Plant functional types in Earth system models: past experiences and future directions for application of dynamic vegetation models in high-latitude ecosystems

Abstract

Plant functional types (PFTs) have been adopted by modellers to represent broad groupings of plant species that share similar characteristics (e.g. growth form) and roles (e.g. photosynthetic pathway) in ecosystem function. In this review, the PFT concept is traced from its origin in the early 1800s to its current use in regional and global dynamic vegetation models (DVMs). Special attention is given to the representation and parameterization of PFTs and to validation and benchmarking of predicted patterns of vegetation distribution in high-latitude ecosystems. These ecosystems are sensitive to changing climate and thus provide a useful test case for model-based simulations of past, current and future distribution of vegetation.

Journal Article
Year of Publication
2014
Author
Journal
Annals of Botany
Volume
114
Issue
1
Number of Pages
1 - 16
Date Published
Jan-07-2014
DOI
10.1093/aob/mcu077
ISSN Number
0305-7364
URL
http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/doi/10.1093/aob/mcu077
Short Title
Annals of Botany
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