2001 .

[23]  David Read,et al.  Mycorrhizal fungi as drivers of ecosystem processes in heathland and boreal forest biomes , 2004 .

[24]  J. P. Grime,et al.  Evidence for the Existence of Three Primary Strategies in Plants and Its Relevance to Ecological and Evolutionary Theory , 1977, The American Naturalist.

[25]  Sandra Díaz,et al.  Chemistry and toughness predict leaf litter decomposition rates over a wide spectrum of functional types and taxa in central Argentina , 2004, Plant and Soil.

[26]  J. P. Grime,et al.  Testing predictions of the resistance and resilience of vegetation subjected to extreme events , 1995 .

[27]  Bernard Clément,et al.  Identifying functional groups for response to disturbance in an abandoned pasture. , 1998 .

[28]  Andrew D. Moore,et al.  An individualistic model of vegetation stand dynamics. , 1990 .

[29]  Wilfried Thuiller,et al.  Plant Species Migration as a Key Uncertainty in Predicting Future Impacts of Climate Change on Ecosystems: Progress and Challenges , 2007 .

[30]  Joel s. Brown,et al.  The Selective Interactions of Dispersal, Dormancy, and Seed Size as Adaptations for Reducing Risk in Variable Environments , 1988, The American Naturalist.

[31]  Terry V. Callaghan,et al.  Inhibition of growth, and effects on nutrient uptake of arctic graminoids by leaf extracts — allelopathy or resource competition between plants and microbes? , 1995, Oecologia.

[32]  F. I. Woodward,et al.  The importance of low atmospheric CO2 and fire in promoting the spread of grasslands and savannas , 2003 .

[33]  P. Reich,et al.  Leaf Life‐Span in Relation to Leaf, Plant, and Stand Characteristics among Diverse Ecosystems , 1992 .

[34]  Michael L. Roderick,et al.  Estimating mixtures of leaf functional types using continental-scale satellite and climatic data , 2002 .

[35]  S. Díaz,et al.  Range Management and Plant Functional Types , 2002 .

[36]  Andrew D. Friend,et al.  A process-based, terrestrial biosphere model of ecosystem dynamics (Hybrid v3.0) , 1997 .

[37]  Peter G. Waterman,et al.  Phenolic Content of Vegetation in Two African Rain Forests: Ecological Implications , 1978, Science.

[38]  R. Hunt,et al.  A self‐assembling model of resource dynamics and plant growth incorporating plant functional types , 2001 .

[39]  Louise H. Comas,et al.  Linking fine root traits to maximum potential growth rate among 11 mature temperate tree species , 2004 .

[40]  Juan I. Ramos,et al.  Landscape analysis and simulation shell (Lass) , 2006, Environ. Model. Softw..

[41]  F. Stuart Chapin,et al.  Evolution of Suites of Traits in Response to Environmental Stress , 1993, The American Naturalist.

[42]  David D. Ackerly,et al.  FUNCTIONAL STRATEGIES OF CHAPARRAL SHRUBS IN RELATION TO SEASONAL WATER DEFICIT AND DISTURBANCE , 2004 .

[43]  F. Stuart Chapin,et al.  16 – Functional Role of Growth Forms in Ecosystem and Global Processes , 1993 .

[44]  J. Overpeck,et al.  Terrestrial Biosphere Dynamics in the Climate System: Past and Future , 2003 .

[45]  Ken Thompson,et al.  A functional analysis of a limestone grassland community , 1996 .

[46]  L. Comas,et al.  Linking root traits to potential growth rate in six temperate tree species , 2002, Oecologia.

[47]  S. P. Harrison,et al.  Palaeovegetation (Communications arising): Diversity of temperate plants in east Asia , 2001, Nature.

[48]  Michael L. Roderick,et al.  Gross primary productivity and transpiration flux of the Australian vegetation from 1788 to 1988 AD: effects of CO2 and land use change , 2004 .

[49]  F. Stuart Chapin,et al.  17 – Grouping Plants by Their Form–Function Characteristics as an Avenue for Simplification in Scaling between Leaves and Landscapes , 1993 .

[50]  Ian R. Noble,et al.  A functional classification for predicting the dynamics of landscapes , 1996 .

[51]  David A. Wardle,et al.  Linkages between plant litter decomposition, litter quality, and vegetation responses to herbivores , 2002 .

[52]  Paul A. Keddy,et al.  Assembly and response rules: two goals for predictive community ecology , 1992 .

