PLANT FUNCTIONAL TRAITS, TYPES AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Workshop held as part of Intecol 2009 in Brisbane, Australia on Sunday 16 August, 2009

Workshop leaders: Amy Zanne (University of Missouri - St. Louis), Ian Wright (Macquarie University)

Workshop presenters: Rose Andrew (University of British Columbia), Will Cornwell (University of British Columbia), Sandy Harrison (University of Bristol, Macquarie University), Hans Lambers (University of Western Australia), Margie Mayfield (University of Queensland), Adrienne Nicotra (Australian National University)

BACKGROUND
Plant traits have received considerable attention in the last decade as ecologists search for ways to classify plants according to function rather than taxonomy alone. These classifications are important to enhance our understanding of evolutionary diversification, community structure, and ecosystem function as well as to predict plant responses to climate change. This daylong workshop is presented by an international group of expert plant ecologists whose research focuses on development and application of trait-based techniques in comparative plant ecology. We will combine practical presentations, traditional seminar style talks, and breakout group discussions to make the application of trait-based plant ecology accessible to a broad audience. We will consider what constitutes a plant trait and what traits have proven informative; specific leaf area, wood density, seed size, and plant height, for example, have thus far been the most focused on axes. Leaf size and leaf size to twig size ratios have also been examined. Other axes have remained elusive e.g., root traits. We will discuss how to measure, model and analyse plant traits. And, we will hear presentations demonstrating the application of these techniques to current issues relevant to the congress theme. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss their own datasets and theoretical or analytical questions with other group participants during break-out sessions. The workshop will be of particular interest to students and early career researchers, but will also be relevant to ecologists generally interested in learning about the latest developments in plant traits and comparative ecology.

PRESENTATIONS

PDFs of the presenters talks are available here. The number in brackets indicates document size.

Amy Zanne - workshop introduction (800K)
Ian Wright (3.9M)
Will Cornwell (1.4M)
Amy Zanne (3.2M)
Margie Mayfield (1M)
Sandy Harrison and Colin Prentice (1.2M)
Rose Andrew (342K)
Hans Lambers (1.1M)
Adrienne Nicotra (700K)