Plant functional types in Mediterranean enclaves in Western Black Sea Region of Turkey

Abstract

Mediterranean-type communities of the Sinop Peninsula were classified as plant functional types (PFTs) by the help of some vegetative and generative traits and 5 PFTs were determined. Some vegetative (specific leaf area (SLA), leaf texture, leaf P concentration, deciduousness, hairiness) and generative (reproductive phenology and fruit type) traits were found to be significant for discrimination of PFTs. It was found that PFT3 and PFT4 were associated with leaf texture, SLA, and leaf P concentration. PFT2 was associated with deciduousness, hairiness, and reproductive phenology, while PFT1 was only associated with fruit type. Generative traits were found to be associated with PFT1 and PFT2. PFT1 included aphyllous plants and they were associated with fruit type. Grime’s CSR (competitive, stress-tolerant, and ruderal) strategies were also determined. All of the studied species exhibited transient strategies.