TY - JOUR A1 - Pfestorf, H. A1 - Weiss, L. A1 - Müller, J. A1 - Boch, Steffen A1 - Socher, S. A. A1 - Prati, Daniel A1 - Schöning, Ingo A1 - Weisser, W. A1 - Fischer, M. A1 - Jeltsch, Florian T1 - Community mean traits as additional indicators to monitor effects of land-use intensity On grassland plant diversity JF - Perspectives in plant ecology, evolution and systematics N2 - Semi-natural grasslands, biodiversity hotspots in Central-Europe, suffer from the cessation of traditional land-use. Amount and intensity of these changes challenge current monitoring frameworks typically based on classic indicators such as selected target species or diversity indices. Indicators based on plant functional traits provide an interesting extension since they reflect ecological strategies at individual and ecological processes at community levels. They typically show convergent responses to gradients of land-use intensity over scales and regions, are more directly related to environmental drivers than diversity components themselves and enable detecting directional changes in whole community dynamics. However, probably due to their labor- and cost intensive assessment in the field, they have been rarely applied as indicators so far. Here we suggest overcoming these limitations by calculating indicators with plant traits derived from online accessible databases. Aiming to provide a minimal trait set to monitor effects of land-use intensification on plant diversity we investigated relationships between 12 community mean traits, 2 diversity indices and 6 predictors of land-use intensity within grassland communities of 3 different regions in Germany (part of the German 'Biodiversity Exploratory' research network). By standardization of traits and diversity measures, use of null models and linear mixed models we confirmed (i) strong links between functional community composition and plant diversity, (ii) that traits are closely related to land-use intensity, and (iii) that functional indicators are equally, or even more sensitive to land-use intensity than traditional diversity indices. The deduced trait set consisted of 5 traits, i.e., specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), seed release height, leaf distribution, and onset of flowering. These database derived traits enable the early detection of changes in community structure indicative for future diversity loss. As an addition to current monitoring measures they allow to better link environmental drivers to processes controlling community dynamics. KW - Biodiversity Exploratories KW - Biological conservation KW - (Semi-natural) Grasslands KW - Plant functional traits KW - Indicators KW - Land-use intensity Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2012.10.003 SN - 1433-8319 VL - 15 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Elsevier CY - Jena ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Solly, Emily A1 - Schöning, Ingo A1 - Boch, Steffen A1 - Mueller, J. A1 - Socher, S. A. A1 - Trumbore, S. E. A1 - Schrumpf, M. T1 - Mean age of carbon in fine roots from temperate forests and grasslands with different management JF - Biogeosciences N2 - Fine roots are the most dynamic portion of a plant's root system and a major source of soil organic matter. By altering plant species diversity and composition, soil conditions and nutrient availability, and consequently belowground allocation and dynamics of root carbon (C) inputs, land-use and management changes may influence organic C storage in terrestrial ecosystems. In three German regions, we measured fine root radiocarbon (C-14) content to estimate the mean time since C in root tissues was fixed from the atmosphere in 54 grassland and forest plots with different management and soil conditions. Although root biomass was on average greater in grasslands 5.1 +/- 0.8 g (mean +/- SE, n = 27) than in forests 3.1 +/- 0.5 g (n = 27) (p < 0.05), the mean age of C in fine roots in forests averaged 11.3 +/- 1.8 yr and was older and more variable compared to grasslands 1.7 +/- 0.4 yr (p < 0.001). We further found that management affects the mean age of fine root C in temperate grasslands mediated by changes in plant species diversity and composition. Fine root mean C age is positively correlated with plant diversity (r = 0.65) and with the number of perennial species (r = 0.77). Fine root mean C age in grasslands was also affected by study region with averages of 0.7 +/- 0.1 yr (n= 9) on mostly organic soils in northern Germany and of 1.8 +/- 0.3 yr (n = 9) and 2.6 +/- 0.3 (n = 9) in central and southern Germany (p < 0.05). This was probably due to differences in soil nutrient contents and soil moisture conditions between study regions, which affected plant species diversity and the presence of perennial species. Our results indicate more long-lived roots or internal redistribution of C in perennial species and suggest linkages between fine root C age and management in grasslands. These findings improve our ability to predict and model belowground C fluxes across broader spatial scales. Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-4833-2013 SN - 1726-4170 VL - 10 IS - 7 SP - 4833 EP - 4843 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER -