DIVERSITRAITS

Functional diversity in plant communities: the role of environmental filters

 Partecipanti

Mappa

 Word cloud

Esplora la "nuvola delle parole (Word Cloud) per avere un'idea di massima del progetto.

 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Recent studies argue that plant functional traits should be the corner stone for a more quantitative and predictive approach to biodiversity and species coexistence. In this perspective, functional diversity, i.e. the diversity and range of functional traits, should be a new and promising ecological metrics through its predictive potential. Mechanisms, by which plant traits are selected across environmental filters to further constitute a plant community, remain to be established, however. The main aim of this proposal is to develop a unified trait-based approach to plant community through identifying and quantifying mechanisms - i.e. the relative importance of abiotic and biotic filters - shaping functional diversity and plant community structure. During the outgoing phase, the applicant will combine and analyse existing extensive databases including plant traits, species coexistence and abundance, and environmental information to address key issues on how environmental filters act on community structure. During the reintegration phase, the fellow will apply the developed methods on a European trait database to assess effects of land-use changes on plant communities in European landscapes. This work will significantly advance our current understanding of the ecological importance of functional diversity and will provide new insights into mechanisms determining biodiversity patterns and the structure of plant communities. This proposal aims to reinforce the international dimension of the career of the applicant by giving him the opportunity to be trained and acquire new and multidisciplinary knowledge in community ecology and eco-informatics within a high-level research lab. By organizing and leading workshops with senior researchers, the fellow will also improve his independent thinking and management skills. Finally, the project will improve mutually beneficial research cooperation between researchers from Europe and North America.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

A formidable database of functional diversity in plants and its impact on different regions of the world will enable us to understand and manage biodiversity better. It will also help mitigate global warming and reverse man-made damage to the environment.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Plants are an important part of our intricate ecosystems and have a direct effect on the microclimate, global warming and well-being of people. By studying plants in different regions of the world and identifying their functional traits, science can help improve biodiversity, thus encouraging plant filtering activity and ensuring the co-existence of species.

The EU-funded project 'Functional diversity in plant communities: the role of environmental filters' (Diversitraits) brings together the disciplines of botany, ecology and biology to identify functional traits of plants on a global scale. Rather than examining plants on a local level, the project aims to single out ecological patterns in a holistic approach. This promises to help policymakers respond better to balancing ecosystems and addressing negative human impact on nature.

The project has collected trait data and botanical information to analyse them from a bio-geographical perspective. It has also established a framework for outlining functional diversity and traits in different parts of the world in order to understand responses of organisms, communities and ecosystems to environmental changes.

Diversitraits has built a database for around 45,000 species and 25 core plant functional traits, based on knowledge from surveys, botanists and software technicians. Project results have also incorporated research by ecologists on vegetation for all of North and South America documenting around 20 million species. This constitutes the largest initiative on plant diversity ever created. In addition, partners have merged data from herbariums of different countries into the project's botanical database.

All these records and datasets are enabling the project to produce valuable maps of functional traits by combining the species' occurrence and trait information. This sheds light on traits along different latitudes and climates, allowing researchers to glean important information. To illustrate, one preliminary conclusion showed that tropical areas are functionally richer than temperate ones. Many other conclusions are expected to emerge, helping us manage our planet in a greener, more sustainable way and thus contribute to richer biodiversity.