[53]  Bill Shipley,et al.  Interspecific consistency and intraspecific variability of specific leaf area with respect to irradiance and nutrient availability , 2003 .

[54]  Susan E. Hartley,et al.  Plant Chemistry and Herbivory, or Why the World is Green , 2009 .

[55]  D. Roberts,et al.  Simulating landscape vegetation dynamics of Bryce Canyon National Park with the vital attributes/fuzzy systems model VAFS/LANDSIM. , 1999 .

[56]  C. Raunkiær,et al.  The life forms of plants and statistical plant geography , 1934 .

[57]  A. Kinzig,et al.  Original Articles: Plant Attribute Diversity, Resilience, and Ecosystem Function: The Nature and Significance of Dominant and Minor Species , 1999, Ecosystems.

[58]  F Stuart Chapin,et al.  Effects of plant traits on ecosystem and regional processes: a conceptual framework for predicting the consequences of global change. , 2003, Annals of botany.

[59]  Ian D. Davies,et al.  Landscape‐scale positive feedbacks between fire and expansion of the large tussock grass, Ampelodesmos mauritanica in Catalan shrublands , 2005 .

[60]  Katharine N. Suding,et al.  RELATIONSHIPS AMONG SPECIES TRAITS: SEPARATING LEVELS OF RESPONSE AND IDENTIFYING LINKAGES TO ABUNDANCE , 2003 .

[61]  Sandra Díaz,et al.  Does hairiness matter in Harare? Resolving controversy in global comparisons of plant trait responses to ecosystem disturbance , 2002 .

[62]  Williams,et al.  The dependence of heterotrophic consumption and C accumulation on autotrophic nutrient content in ecosystems , 1998 .

[63]  R. Callaway,et al.  STRESS TOLERANCE AND COMPETITIVE-RESPONSE ABILITY DETERMINE THE OUTCOME OF BIOTIC INTERACTIONS , 2005 .

[64]  P. Vitousek,et al.  The role of polyphenols in terrestrial ecosystem nutrient cycling. , 2000, Trends in ecology & evolution.

[65]  Ariel Novoplansky,et al.  On the relative importance of competition in unproductive environments , 1997 .

[66]  P. Reich,et al.  A handbook of protocols for standardised and easy measurement of plant functional traits worldwide , 2003 .

[67]  S. Lavorel,et al.  Predicting changes in community composition and ecosystem functioning from plant traits: revisiting the Holy Grail , 2002 .

[68]  I. Noble,et al.  The use of vital attributes to predict successional changes in plant communities subject to recurrent disturbances , 1980, Vegetatio.

[69]  P. Vitousek,et al.  Biological invasions by exotic grasses, the grass/fire cycle, and global change , 1992 .

[70]  Michael L. Roderick,et al.  CO 2 and land use effects on Australian Vegetation over the last two centuries , 2002 .

[71]  M. Bertness,et al.  Positive interactions in communities. , 1994, Trends in ecology & evolution.

[72]  Matthias C. Rillig,et al.  Arbuscular mycorrhizae and terrestrial ecosystem processes , 2004 .

[73]  Sandy P. Harrison,et al.  General circulation models, climate change and ecological impact studies , 1995 .

[74]  I. C. Prentice,et al.  BIOME 6000: reconstructing global mid‐Holocene vegetation patterns from palaeoecological records , 1998 .

[75]  Rasmus Ejrnæs,et al.  A new approach to functional interpretation of vegetation data , 2004 .

[76]  Stephen T. Jackson,et al.  MODERN ANALOGS IN QUATERNARY PALEOECOLOGY: Here Today, Gone Yesterday, Gone Tomorrow? , 2004 .

[77]  Petr Pyšek,et al.  Changes in Species Traits during Succession: A Search for Pattern , 1997 .

[78]  B. D. Campbell,et al.  25 – Interspecific Variation in the Growth Response of Plants to Elevated CO2: A Search for Functional Types , 1996 .

[79]  Chao Li,et al.  Understanding Global Fire Dynamics by Classifying and Comparing Spatial Models of Vegetation and Fire , 2007 .

[80]  Daniel G. Milchunas,et al.  Functional traits of graminoids in semi-arid steppes: a test of grazing histories , 2004 .

[81]  S. Díaz,et al.  Plant functional types and ecosystem function in relation to global change , 1997 .

[82]  David D. Ackerly,et al.  Flammability and serotiny as strategies: correlated evolution in pines , 2001 .

[83]  Jean-Dominique Lebreton,et al.  Functional groups for response to disturbance in Mediterranean old fields , 1999 .

