Abstract:
Plant functional traits provide a valuable tool to improve our understanding of ecological processes at a
range of scales. Previous handbooks on plant functional traits have highlighted the importance of standardising
measurements of traits to improve our understanding of ecological and evolutionary processes. In open ecosystems
(i.e. grasslands, savannas, open woodlands and shrublands), traits related to disturbance (e.g. herbivory, drought, and
fire) play a central role in explaining species performance and distributions and are the focus of this handbook. We provide brief descriptions of 34 traits and list important environmental filters and their relevance, provide detailed
sampling methodologies and outline potential pitfalls for each trait. We have grouped traits according to plant
functional type (grasses, forbs and woody plants) and, because demographic stages may experience different selective
pressures, we have separated traits according to the different plant life stages (seedlings saplings and adults). We have
attempted to not include traits that have been covered in previous handbooks except for where updates or additional
information was considered beneficial.
