The role of plant functional traits in shrub distribution around alpine frost hollows

Abstract

Introduction/Aims Functional traits aid understanding of species distribution and community composition along environmental gradients. However, studies that detail trait measurements along fine‐scale environmental gradients are lacking for many vulnerable ecosystems. In this paper, we quantify how plant traits might explain the composition of shrubs in one such vulnerable system – frost hollows. Location Bogong High Plains, Victoria, Australia. Methods We measured species composition and a suite of traits (shrub height, stem specific density, leaf area and SLA, xylem vessel area and density, and leaf bud traits) for shrub species in three, 10 m × 10 m quadrats located across transition fro..