Development of a Plant Functional Group Classification to Support the Application of State-and-Transition

• Applicant: Dr. Anne Zemmrich
• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Plants and Ecosystems
• Term: from 2010 to 2012
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 168592478

• Final Report Year: 2012

Final Report Abstract

Key scientific findings of the project under report comprise a) a framework that predicts species compositional change under grazing based on functional traits for grasslands. The framework functions on homogenous ecological sites to minimize the confounding inconsistency of traits in response to grazing. It integrates the assessment of plant performance under grazing, plant response strategies to grazing and conveying functional traits for perennial grasses. b) A concept synthesis of the plant performance paradigm with the concept of grazing resistance. c) An overview of key traits for the growth and the survival of perennial grasses under grazing that convey grazing resistance and corresponding functional traits. This trait overview is a result of an extensive literature review covering empirical data and ecological theory. Identified traits may serve as key predictors for grass fitness under grazing in traitbased modeling approaches. d) A ranking of functional traits within the framework based on the relative contribution of their attributes to grazing resistance proved by published. c) First steps to up-scale the framework from perennial grasses to mixed forb – shrub grasslands.

Publications

• Plant functional groups in response to grazing – a predictive framework for grasslands. 41st annual meeting of the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland in September, 5-9, 2011 in Oldenburg.
  A. Zemmrich & D.D. Briske
  
• redicting plant compositional responses to grazing with a functional traits model. 96th annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America on August 7-12, 2011 in Austin
  A. Zemmrich, D.D. Briske, J.R. Kiniry & J. Angerer
  
• Species compositional change under grazing: The synthesis of plant performance & grazing resistance based on functional traits. Institute of Biochemistry and Biology at Potsdam University (team Prof. F. Jeltsch), on August, the 20th in 2012
  A. Zemmrich