Plants exhibit a continuum of life history strategies that are linked to variable environmental conditions. The natural and anthropogenic disturbances, such as drought, high temperature, high nitrogen deposition, and impacts of land use change significantly influence the composition of plant communities in forests, linked to alteration of functional diversity and life history strategies. Changes in plant community functional diversity can have a major influence on ecosystem function, such as biomass accumulation and organic matter decomposition. Although earlier studies have evaluated the effects of environmental change on vegetation structure, plant community composition and ecosystem function, the complex interactions of the disturbance regime, life history strategies, functional diversity and ecosystem processes have not been systematically analyzed.
The frequency and intensity of disturbances shape the structure of vegetation, while the characteristics of vegetation help in predicting the impact of disturbances. The current Research Topic will focus on improving understanding of this relationship through the lens of plant life history strategies and functional traits.
The major themes covered in this topic are:
• Levels of natural and anthropogenic disturbances, and assessment of their impact on plant community functional diversity;
• Evaluation of the effect of suppression of disturbances, such as fire and grazing, on plant community functional diversity;
• The role of plant community functional diversity in predicting the resilience of forest ecosystems to disturbance;
• The significance of disturbance ecology for development of theory about the functional role of plant morphological and physiological traits;
• Interactions amongst plant functional diversity, productivity and disturbances.
Plants exhibit a continuum of life history strategies that are linked to variable environmental conditions. The natural and anthropogenic disturbances, such as drought, high temperature, high nitrogen deposition, and impacts of land use change significantly influence the composition of plant communities in forests, linked to alteration of functional diversity and life history strategies. Changes in plant community functional diversity can have a major influence on ecosystem function, such as biomass accumulation and organic matter decomposition. Although earlier studies have evaluated the effects of environmental change on vegetation structure, plant community composition and ecosystem function, the complex interactions of the disturbance regime, life history strategies, functional diversity and ecosystem processes have not been systematically analyzed.
The frequency and intensity of disturbances shape the structure of vegetation, while the characteristics of vegetation help in predicting the impact of disturbances. The current Research Topic will focus on improving understanding of this relationship through the lens of plant life history strategies and functional traits.
The major themes covered in this topic are:
• Levels of natural and anthropogenic disturbances, and assessment of their impact on plant community functional diversity;
• Evaluation of the effect of suppression of disturbances, such as fire and grazing, on plant community functional diversity;
• The role of plant community functional diversity in predicting the resilience of forest ecosystems to disturbance;
• The significance of disturbance ecology for development of theory about the functional role of plant morphological and physiological traits;
• Interactions amongst plant functional diversity, productivity and disturbances.
