PLANT FUNCTIONAL MARKERS CAPTURE ECOSYSTEM PROPERTIES DURING SECONDARY SUCCESSION

EcologyVolume 85, Issue 9 p. 2630-2637 Regular Article PLANT FUNCTIONAL MARKERS CAPTURE ECOSYSTEM PROPERTIES DURING SECONDARY SUCCESSION Eric Garnier, Eric Garnier Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France E-mail: garnier@cefe.cnrs-mop.frSearch for more papers by this authorJacques Cortez, Jacques Cortez Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorGeorges Billès, Georges Billès Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorMarie-Laure Navas, Marie-Laure Navas Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France Département des Sciences pour la Protection des Plantes et Ecologie, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique de Montpellier, 2, Place Viala, 34060 Montpellier Cedex 1, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorCatherine Roumet, Catherine Roumet Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorMax Debussche, Max Debussche Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorGérard Laurent, Gérard Laurent Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorAlain Blanchard, Alain Blanchard Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorDavid Aubry, David Aubry Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorAstrid Bellmann, Astrid Bellmann Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorCathy Neill, Cathy Neill Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorJean-Patrick Toussaint, Jean-Patrick Toussaint Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this author Eric Garnier, Eric Garnier Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France E-mail: garnier@cefe.cnrs-mop.frSearch for more papers by this authorJacques Cortez, Jacques Cortez Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorGeorges Billès, Georges Billès Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorMarie-Laure Navas, Marie-Laure Navas Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France Département des Sciences pour la Protection des Plantes et Ecologie, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique de Montpellier, 2, Place Viala, 34060 Montpellier Cedex 1, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorCatherine Roumet, Catherine Roumet Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorMax Debussche, Max Debussche Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorGérard Laurent, Gérard Laurent Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorAlain Blanchard, Alain Blanchard Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorDavid Aubry, David Aubry Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorAstrid Bellmann, Astrid Bellmann Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorCathy Neill, Cathy Neill Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorJean-Patrick Toussaint, Jean-Patrick Toussaint Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (C.N.R.S.-U.M.R. 5175) 1919, Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, FranceSearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 September 2004 https://doi.org/10.1890/03-0799Citations: 1,320 Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Abstract Although the structure and composition of plant communities is known to influence the functioning of ecosystems, there is as yet no agreement as to how these should be described from a functional perspective. We tested the biomass ratio hypothesis, which postulates that ecosystem properties should depend on species traits and on species contribution to the total biomass of the community, in a successional sere following vineyard abandonment in the Mediterranean region of France. Ecosystem-specific net primary productivity, litter decomposition rate, and total soil carbon and nitrogen varied significantly with field age, and correlated with community-aggregated (i.e., weighed according to the relative abundance of species) functional leaf traits. The three easily measurable traits tested, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, and nitrogen concentration, provide a simple means to scale up from organ to ecosystem functioning in complex plant communities. We propose that they be called “functional markers,” and be used to assess the impacts of community changes on ecosystem properties induced, in particular, by global change drivers. Citing Literature Supporting Information Filename Description https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3298235 Research data pertaining to this article is located at figshare.com: Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article. Volume85, Issue9September 2004Pages 2630-2637 RelatedInformation