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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© Nunes A. 2014

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

© Nunes A. 2014

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Diaz et al. (2007) The IGBP Series, Springer-Verlag, Berlin

Functional traits and ecosystem functioning

© Nunes A. 2014

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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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Rat

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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

Sampling plant community M

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Pla

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Fun

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Div

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© 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

al group

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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Water dynamics


Soil reflectance


Seedling – Germination


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


Sampling methods

“Line intercept”

“Sampling quadrat”


Line intercept:Proportion of biologicalsoil crusts vs othercomponents

20 METERS TRANSECT… – 55cm = herbs

55cm – 62cm = mosses62cm – 67cm = herbs67cm – 82cm = bare soil


Sampling quadrat (30x30cm):Abundance of functional units

Mosses(~20%)

Cyanobacteria(~2%)


2 cm

NITROGEN? CARBON?

NUTRIENTS?

TEXTURE?

pH?

Soil sampling under functional units:Functional trait effects on ecosytem properties


1 cm depth

Baresoil

C N P, pH, texture,

nutrients

Soil sampling


methods for measuring plant, lichen and biological soil crusts

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