[84]  F. Stuart Chapin,et al.  Functional Matrix: A Conceptual Framework for Predicting Multiple Plant Effects on Ecosystem Processes , 2003 .

[85]  M. Maestro,et al.  Functional traits of woody plants: correspondence of species rankings between field adults and laboratory-grown seedlings? , 2003 .

[86]  Roderick Hunt,et al.  Allocating C-S-R plant functional types : a soft approach to a hard problem , 1999 .

[87]  David A. Wardle,et al.  Can comparative approaches based on plant ecophysiological traits predict the nature of biotic interactions and individual plant species effects in ecosystems? , 1998 .

[88]  John Pastor,et al.  Interactions between woody plants and browsing mammals mediated by secondary metabolites , 1991 .

[89]  Sandra Díaz,et al.  Leaf traits and herbivore selection in the field and in cafeteria experiments , 2003 .

[90]  J. Klironomos,et al.  VARIATION IN PLANT RESPONSE TO NATIVE AND EXOTIC ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI , 2003 .

[91]  Juli G. Pausas,et al.  Response of plant functional types to changes in the fire regime in Mediterranean ecosystems: A simulation approach , 1999 .

[92]  Elgene O. Box,et al.  Tasks for Vegetation Science I: Macroclimate and Plant Forms: An Introduction to Predictive Modeling in Phytogeography , 2011 .

[93]  John A Strand,et al.  Phenotypic plasticity - contrasting species-specific traits induced by identical environmental constraints. , 2004, The New phytologist.

[94]  J. P. Grime,et al.  Plant Strategies, Vegetation Processes, and Ecosystem Properties , 2006 .

[95]  Ken Thompson,et al.  Evidence of a causal connection between anti-herbivore defence and the decomposition rate of leaves , 1996 .

[96]  Paul A. Keddy,et al.  Effects of low and high nutrients on the competitive hierarchy of 26 shoreline plants , 2000 .

[97]  J. Craine,et al.  Covariation in leaf and root traits for native and non-native grasses along an altitudinal gradient in New Zealand , 2003, Oecologia.

[98]  D. Robinson,et al.  Plasticity in grass species in relation to nitrogen supply , 1988 .

[99]  Tara G. Martin,et al.  Managing intensive and extensive land uses to conserve grassland plants in sub-tropical eucalypt woodlands , 2002 .

[100]  Christina E. Wells,et al.  Building roots in a changing environment: implications for root longevity , 2000 .

[101]  Josep G. Canadell,et al.  Terrestrial Ecosystems in a Changing World , 2007 .

[102]  D. Goldberg,et al.  DO DISTURBANCES ALTER COMPETITIVE HIERARCHIES? MECHANISMS OF CHANGE FOLLOWING GAP CREATION , 2001 .

[103]  Mark Westoby,et al.  EVOLUTIONARY DIVERGENCES IN LEAF STRUCTURE AND CHEMISTRY, COMPARING RAINFALL AND SOIL NUTRIENT GRADIENTS , 1999 .

[104]  Mick E. Hanley,et al.  Relationships between physical and chemical attributes of congeneric seedlings: how important is seedling defence? , 2002 .

[105]  A. Lugo,et al.  Climate Change and Forest Disturbances , 2001 .

[106]  F. S. Chapin,et al.  The Mineral Nutrition of Wild Plants Revisited: A Re-evaluation of Processes and Patterns , 1999 .

[107]  Sandy P. Harrison,et al.  Climate change and Arctic ecosystems: 1. Vegetation changes north of 55°N between the last glacial maximum, mid‐Holocene, and present , 2003 .

[108]  Michelle R. Leishman,et al.  The role of seed size in seedling establishment in dry soil conditions - Experimental evidence from semi-arid species , 1994 .

[109]  Lourens Poorter,et al.  Growth responses of 15 rain‐forest tree species to a light gradient: the relative importance of morphological and physiological traits , 1999 .

[110]  Ken Thompson,et al.  Seed size and shape predict persistence in soil , 1993 .

[111]  William J. Bond,et al.  Kill thy neighbour: an individulalistic argument for the evolution of flammability , 1995 .

[112]  Roy Turkington,et al.  Effects of growing conditions and source habitat on plant traits and functional group definition , 2001 .

[113]  A. S. Evans,et al.  The Evolution of Plant Ecophysiological Traits: Recent Advances and Future Directions , 2000 .

