Current understanding of functional differences among plant species is based on several key axes of specialization in response to environmental gradients, namely of productivity and disturbance. These axes include leaf economy spectrum, plant size and dispersal ability (Westoby, 1998;Westoby et al., 2002;Wright et al., 2004). These axes are typically proxied by easily measurable traits, namely ...

Large areas in the Pantanal wetland are covered by monodominant formations, e.g. typical landscapes with local names such as "paratudal", dominated by T. aurea. Studies on structure of these formations generally include only woody strata, consequently the species richness registered is usually low due to the absence of the 'ground layer' of herbaceous and others low species. We recorded 13 spec...

Question: What are the effects of fire in native shrubland communities and in pine plantations established in these shrublands? Location: Northern Patagonia, Argentina. Methods: We surveyed four sites in Chall–Huaco valley, located in northwest Patagonia. Each site was a vegetation mosaic composed of an unburned Pinus ponderosa plantation, a plantation burned in 1996, and an unburned matorral a...

Woody plant encroachment is a worldwide phenomenon in grassland and savanna systems whose consequence is often the development of an alternate woodland state. Theoretically, an alternate state may be associated with changes in system state variables (e.g., species composition) or abiotic parameter shifts (e.g., nutrient availability). When state-variable changes are cumulative, such as in woody...

The balance between photosynthesis and plant respiration in tropical forests may substantially affect the global carbon cycle. Woody tissue CO2 efflux is a major component of total plant respiration, but estimates of ecosystem-scale rates are uncertain because of poor sampling in the upper canopy and across landscapes. To overcome these problems, we used a portable scaffolding tower to measure ...

Hedgerows and woody strips have been used to enclose fields but declined due to the loss of a direct economic value, abandonment of traditional management techniques and agricultural intensification. Nowadays, shrubs and trees on pastures are promoted again through environment-friendly policies and the interest in using them as forage for ruminant increases in both temperate and tropical ecosys...

Productivity of maize and soil properties change under alley cropping system consisting of four woody species (Gliricidia sepium, Leucaena leucocephala, Cajanus cajan and Senna siamea) at different nitrogen levels (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% of recommended rate) were studied in the floodplain ecosystem of Bangladesh. Comparative growth performance of four woody species after pruning showed that L. ...