Patterns of Allocation CSR Plant Functional Types in Northern Europe

Morphological and physiological parameters of 76 vascular plant species typical for Northern Europe were analyzed using Grime’s classification. C species (competitors) have high levels of canopy height, leaf dry weight, and maximal lateral spread. R species (ruderal) have low leaf dry weight, longer flowering period, high rate of photosynthetic capacity and respiration, and high nitrogen content in the leaves. Stress-tolerant (S) species prevailing in habitats with limited resources are small and have low rate of photosynthetic activity and respiration. Principal component analysis (PCA) ordination showed a clear separation of species of different plant functional types according to their morphological and physiological parameters. The first PCA axis showed close relationship with the rate of respiration and photosynthetic activity and allowed us to differentiate S from R species. The second PCA axis correlated with morphological parameters associated with the size of plants and allowed us to differentiate C species from S and R species. Using PCA ordination, we developed a model that determines plant functional types in Northern Europe and analyzed plant functional types of several species that are not presented in Grime’s classification. The proposed model has higher accuracy (84%) compared to similar models designed for other climatic zones