Response to disturbance as the key process in evolution of herbaceous and clonal growth forms: linking phylogenetic and experimnetal approaches
| Name: | Response to disturbance as the key process in evolution of herbaceous and clonal growth forms: linking phylogenetic and experimnetal approaches |
|---|---|
| Researchers: |
Martínková Jana (co-researcher) Klimešová Jitka (member in research team) |
| Provider: | Grantová agentura České Republiky |
| Number: | GA16-19245S |
| Realization from: | 2016 |
| Realization to: | 2018 |
| Summary: | Functional differences between woody and herbaceous species are one of the deepest within plant kingdom. It has been hypothesised that the key factor for evolution of herbs is response to frost or escape from competition, but hard data on factors responsible for its evolution and functioning are scarce. We aim to test the hypothesis that the key factor for evolution of herbaceous habit is frequent aboveground disturbance that leaves belowground regenerative organs intact, giving herbaceous growth form an advantage. We propose to examine this hypothesis using trait-based phylogenetic analyses of both American and European global datasets. We will determine hitherto unstudied functional woody/herb differences and determine whether these traits arose in response to disturbance regimes independently of the phylogenetic position of the species. We propose to complement these analyses with phylogenetically informed manipulative experiments that will provide comparative hard date on functional responses of sets of species. • to determine whether traits underlying direct response to disturbance are responsible for evolution of herbs/woodiness syndromes using phylogenetic analysis and experiments • to find how functional specialization within herbs and within woody species differ and which factors underlie it |