Methods for measuring plant, lichen and biological soil crusts ...
Transcript of Methods for measuring plant, lichen and biological soil crusts ...
Methods for measuring plant, lichen and biological soil crusts
functional diversity
Alice Nunes, Paula Matos & Laura Concostrina [email protected]
COST ES1104 – Arid Lands Restoration and Combat of Desertification.
Training School 4 - Indicators of Desertification: early warning signs. 19-23 May 2014, University of Lisbon © Nunes A. 2014
Drylands (support 38% of human population)
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: Desertification Synthesis (World Resources Institute, Washington, DC).
• Loss of biological or economic productivity in drylands resulting from
various factors, including climatic variations and human activities
Desertification and Land Degradation C
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How does desertification occur?
Transitions between states occur in many ecological systems – states differ in their capacity to provide ecosystem services
• Nonlinear critical transitions are forecast to increase
Scheffer et al. (2009) Nature; Bestelmeyer et al. (2011) Ecosphere
Mechanisms of transitions (following the authors terminology)
• Need for early-warning signs, not only looking to drivers, but to ecosystems
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• Plant biodiversity has been related to ecosystem multifunctionality in drylands
•Species richness per se is not sensitive to species functional role, nativeness or resilience
Choose the best indicator
But...
Maestre et al (2012) Science Scherer-Lorenzen (2005) Biodiv. & ecosystem func., Oxford,UK © Nunes A. 2014
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Díaz & Cabido (2001) Trends in Ecology and Evolution © Nunes A. 2014
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Functional trait: a characteristic of an organism, measurable at the individual level, which has demonstrable links with its functions and/or fitness
Universal
Hooper et al. (2005) Ecol. Monographs; Lavorel et al. (2007) The IGBP Series, Springer-Verlag, Berlin
Consensus of current knowledge: species’ functional characteristics strongly influence ecosystem properties
Link to ecosystem functions
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Diaz et al. (2007) The IGBP Series, Springer-Verlag, Berlin
Functional traits and ecosystem functioning
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(1) the organism’s response to environment (Response trait)
Functional traits determine:
(2) and/or its effects on ecosystem processes or services (Effect trait)
Functional traits, ecosystem functioning and environmental drivers
Diaz et al. (2007) The IGBP Series, Springer-Verlag, Berlin © Nunes A. 2014
Response traits Effect traits
Has been shown to relate with several environmental drivers
Functional Diversity
Cornelissen et al. (2003) Australian Journal of Botany
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3. Early Warning indicator
Desertification and Land Degradation
2. Relevant functional traits/groups
4. Validate the indicator
1. Study organisms using a functional approach
Our aim
© Nunes A. 2014
• Which sampling method is more adequate to monitor functional composition and diversity? How does methodology influence plant functional diversity estimates?
Plant sampling method
50 cm
Reproducible way to quantify species/functional traits by diferent observers with precision
Apropriate for species collection for posterior trait mesurements
Point-intercept method
We used 6 x 20m transects with points spaced every 50 cm (246 points at each site)
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• Based on direct mesurements, regional and global databases, other bibliographic
sources
Legum. Non legum.
From species to traits
•Species characterization regarding relevant functional traits
Species
Frequently, species that make up at least 80% of the community
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Plant traits‘ direct measurement
Height of the 10% higher individuals from the dominant species at each site
Specific leaf area of 3 leaves from the same individuals
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Functional diversity computation
Instead of (only) a species quantification matrix
a trait quantification matrix is used
• Computation of several functional diversity metrics
Site/Species
Site/Traits
Villéger et al. 2008 (Ecology) Laliberté & Legendre 2010 (Ecology)
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Functional diversity metrics
Community weighted mean: the average trait value in a community weighted by the relative abundance of the species, or population, carrying each value or, simply, as the relative abundance of given functional groups (e.g., the abundance of nitrogen-fixing species)
Functional divergence (or trait range): the degree of functional dissimilarity in trait values within the community. Can be seen a measure of ecological differences between species
The components of functional diversity most commonly used are the ‘dominant traits’ in a community and the ‘functional divergence’ among its members
Garnier et al. (2004) Ecology; De Bello et al. (2010) Biodiversity Conservation
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3. Early Warning indicator
Desertification and Land Degradation
2. Relevant functional traits/groups
4. Validate the indicator
1. Study organisms using a functional approach
So, would you like to join us?
© Nunes A. 2014
Thank you
Acknowledgments:
FCT-MEC (PTDC/AAC-CLI/104913/2008, SFRH/BD/51407/2011)
COST Action ES1104 – Arid lands restoration and combat of desertification: setting up a drylands and desert restoration hub
Alice Nunes [email protected]
© Nunes A. 2014
Methods for Measuring Plant,
Lichen and Biological Soil Crusts
Functional diversity
Training School 4: Indicators of Desertification early warning
signs
COST action ES1104 - Arid Lands Restoration and Combat of
Desertification
Paula Matos, Alice Nunes, Laura Concostrina
© Matos, P. 2014
The problem
Climate change and desertification
Malhi, Y. et al. 2008. Climate change, deforestation, and the fate of the Amazon. Science 319, 169.
IPCC, I. P. o. C. C. 2007. Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report: 73
adapted from http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2011/11/29/climate-change-ipcc-take-on-extreme-events/
© Matos, P. 2014
How to address the question
Tipping points
adapted from Scheffer et al. (2009), Nature
How to predict these
transitions?
