Assessing species and community functional responses to environmental gradients: which multivariate methods?

• Published in: Journal of vegetation science Vol. 23; no. 5; pp. 805 - 821
• Main Authors: Kleyer, Michael, Dray, Stéphane, Bello, Francescode, Lepš, Jan, Pakeman, Robin J., Strauss, Barbara, Thuiller, Wilfried, Lavorel, Sandra
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.10.2012; Wiley
• Subjects: Cluster analysis; Datasets; Environmental assessment; Functional groups; Functional traits; Functional types; Inference; Life Sciences; Multivariate analysis; Phenotypic traits; Phosphorus; Plants; Regression tree; Species; Statistical modelling; Sustainable communities; Synecology; Vegetation

Question: How do multivariate methods perform in relating species- and community-level trait responses to the environment? Location: (1) Field data from grazed semi-natural grasslands, NE Germany; (2) artificial data. Methods: Research questions associated with trait—environment relationships were b...