The significance of reproduction-related traits for wet meadow species survival in a fragmented landscape

Abstract

Habitat fragmentation refers to the breaking of continuous habitats into multiple isolated patches, which can result in smaller populations of plant species. The response of individual species to fragmentation can be largely determined by specific plant reproductive traits including traits related to pollination. To reveal the role of these plant traits for plant survival in fragmented landscapes, we targeted European grasslands, the most fragmented biome in the world. We explored whether plants of wet meadows are affected by the degree of connectivity between patches and, if so, which reproductive traits are responsible for their success. More particularly, we constructed a trait suite for 39 wet meadow species encompassing 15 traits related to reproduction and pollination. Six traits were revealed as important predictors, which in decreasing order of importance were: flowering duration, floral colour, flower’s reward accessibility, clonality, nectar guides presence, and plant’s specialisation to particular number of pollinator functional groups. Species found to be more successful were characterised mainly by increased flowering durations, displayed certain floral colours (e.g. UV - yellow bright), had easily accessible rewards, were highly clonal, did not hold nectar guides and were visited by many pollinator groups. Our results revealed that the most successful species presented altogether broader ecological niches. We highlight the importance of examining poorly studied floral traits alongside related ecological processes to understand better the factors driving species' success in fragmented habitats.