Functional Response TRAITS and Plant Community Strategy Indicate the Stage of Secondary Succession

Changes of species composition, plant community strategy and functional response trait turnover were studied in a succession from dry pastures to a forest community (oak-hornbeam forests). The following question was asked: are functional response traits and plant community strategies indicators of TAA (time since agricultural land use abandonment), thus of a specific succession stage.

Indirect gradient analysis (DCA) was used in order to observe the position of the relevés along the axis and to correlate it with TAA. It was found that the position of relevés on DCA axis 1 is our proxy for TAA. Correlations (Spearman’s rho) between the occurrence of plant functional traits and TAA were performed.

Low-growing herb species with scleromorphic leaves and green or red flowers are the predominant plant type on grassland areas, while plant species with digitate, hydro or mesomorphic leaves and white flowers typically prevail in forest. The proportion of chamaephytes increases immediately after land abandonment (afforestation). In a closed forest stand, there are many more herb species with vegetative propagation (bulbils). Herbal species in those stands most often reward pollinators with pollen. The ecological strategy of the entire plant community changes with spontaneous afforestation. On grassland, stress-tolerant species are dominant. After 10 years, the community is defined as CS and after 200 years as a community with a C-CS strategy.