• large amount of data
• long time series
natural transitions in
ecotonal areas © Matos, P. 2014
How to measure the ecosystem functioning?
Ecological indicators
• easily measured; • respond to stress in a predictable way;
• low variability response;
• robust;
• comprehensible;
• compatible with indicators used in other regions; • spatial and temporally bounded;
• have thresholds, to help determine management actions,
when necessary.
several environmental stresses
• as dependent on the atmospheric processes as possible.
© Matos, P. 2014
• lack cuticle and roots;
• rely entirely on the atmosphere for water and
nutrient supply.
The selected ecological indicator
Lichens Symbiotic association between a fungi and an algae
and/or cyanobacteria.
What is the relation with desertification?
• poiquilohydric;
• ≠ species have ≠ humidity
requirements.
Key features
© Matos, P. 2014
The methodology
Standard European method (Asta, J. et al. 2002) • assessment of epiphytic lichen diversity
Equipment • recording sheet;
• tape measure;
• pencil;
• GPS;
• x 10 hand lens;
• compass;
• paper packages for lichen collection;
• the assessment grid (10 cm x 50 cm, divided
in 10 x 10 cm squares);
• a sharp knife;
• pins (to hold the grid).
© Matos, P. 2014
The methodology
Selecting the trees
• If possible the same species;
• trees should be single stemmed with a straight trunk, > 50 cm
perimeter. © Matos, P. 2014
The methodology
How to start • place the grid on one of
the main aspects of the
tree (N, E, S, W),
between 1 and 1.5 m above ground level;
• record the GPS
coordinate of the tree;
• record the perimeter of
the trunk at breast height, and all the
information regarding
the tree;
© Matos, P. 2014
The methodology
Assessing lichens • record the frequency of
species on each
quadrat of the grid; ;
• Repeat for each exposition (N, S, E, W).
© Matos, P. 2014
lichen diversity value - LDV
species • total LDV
• individual species LDV
𝐿𝐷𝑉 = 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑛1
𝑛
𝑑
𝑎
LDV tree sum of all the frequencies of all
expositions and
all species
LDV site average of the
LDV of all the
tree in that site
basic
calculations
Functional
groups LDV
© Matos, P. 2014
Lichen functional diversity
reproduction
LDV for
each
function
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photobiont
green green Trentepohlia cyanobacteria
growth
form
crustose foliose fruticose
asexual sorediate asexual isidiate sexual © Matos, P. 2014
Summing up
Ecological
indicators Lichens Functional
diversity
pattern of change of lichen functional
diversity in ecotonal areas along
climatic gradients in space
proxies of temporal
changing patterns
allow the construction of
an early-warning
ecological indicator
© Matos, P. 2014
Indicators of Desertification: early warning
signs
3. The early warning
indicator
4. Anticipating risk areas
1. Study organisms using a
functional approach
2. Choosing the relevant
traits/functional groups
© Matos, P. 2014
Thank you for your attention
Acknowledgements:
SFRH / BD / 51419 / 2011
COST action ES1104 - Arid Lands Restoration and Combat of
Desertification
PTDC/AAC-CLI/104913/2008
So, would you
like to join us?
© Matos, P. 2014
Methods for measuring plant, lichen and biological soil crusts
functional diversity : Methods
Alice Nunes, Paula Matos & Laura Concostrina-Zubiri ([email protected])COST ES1104 – Arid Lands Restoration and Combat of Desertification.
Training School 4 - Indicators of Desertification: Earl y warning signs. 19-23 May 2014. University of Lisbon.
Cyanobacterias Lichens
Mosses Liverworts
“BIOLOGICAL SOIL CRUSTS”
Rivera-Aguilar
©C
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Growth form Continuity Chemistry
Attachment structures ColorUsnic ac. Norstictic ac.
Functional diversity: response + effect traits
Photobiont Taxonomic group
(Modified from Bowker et al. 2010) © Concostrina-Zubiri, L. 2014
Abundance of Functional Units:
Trait value of Functional Units:
F. Unit 1 F. Unit 2 F. Unit 3 F. Unit 4Site 1 2 2 4 5Site 2 3 0 3 5Site 3 8 0 6 10Site 4 3 0 4 10Site 5 4 4 0 9Site 6 6 5 0 6Site 7 7 4 0 3Site 8 6 2 0 1Site 9 9 6 3 0Site 10 7 3 1 2Site 11 6 1 0 2Site 12 2 0 3 4
Trait 1 Trait 2 Trait 3 Trait 4Growth form Density Chemistry Chlorophyll
Funct. Unit 1 C C N 0.4Funct. Unit 2 C C Z 0.2Funct. Unit 3 R D O 0.1Funct. Unit 4 F S U 0.6Funct. Unit 5 R D U 0.2
Functional Diversity Indexes:
Functional Richness
Functional Evenness
Functional Divergence
© Concostrina-Zubiri, L. 2014
Line intercept:Proportion of biologicalsoil crusts vs othercomponents
20 METERS TRANSECT… – 55cm = herbs
55cm – 62cm = mosses62cm – 67cm = herbs67cm – 82cm = bare soil
© Concostrina-Zubiri, L. 2014
Sampling quadrat (30x30cm):Abundance of functional units
Mosses(~20%)
Cyanobacteria(~2%)
© Concostrina-Zubiri, L. 2014
2 cm
NITROGEN? CARBON?
NUTRIENTS?
TEXTURE?
pH?
Soil sampling under functional units:Functional trait effects on ecosytem properties
© Concostrina-Zubiri, L. 2014