Variation in species composition and functional traits of the herbaceous-shrub layer along hydrological gradients

• Grant number: 24/13335-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Natashi Aparecida Lima Pilon
• Grantee: Guilherme Macedo de Alencar
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Plant communities are influenced by biotic and abiotic filters that restrict the presence of plants and result in specific combinations of traits for survival under various conditions. Understanding how plant traits vary along environmental gradients can provide insights into the communities' assembly rules. Water, for example, emerges as a powerful filter in the assembly of plant communities, given its importance for the various ontogenetic stages of plants. Both scarcity and excess water in the soil select plants with specific adaptations to cope with these stressors. A diversity of open tropical ecosystems occurs along moisture gradients, yet little is known about species turnover and traits across these physiognomies, especially in wet grasslands. Therefore, this project aims to understand changes in species composition and functional traits of the herbaceous-shrub layer along the groundwater depth gradient, adopting both taxonomic and functional approaches. Specifically, we will investigate: (I) species turnover along the groundwater depth gradient regarding taxonomic composition, and (II) how strategies to cope with water stress vary along this gradient. Data will be collected in Chapada dos Veadeiros, Alto Paraíso municipality - GO, in grassland physiognomies present along a moisture gradient, from wet grasslands in valley bottoms to dry grasslands where the groundwater table is deeper. We will characterize communities' functional and taxonomic composition along the groundwater gradient and assess the functional traits related to plant survival under waterlogging and drought conditions. We expect to elucidate the diversity of strategies and how grassland communities vary along this gradient, identifying the most relevant functional traits in response to these changing environmental filters. This knowledge will be crucial for understanding the ecology of wet grassland in the Cerrado. Also, it will contribute to their conservation and restoration, as the success of these initiatives depends on a solid understanding of well-conserved ecosystems.