Trait-based climate change predictions of plant community structure in arid steppes

• Published in: The Journal of ecology Vol. 101; no. 2; pp. 484 - 492
• Main Authors: Frenette-Dussault, Cédric, Shipley, Bill, Meziane, Driss, Hingrat, Yves
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Blackwell Publishing 01.03.2013; Blackwell; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Cirques; Climate change; Climate effects; Climate prediction; Climatology. Bioclimatology. Climate change; community assembly; Community composition; Community structure; Decision making models; Desertification; Determinants of plant community diversity and structure; Earth, ocean, space; eastern Morocco; Ecosystem studies; Ecosystems; Environmental changes; Exact sciences and technology; External geophysics; Food security; functional traits; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Global climate; grazing; Human ecology; Human populations; Maximum entropy; Meteorology; Modeling; Plant communities; Plant ecology; Plants; Prediction models; Species; species pool; Steppes; Synecology; Vegetation; vegetation dynamics; Morocco; Africa; Central America; Community structure; eastern Morocco; grazing; Plant community; Arid environment; Functional trait; Diversity; maximum entropy; Entropy; Vegetation dynamics; Climate prediction; Dynamical climatology; Climate change; species pool; Steppe; functional traits; determinants of plant community diversity and structure; Community; community assembly

1. Global climate change is possibly one of the most important challenges for current and future human populations due to its wide-ranging effects on ecosystems. Global prediction models suggest that in some areas of the world (e.g. Northern Africa, Central America) an increase in aridity might stro...