INVESTIGADORES
DIAZ Sandra Myrna
artículos
Título:
Plant functional types and ecosystem function in relation to global change.
Autor/es:
DÍAZ, S; CABIDO, M
Revista:
JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE
Editorial:
WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC
Referencias:
Lugar: Londres; Año: 1997 vol. 8 p. 463 - 474
ISSN:
1100-9233
Resumen:
Plant functional types (PFTs) bridge the gap between
plant physiology and community and ecosystem processes,
thus providing a powerful tool in climate change research.
We aimed at identifying PFTs within the flora of
central-western Argentina, and to explore their possible consequences
for ecosystem function. We analyzed 24 vegetative
and regenerative traits of the 100 most abundant species along
a steep climatic gradient. Based on plant traits and standard
multivariate techniques, we identified eight PFTs. Our results
confirmed, over a wide range of climatic conditions, the
occurrence of broad recurrent patterns of association among
plant traits reported for other floras; namely trade-offs between
high investment in photosynthesis and growth on the
one hand, and preferential allocation to storage and defence on
the other. Regenerative traits were only partially coupled with
vegetative traits. Using easily-measured plant traits and individual
species cover in 63 sites, we predicted main community-
ecosystem processes along the regional gradient. We
hypothesized likely impacts of global climatic change on
PFTs and ecosystems in situ, and analysed their probabilities
of migrating in response to changing climatic conditions.
Finally, we discuss the advantages and limitations of this kind
of approach in predicting changes in plant distribution and in
ecosystem processes over the next century.in situ, and analysed their probabilities
of migrating in response to changing climatic conditions.
Finally, we discuss the advantages and limitations of this kind
of approach in predicting changes in plant distribution and in
ecosystem processes over the next century.