C₄ grass functional traits are correlated with biotic and abiotic gradients in an African savanna

Savanna is a species-rich biome, that includes many modern mammal lineages and C₄ grass (Poaceae) species. The greater productivity and grazing pressure associated with savannas is likely attributable to the foliar traits of the grasses they support. Thus, it is important to understand the complex r...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plant ecology 2020-04, Vol.221 (4), p.241-254
Main Authors: Bouchenak-Khelladi, Y., February, E. C., Verboom, G. A., Boucher, F. C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied Ecology
Biodiversity
Biodiversity and Ecology
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Community & Population Ecology
Ecology
Ecology, environment
Environmental Sciences
Grasses
Leaf area
Life Sciences
National parks
Phylogeny
Plant Ecology
Rainfall
Savannahs
Soil types
Soils
Species composition
Symbiosis
Tensile strength
Terrestial Ecology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Savanna is a species-rich biome, that includes many modern mammal lineages and C₄ grass (Poaceae) species. The greater productivity and grazing pressure associated with savannas is likely attributable to the foliar traits of the grasses they support. Thus, it is important to understand the complex relationships between the abiotic environment, foliar attributes and the floristic composition of savanna grasses, and the supported grazer densities. We sampled 37 grass communities in the Kruger National Park (South Africa) across three soil types and along a rainfall gradient and found that these communities lack strong phylogenetic structure. We then measured specific leaf area and leaf tensile strength for 384 individuals representing 66 species and found that both traits were strongly phylogenetically structured and associated with both rainfall and soil type. Finally, we found that grazer densities in the Park are correlated with the foliar traits of the associated grass communities, but the resolution of our data do not allow for a thorough analysis of this association. Our results demonstrate the complex interactions between climate, soils and grazer densities relative to C₄ grass functional traits.
ISSN:1385-0237
1573-5052
DOI:10.1007/s11258-020-01007-2