Plant functional traits, ecosystem structure and land-use history along a climatic gradient in central-western Argentina

This paper deals with theoretical concepts, methodological steps, and case studies related to the use of plant functional traits in the assessment of vegetation responses to climate and land use. Trait-environment links are c onsidered, and special emphasis is put on the links between vegetation stru cture and ecosystem function, and on the role of disturbance history in det ermining vegetation responses to land use at present. As a basis for discus sion, published and new case studies from central-western Argentina are pre sented. Similar plant traits measured with different levels of precision ar e utilized in the description of ecosystem structure in different land-use situations along a steep regional climatic gradient. The general protocol f ollowed in the case studies represents a data-driven, non-hierarchical, low -tech approach, that can be applied to a wide range of spatial scales, from plots to regions. Climatic factors (including extreme events and seasonali ty), disturbance frequency and intensity, and disturbance history are sugge sted as key factors to be considered in global comparisons of vegetation re sponses to land use and in predictive models of ecosystem dynamics.