Linking plant strategies and ecosystem function: an assessment of the contribution of biodiversity to neotropical grassland productivity

Abstract

These issues were investigated in a range of paddocks with two types of cover: semi-natural grassland and sown pastures within an altitudinal range of 200 to 400 m. In nine paddocks, 11 sequential biomass harvests after 22-day periods of grazing exclusion were conducted approximately every month for each paddock. In eight different paddocks 14 morpho-phenological traits were measured in the 36 dominant species. These results suggested the relevance of rainfall seasonality to community functional properties in these grassland assemblages and that species shift their dominance according to the general species level trade-offs between resource acquisition and conservation, in this case based on the seasonal gradient of water and, indirectly, resource supply.