Plant Traits That Bolster Recruitment

Abstract

Abstract Modeling plant recruitment is hard. Recruitment is often the weakest link in plant population models. If we can successfully integrate traits into our understanding of plant fecundity, then we can fill a critical gap in plant strategy theory. Traits of juveniles and traits of mature plants are decoupled. Seed mass can vary by 10 orders of magnitude globally. There is empirical support that large-seeded species performed better under grazing pressure, in nutrient-poor soils, and when planted deep in the soil or under litter. Some studies also found that large-seeded species perform better when growing in established vegetation, in deep shade, or in dry environments. A trait-filter framework was proposed for identifying traits that are important at each stage of the recruitment process, including seed production, dispersal, germination, emergence, seedling establishment, and clonality. Dormancy drives variable recruitment through time and dispersal drives variable recruitment through space. If we continue to focus most of our research effort into understanding the traits that govern growth and survival at the expense of recruitment, we are missing half of the story. We need to get the fecundity function right.