A trait based approach to understanding meadow species abundance over a conifer encroachment gradient

Meadows in the Oregon Cascades occupy a small fraction
of an otherwise forested landscape. Nevertheless, they
contribute disproportionately to the plant, insect, and
wildlife diversity of the region. In portions the western
Cascades, conifer encroachment
has reduced meadow extent by as
much as 50% since the mid-1940s.
Various factors have contributed to
meadow contraction: cessation of
sheep grazing, changes in climate
(snow pack and length of the
growing season), suppression of
fire, and strong positive interactions
among established and newly
establishing trees. As trees establish
and canopies close, meadow forbs
and grasses are gradually replaced
by forest understory plants. Yet,
they do so at very different rates: some disappear in one or
two decades; others can persist for more than a century.
My Master’s research explores whether this variation in
survival can be explained by differences in trait plasticity
(i.e., the ability of plants to adjust resource-acquiring
structures to adapt to changes in their environments).