[114]  Mark G. Tjoelker,et al.  Close association of RGR, leaf and root morphology, seed mass and shade tolerance in seedlings of nine boreal tree species grown in high and low light , 1998 .

[115]  F Pellissier.  The role of soil community in plant population dynamics: is allelopathy a key component? , 1998, Trends in ecology & evolution.

[116]  F. Woodward,et al.  Global response of terrestrial ecosystem structure and function to CO2 and climate change: results from six dynamic global vegetation models , 2001 .

[117]  S. Díaz,et al.  Can grazing response of herbaceous plants be predicted from simple vegetative traits , 2001 .

[118]  R. Yanai,et al.  The Ecology of Root Lifespan , 1997 .

[119]  Juli G. Pausas,et al.  Plant persistence traits in fire-prone ecosystems of the Mediterranean basin: a phylogenetic approach , 2005 .

[120]  O. Sala,et al.  Plant traits and ecosystem grazing effects: Comparison of U.S. sagebrush steppe and patagonian steppe , 2005 .

[121]  D. Herms,et al.  The Dilemma of Plants: To Grow or Defend , 1992, The Quarterly Review of Biology.

[122]  M. Boer,et al.  A plant functional approach to the prediction of changes in Australian rangeland vegetation under grazing and fire , 2003 .

[123]  K. Thompson,et al.  The plant traits that drive ecosystems: Evidence from three continents , 2004 .

[124]  M. Huston,et al.  A theory of the spatial and temporal dynamics of plant communities , 1989, Vegetatio.

[125]  R. B. Jackson,et al.  Mapping the global distribution of deep roots in relation to climate and soil characteristics , 2005 .

[126]  O. T. Solbrig.  Plant Traits and Adaptive Strategies: Their Role in Ecosystem Function , 1994 .

[127]  B A Roy,et al.  EVOLUTION IN STRESSFUL ENVIRONMENTS. I. PHENOTYPIC VARIABILITY, PHENOTYPIC SELECTION, AND RESPONSE TO SELECTION IN FIVE DISTINCT ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSES , 2000, Evolution; international journal of organic evolution.

[128]  P. Reich,et al.  From tropics to tundra: global convergence in plant functioning. , 1997, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[129]  R. Whittaker.  Communities and Ecosystems , 1975 .

[130]  F. Stuart Chapin,et al.  Resource Availability and Plant Antiherbivore Defense , 1985, Science.

[131]  Christopher Potter,et al.  Dynamic global vegetation modelling for prediction of plant functional types and biogenic trace gas fluxes , 1999 .

[132]  Bill Shipley,et al.  Regeneration and Establishment Strategies of Emergent Macrophytes , 1989 .

[133]  Wolfgang Cramer,et al.  Plant functional types and climatic change: Introduction , 1996 .

[134]  Paul A. Keddy,et al.  Ecological assembly rules : perspectives, advances, retreats , 1999 .

[135]  Benjamin Smith,et al.  Using a generalized vegetation model to simulate vegetation dynamics in northeastern USA , 2004 .

[136]  Ian J. Wright,et al.  World-wide leaf economics spectrum , 2004 .

[137]  Tara G. Martin,et al.  Biophysical and human influences on plant species richness in grasslands: Comparing variegated landscapes in subtropical and temperate regions , 2001 .

[138]  R. B. Jackson,et al.  A global analysis of root distributions for terrestrial biomes , 1996, Oecologia.

[139]  Joseph M. Craine,et al.  ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTRAINTS ON A GLOBAL RELATIONSHIP AMONG LEAF AND ROOT TRAITS OF GRASSES , 2005 .

[140]  Sandy P. Harrison,et al.  How well can we simulate past climates? Evaluating the models using global palaeoenvironmental datasets , 2000 .

[141]  F. Pellissier,et al.  Allelopathy in Northern Temperate and Boreal Semi-Natural Woodland , 1999 .

[142]  D. Aplin,et al.  Plant Strategies, Vegetation Processes, and Ecosystem Properties , 2002 .

[143]  T. M. Smith,et al.  A new model for the continuum concept , 1989 .

[144]  Alastair H. Fitter,et al.  Architectural analysis of plant root systems 2. Influence of nutrient supply on architecture in contrasting plant species , 1991 .

[145]  N. Pavón,et al.  Distribution of Plant Life Forms along an Altitudinal Gradient in the Semi-Arid Valley of Zapotitlán, Mexico , 2000 .

[146]  D. Ackerly,et al.  Adaptation, Niche Conservatism, and Convergence: Comparative Studies of Leaf Evolution in the California Chaparral , 2004, The American Naturalist.

