Table 2 Selected reviews/syntheses on functional traits that protect plants from the effects of fluvial disturbances
From: Functional traits: the pathways to riverine plant resistance in times of hydropeaking
Paper topic | Fluvial disturbance | Functional traits referenced in the text | References |
|---|---|---|---|
Database of traits underlying responses of woody riparian species in Sweden to different hydrological and hydraulic conditions | Flooding, drawdown, fast water fluctuations | Plant growth form, shoot growth-form, size at maturity, woodiness, leaf length, leaf width, leaf area, leaf consistency, leaf anatomy, leaf persistence, rooting depth, root morphology, active growth period, bloom period, seed dispersal period, germination, seed/spore bank longevity, age of first flowering, reproduction type, resprouting ability, diaspore type, diaspore length, diaspore width, diaspore weight, pollen vector, dispersal vector, numbers of seeds, life-span, plant growth rate, tolerance to drought, tolerance to prolonged submergence or soil waterlogging, tolerance to salty conditions, tolerance to frost, light requirements, fertility requirements, germination requirements, substrate type preferences, substrate pH preferences, bank-slope preferences, strategy type | Bejarano et al. (2016) |
Hydropeaking effects on riverine plants | Flooding, drawdown, fast water fluctuations, water quality changes | Shoot elongation, hyponastic growth, presence of suberin barriers in root epidermis, adventitious roots, aerenchyma formation, leaf cuticle thickness, leaf size, leaf shape, leaf consistency, leaf anatomy, leaf persistence, leaf mass per leaf area, stomata closure, chloroplasts in epidermis, woodiness, CO2-concentrating mechanisms, regulation of anaerobic catabolism, antioxidant generation, perennial life cycles (i.e., particularly sensitive life stages such as seed germination do not have to face fluvial disturbance every year), plant growth-form, plant height, plant flexibility/shape reconfiguration, resprouting ability, below-ground organs and mass allocation | Bejarano et al. (2018) |
Key processes enabling forest trees to cope with extreme drought | Drought | Hydraulic conductivity, stomatal conductance, stomatal control (i.e., opening/closing), water storage capacity in the sapwood, xylem conduit dimensions, biomass allocation, leaf venation network | Breda et al. (2006) |
A review on trait-driven responses shown by trees of the Amazonian floodplains to extreme changes of hydric conditions in the annual cycle | Waterlogging, submergence, drought, rapid changes of water levels | Accumulation of carbohydrate reserves, underwater photosynthesis, plant height, aerenchyma formation and ventilation systems (i.e., pressurized gas transport), root suberization, adventitious roots, presence of pneumatophores, knees and pneumatodes, plank-buttresses and stilt roots, nitrogen fixation via stem-nodulation and nodulated adventitious roots, leaf structure, leaf persistence, leaf cuticle thickness, leaf size, leaf chlorophyll content, specific leaf mass, leaf xeromorphism, leaf nitrogen content, presence of sunken stomata, parenchyma structure, resprouting ability, dormancy of seeds, fruit maturation and seed release, timing of germination | Parolin et al. (2004) |
Relationships between ecological-response traits (i.e., those describing how a plant will respond to abiotic stressors) and morphological-effect traits (i.e., those determining how a plant alters the flow of water and transport of sediment) | Dry conditions, high-flow conditions, mechanical disturbance from floods | Specific leaf area, carbon isotope ratio, stem-tissue density, plant height, biomass, volume, wood density, root depth, seed mass, seed size, seed dormancy, plant frontal area, basal diameter, root frontal area, root architecture, stem flexibility, leaf shape, resprouting ability, leaf buoyancy, branching | Diehl et al. (2017) |
A trait-based data compilation to analyze riparian vegetation change in response to dam operations and climate change in the Grand Canyon | Waterlogging, submergence, rapid changes of water levels | Specific leaf area, relative growth rate, maximum salinity tolerated, seed weight, maximum rooting depth, average height at maturity, anaerobic tolerance, drought tolerance, fire tolerance, moisture use, salinity tolerance, shade tolerance, growth rate, lifespan, ability to reproduce sexually, ability to reproduce vegetatively, spread rate, resprouting ability, bloom period, seeding period | Palmquist et al. (2017) |