Document: TAM-3-93-7

Functional groupings of plants in florida scrub.

FOSTER, T.E.* ¹ and J.R.BROOKS ²

Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331 USA ¹
EPA Western Ecology Division, Corvallis, OR 97333 USA ²

Abstract:
Being able to scale up from leaf level measurements to the ecosystem level has become an important issue in the understanding of global processes. In order to scale up, there needs to be a method for simplifying the original system. Grouping species based on their morphology is one simplification method that has been used because morphological parameters are assumed to be related to function. This study examined whether functional groups could be defined for thirteen species in the Florida scrub habitat and whether those groupings are related to a morphological characteristic. Since the Florida scrub is a stress-tolerating system with conservative growth strategies, the species function should remain fixed. The objectives of this study were two fold. First we wanted to determine whether or not functional groups of species existed in Florida scrub and secondly we wanted to determine whether life forms could serve as a morphological indicator of the functional group. Functional groups were determined based on the physiological responses of the plant species; specifically carbon and nitrogen isotopes along with gas exchange. Four functional groups were found to exist in frequently burned Florida scrub. One of these groups consisted of only one species Ximenia americana , which is known to be a parasitic plant. However these functional groups did not correlate with the life form categories.

Keywords: functional groups, Florida scrub

This abstract is being presented at: 10:30 AM in session:
Oral Session #59: Plant Communities: Vegetative Analysis.