Functional trait trade-offs define plant population stability across different biomes.

Ecological theory posits that temporal stability patterns in plant populations are associated with differences in species' ecological strategies. However, empirical evidence is lacking about which traits, or trade-offs, underlie species stability, especially across different biomes. We compiled a worldwide collection of long-term permanent vegetation records (greater than 7000 plots from 78 datasets) from a large range of habitats which we combined with existing trait databases.

Effects of long-term removal of sheep-grazing in a series of British upland plant communities: Insights from plant species composition and traits.

Environmental and management pressures are considered a threat for preserving plant communities worldwide. Identification of long-term impacts of changing management practices on plant community composition must, therefore, be a major priority to ensure improvement in conservation value. Land abandonment/wilding is one topical area where there is little available information on long-term impacts.

Synchrony matters more than species richness in plant community stability at a global scale.

The stability of ecological communities is critical for the stable provisioning of ecosystem services, such as food and forage production, carbon sequestration, and soil fertility. Greater biodiversity is expected to enhance stability across years by decreasing synchrony among species, but the drivers of stability in nature remain poorly resolved. Our analysis of time series from 79 datasets across the world showed that stability was associated more strongly with the degree of synchrony among dominant species than with species richness.

Modelling Carbon Emissions in Calluna vulgaris-Dominated Ecosystems when Prescribed Burning and Wildfires Interact.

A present challenge in fire ecology is to optimize management techniques so that ecological services are maximized and C emissions minimized. Here, we modeled the effects of different prescribed-burning rotation intervals and wildfires on carbon emissions (present and future) in British moorlands. Biomass-accumulation curves from four Calluna-dominated ecosystems along a north-south gradient in Great Britain were calculated and used within a matrix-model based on Markov Chains to calculate above-ground biomass-loads and annual C emissions under different prescribed-burning rotation intervals.

Flammability properties of British heathland and moorland vegetation: models for predicting fire ignition.

Temperate ecosystems, for example British heathlands and moorlands, are predicted to experience an increase in severe summer drought and wildfire frequency over the next few decades. The development of fire ignition probability models is fundamental for developing fire-danger rating systems and predicting wildfire outbreaks. This work assessed the flammability properties of the fuel complex of British moorlands as a function of their moisture content under laboratory conditions.