Assessing the effects of land-use change on plant traits, communities and ecosystem functioning in grasslands: A standardized methodology and lessons from an application to 11 European sites

Eric Garnier (1) , S. Lavorel (2) , P. Ansquer (3) , H. Castro (4) , P. Cruz (3) , J. Dolezal (5) , O. Eriksson (6) , C. Fortunel (1) , H. Freitas (4) , C. Golodets (7) , K. Grigulis (2) , Claire Jouany (3) , Elena Kazakou (1) , J. Kigel (7) , M. Kleyer (8) , V. Lehsten (8) , J. Leps (5) , T. Meier (8) , R. Pakeman (9) , M. Papadimitriou (10) , V. P. Papanastasis (10) , H. Quested (6) , F. Quetier (2) , M. Robson (2) , Catherine Roumet (1) , G. Rusch (11) , C. Skarpe (11) , M. Sternberg (12) , J. P. Theau (3) , A. Thebault (2) , D. Vile (1, 13) , M. P. Zarovali (10)

1 CEFE - Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive
2 LECA - Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine
3 ARCHE - Agrosystèmes Cultivés et Herbagers
4 Department of Botany
5 Botany Department
6 Department of Botany
7 Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture
8 Landscape Ecology Group
9 Macaulay Institute
10 Laboratory of Rangeland Ecology
11 NINA - Norwegian Institute for Nature Research
12 Department of Plant Sciences
13 UdeS - Département de biologie [Sherbrooke]

Background and Aims A standardized methodology to assess the impacts of land-use changes on vegetation and ecosystem functioning is presented. It assumes that species traits are central to these impacts, and is designed to be applicable in different historical, climatic contexts and local settings. Preliminary results are presented to show its applicability. Methods Eleven sites, representative of various types of land-use changes occurring in marginal agro-ecosystems across Europe and Israel, were selected. Climatic data were obtained at the site level; soil data, disturbance and nutrition indices were described at the plot level within sites. Sixteen traits describing plant stature, leaf characteristics and reproductive phase were recorded on the most abundant species of each treatment. These data were combined with species abundance to calculate trait values weighed by the abundance of species in the communities. The ecosystem properties selected were components of above-ground net primary productivity and decomposition of litter. Key Results The wide variety of land-use systems that characterize marginal landscapes across Europe was reflected by the different disturbance indices, and were also reflected in soil and/or nutrient availability gradients. The trait toolkit allowed us to describe adequately the functional response of vegetation to land-use changes, but we suggest that some traits (vegetative plant height, stem dry matter content) should be omitted in studies involving mainly herbaceous species. Using the example of the relationship between leaf dry matter content and above-ground dead material, we demonstrate how the data collected may be used to analyse direct effects of climate and land use on ecosystem properties vs. indirect effects via changes in plant traits. Conclusions This work shows the applicability of a set of protocols that can be widely applied to assess the impacts of global change drivers on species, communities and ecosystems.

Mots clés: climate gradient; disturbance; ecosystem properties; European marginal; agriculture; land-use change; methods; nutrient limitation; plant; community; plant functional traits; soil properties; Old-field succession; life-history traits; litter decomposition; primary productivity; leaf traits; vegetation; soil; biodiversity; diversity

Domaines: Biodiversité et Ecologie; Biodiversité; Ecologie, Environnement

Eric Garnier, S. Lavorel, P. Ansquer, H. Castro, P. Cruz, et al.. Assessing the effects of land-use change on plant traits, communities and ecosystem functioning in grasslands: A standardized methodology and lessons from an application to 11 European sites. Annals of Botany, 2007, 99 (5), pp.967-985. ⟨10.1093/aob/mcl215⟩. ⟨halsde-00283760⟩