Challenging Theophrastus: A common core list of plant traits for functional ecology
Challenging Theophrastus: A common core list of plant traits for functional ecology
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DOI：
10.2307/3237076
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发表时间：
1999-10-01
影响因子：
2.8
通讯作者：
Eriksson, O
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Weiher, E;van der Werf, A;Eriksson, O
生态学家需要一种植物特性的共同语言，以便跨地区和尺度进行比较，汇集数据，并最大限度地利用数据。为了发展这样一套特征，我们从植物面临的主要挑战开始：扩散、建立和持久性，以确定基本特征。这些特征大多难以测量，但比较生态学的进步已经提出了一些易于测量的类似物。不幸的是，有些基本特征没有简单的类比。常见的核心清单包括：种子质量、种子形状、传播方式、无性系、比叶面积、叶含水量、高度、地上生物量、生活史、开花时间、茎密度和再生能力。大多数特征可以定量测量，但由于后勤问题或缺乏简单的类比，列表中的一些特征仍然必须定性测量。关键问题领域包括：扩散能力、营养传播能力、发芽、适口性、可塑性和所有各种地下特性。比较研究需要解决这些问题。建议将共同核心表作为功能生态学研究的共同起点。区域植物群的特性和特定的研究议程将决定哪些特征可以忽略，哪些需要添加。
Ecologists need a common language of plant traits in order to make comparisons across regions and scales, pool data, and maximize the utility of the data. To develop such a set of traits we began with the primary challenges faced by plants: dispersal, establishment, and persistence in order to identify fundamental traits. Most of these traits are hard to measure, but advances in comparative ecology have suggested a number of easy to measure analogs. Unfortunately, some of the fundamental traits have no simple analog. The common core list includes: seed mass, seed shape, dispersal mode, clonality, specific leaf area, leaf water content, height, above-ground biomass, life history, onset of flowering, stem density, and resprouting ability. Most of the traits can be measured quantitatively, but several traits on the list must still be measured qualitatively due to logistical problems or lack of an easy analog. Key problem areas include: dispersal ability, capacity for vegetative spread, germination, palatability, plasticity, and all the various below-ground traits. Comparative studies need to address these problem areas. The common core list is suggested as a common starting point for studies of functional ecology. The idiosyncrasies of regional floras and specific research agendas will dictate which traits can be ignored and those that need to be added.