[147]  Sandra Díaz,et al.  The mycorrhizal dependence of subordinates determines the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on plant diversity , 2003 .

[148]  Ian R. Sanders,et al.  DIFFERENT ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGAL SPECIES ARE POTENTIAL DETERMINANTS OF PLANT COMMUNITY STRUCTURE , 1998 .

[149]  Tara G. Martin,et al.  How grassland plants are distributed over five human-created habitats typical of eucalypt woodlands in a variegated landscape , 2001 .

[150]  David A. Wardle,et al.  Communities and Ecosystems: Linking the Aboveground and Belowground Components , 2002 .

[151]  D. Ackerly.  Community Assembly, Niche Conservatism, and Adaptive Evolution in Changing Environments , 2003, International Journal of Plant Sciences.

[152]  I. Prentice,et al.  Palaeovegetation. Diversity of temperate plants in east Asia. , 2001, Nature.

[153]  J. Bruno,et al.  Inclusion of facilitation into ecological theory , 2003 .

[154]  W. Bond,et al.  Ecology of sprouting in woody plants: the persistence niche. , 2001, Trends in ecology & evolution.

[155]  S. Naeem,et al.  Disentangling biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning: deriving solutions to a seemingly insurmountable problem , 2003 .

[156]  Ian R. Sanders,et al.  Mycorrhizal fungal diversity determines plant biodiversity, ecosystem variability and productivity , 1998, Nature.

[157]  K. Landa,et al.  Competitive effect and response: hierarchies and correlated traits in the early stages of competition , 1991 .

[158]  W. Cramer,et al.  A global biome model based on plant physiology and dominance, soil properties and climate , 1992 .

[159]  Sarah J. Richardson,et al.  RESORPTION PROFICIENCY ALONG A CHRONOSEQUENCE: RESPONSES AMONG COMMUNITIES AND WITHIN SPECIES , 2005 .

[160]  Sandra Díaz,et al.  Leaf structure and defence control litter decomposition rate across species and life forms in regional floras on two continents , 1999 .

[161]  Ian J. Wright,et al.  Differences in seedling growth behaviour among species: trait correlations across species, and trait shifts along nutrient compared to rainfall gradients , 1999 .

[162]  Zoë A Popper,et al.  Primary cell wall composition of bryophytes and charophytes. , 2003, Annals of botany.

[163]  Eric Garnier,et al.  Consistency of species ranking based on functional leaf traits. , 2001, The New phytologist.

[164]  Juli G. Pausas,et al.  The effect of landscape pattern on Mediterranean vegetation dynamics: A modelling approach using functional types , 2003 .

[165]  S. Lavorel,et al.  Modelling the effects of landscape pattern and grazing regimes on the persistence of plant species with high conservation value in grasslands in south-eastern Sweden , 2003, Landscape Ecology.

[166]  Sandra Díaz,et al.  Ecological Assembly Rules: Functional implications of trait–environment linkages in plant communities , 1999 .

[167]  P. Reich,et al.  Functional traits, productivity and effects on nitrogen cycling of 33 grassland species , 2002 .

[168]  I. C. Prentice,et al.  Evaluation of ecosystem dynamics, plant geography and terrestrial carbon cycling in the LPJ dynamic global vegetation model , 2003 .

[169]  S. Lavorel,et al.  Plant functional classifications: from general groups to specific groups based on response to disturbance. , 1997, Trends in ecology & evolution.

[170]  Tara G. Martin,et al.  The relative importance of cattle grazing in subtropical grasslands: does it reduce or enhance plant biodiversity? , 2003 .

[171]  Mark Westoby,et al.  A leaf-height-seed (LHS) plant ecology strategy scheme , 1998, Plant and Soil.

[172]  Paul A. Keddy,et al.  A comparative approach to examine competitive response of 48 wetland plant species , 1998 .

[173]  M. Roderick,et al.  Challenging Theophrastus: A common core list of plant traits for functional ecology , 1999 .

[174]  I. C. Prentice,et al.  An integrated biosphere model of land surface processes , 1996 .

[175]  W. Lucht,et al.  Terrestrial vegetation and water balance-hydrological evaluation of a dynamic global vegetation model , 2004 .

[176]  F. Berendse,et al.  Litter decomposability: a neglected component of plant fitness. , 1994 .

[177]  David Tilman,et al.  The relationships among root and leaf traits of 76 grassland species and relative abundance along fertility and disturbance gradients , 2001 .

