Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Ordination of shrubs, growing in Alnarp, classifying them according to 3 principal strategies (Competitors [C], Stress tolerators [S], Ruderal [R]), which represent a spectrum of plant forms and functions arising under conditions of competition, abiotic restriction to growth, or periodic disturbance, respectively. This shows a broader spectrum of strategies with the exception of pronounced C-strategies compared to trees. Due to the limited ability of shrubs to compete with trees for sunlight, many species have developed characteristics to cope with more extreme conditions such as hot and dry sites or as undergrowth in mature forest environments, resulting in a large proportion of specialists and thus a large proportion of S-strategists.
