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The plant functional traits that explain species occurrence across fragmented grasslands differ according to patch management, isolation, and wetness

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Abstract

Context

Landscape fragmentation significantly affects species distributions by decreasing the number and connectivity of suitable patches. While researchers have hypothesized that species functional traits could help in predicting species distribution in a landscape, predictions should depend on the type of patches available and on the ability of species to disperse and grow there.

Objectives

To explore whether different traits can explain the frequency of grassland species (number of occupied patches) and/or their occupancy (ratio of occupied to suitable patches) across a variety of patch types within a fragmented landscape.

Methods

We sampled species distributions over 1300 grassland patches in a fragmented landscape of 385 km2 in the Czech Republic. Relationships between functional traits and species frequency and occupancy were tested across all patches in the landscape, as well as within patches that shared similar management, wetness, and isolation.

Results

Although some traits predicting species frequency also predicted occupancy, others were markedly different, with competition- and dispersal-related traits becoming more important for occupancy. Which traits were important differed for frequency and occupancy and also differed depending on patch management, wetness, and isolation.

Conclusions

Plant traits can provide insight into plant distribution in fragmented landscapes and can reveal specific abiotic, biotic, and dispersal processes affecting species occurrence in a patch type. However, the importance of individual traits depends on the type of suitable patches available within the landscape.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by GAČR grant no. P505/12/1296 and GA16-12243S. We thank Karel Fajmon, Záboj Hrázský, Šárka Jiráská, and Josef Vozanka for field sampling, David Zelený for valuable comments on Beals smoothing calculations and Bruce Jaffee for English corrections.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dukelská 132, 379 82, Třeboň, Czech Republic

    Petra Janečková, Štěpán Janeček, Jitka Klimešová, Lars Götzenberger & Francesco de Bello

  2. Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Na Zlaté stoce 1, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

    Petra Janečková, Jan Horník, Jan Lepš & Francesco de Bello

  3. Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, 128 44, Praha 2, Czech Republic

    Štěpán Janeček

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  1. Petra Janečková
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Correspondence to Petra Janečková.

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Janečková, P., Janeček, Š., Klimešová, J. et al. The plant functional traits that explain species occurrence across fragmented grasslands differ according to patch management, isolation, and wetness. Landscape Ecol 32, 791–805 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-017-0486-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-017-0486-y

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