[178]  Sandra Lavorel,et al.  Livestock grazing in subtropical pastures: steps in the analysis of attribute response and plant functional types , 2001 .

[179]  Peter Ryser,et al.  The importance of tissue density for growth and life span of leaves and roots: a comparison of five ecologically contrasting grasses , 1996 .

[180]  D. Tilman.  Plant Strategies and the Dynamics and Structure of Plant Communities. (MPB-26), Volume 26 , 1988 .

[181]  P. Reich,et al.  The Evolution of Plant Functional Variation: Traits, Spectra, and Strategies , 2003, International Journal of Plant Sciences.

[182]  Sandy P. Harrison,et al.  Climate and CO2 controls on global vegetation distribution at the last glacial maximum: analysis based on palaeovegetation data, biome modelling and palaeoclimate simulations , 2003 .

[183]  K. Thompson,et al.  Integrated screening validates primary axes of specialisation in plants , 1997 .

[184]  Sandy P. Harrison,et al.  Pollen‐based reconstructions of biome distributions for Australia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific (SEAPAC region) at 0, 6000 and 18,000 14C yr BP , 2004 .

[185]  I. Prentice,et al.  Diversity of temperate plants in east Asia , 2001 .

[186]  Juli G. Pausas,et al.  A hierarchical deductive approach for functional types in disturbed ecosystems , 2003 .

[187]  M. B. Dodd,et al.  Associations between vegetation patterns and soil texture in the shortgrass steppe , 2002, Plant Ecology.

[188]  Villar Salvador,et al.  Plant Functional Types in relation to disturbance and land use , 2003 .

[189]  Vivek K. Arora,et al.  A parameterization of leaf phenology for the terrestrial ecosystem component of climate models , 2005 .

[190]  F. Chapin,et al.  EFFECTS OF BIODIVERSITY ON ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING: A CONSENSUS OF CURRENT KNOWLEDGE , 2005 .

[191]  J. Pausas,et al.  Plant Functional Types in relation to disturbance and land use: Introduction , 2003 .

[192]  Mark Westoby,et al.  Seed Size and Plant Growth Form as Factors in Dispersal Spectra , 1990, Ecology.

[193]  David M. Wilkinson,et al.  The parable of Green Mountain: Ascension Island, ecosystem construction and ecological fitting , 2004 .

[194]  Alastair H. Fitter,et al.  Architectural analysis of plant root systems , 1992 .

[195]  Sean C. Thomas,et al.  The worldwide leaf economics spectrum , 2004, Nature.

[196]  P. Reich,et al.  Photosynthesis and respiration rates depend on leaf and root morphology and nitrogen concentration in nine boreal tree species differing in relative growth rate , 1998 .

[197]  F. S. Chapin,et al.  Relationship between the structure of root systems and resource use for 11 North American grassland plants , 2003, Plant Ecology.

[198]  D. Wardle,et al.  Ecological Linkages Between Aboveground and Belowground Biota , 2004, Science.

[199]  F. Stuart Chapin,et al.  Carbon/nutrient balance of boreal plants in relation to vertebrate herbivory , 1983 .

[200]  Miguel Franco,et al.  comparative plant demography - relative importance of life-cycle components to the finite rate of increase in woody and herbaceous perennials , 1993 .

[201]  I. R. Noble,et al.  What are functional types and how should we seek them , 1997 .

[202]  Ülo Niinemets,et al.  GLOBAL-SCALE CLIMATIC CONTROLS OF LEAF DRY MASS PER AREA, DENSITY, AND THICKNESS IN TREES AND SHRUBS , 2001 .

[203]  Eric Garnier,et al.  PLANT FUNCTIONAL MARKERS CAPTURE ECOSYSTEM PROPERTIES DURING SECONDARY SUCCESSION , 2004 .

[204]  Anwar Ghani,et al.  INTRODUCED BROWSING MAMMALS IN NEW ZEALAND NATURAL FORESTS: ABOVEGROUND AND BELOWGROUND CONSEQUENCES , 2001 .

[205]  D. Jolly,et al.  Mid‐Holocene and glacial‐maximum vegetation geography of the northern continents and Africa , 2000 .

[206]  F. Bazzaz.  Plants in Changing Environments: Linking Physiological, Population, and Community Ecology , 1996 .

[207]  D. Read,et al.  Mycorrhizas in ecosystems , 1991, Experientia.

[208]  Jenny L. McCune,et al.  The influence of arbuscular mycorrhizae on the relationship between plant diversity and productivity , 2000 .