| description: |
Functional traits of plants determine their reaction to changes in environment. The most important changes in species-rich meadows are related to cessation or restart of management. Despite the expectation that species which react in a similar way to disturbance (reaction groups) probably share similar functional traits, the direct tests of this expectation are rare, at least for highly species-rich communities. Wooded meadows provide a good opportunity to test for the differences between reaction groups in functional traits and for the role of functional traits in species coexistence. Considering the high conservation value of wooded meadows and frequent restoration events, it is important to clarify the role of immigration and persistence traits in dynamics of the communities. Current research project concentrates on plant traits that relate to reproduction and dispersal of the species as these traits determine immigration of species to restored areas and dynamics of species richness. We will measure the values of traits related to dispersal, reproduction, growth and vegetative propagation and compare their average values in different reaction groups that can be distinguished during abandonment and restoration of wooded meadows. To find the reaction groups we will use vegetation description from the same areas made with five-year interval, data from long-term (over 40 years) fertilization experiment from Laelatu wooded meadow, but also vegetation descriptions from parts of wooded meadows with different successional status. We will test for the relationships between species richness and different functional traits. The results of this work will help to better understand the relationships of functional traits to each other (incl. trade-offs) and the role of functional traits in species coexistence. |