Algorithms for the Characterisation of Plant Strategy Patterns on a Global Scale

Plant species, primary producers are in a constant process of evolution due to biotic and abiotic pressures. Climate and topographical variables are principal, large-scale factors dictating plant distribution over space and time. In this study, fuzzy algorithms were used to show the relationship between plant species presence, topology and the water-energy dynamic at seven example locations thereby inferring plant strategy on a global scale. Species locality records were obtained from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and climatic data was sourced from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Plant life history strategies were ordered from ruderal, through competitive, to stress tolerant types with increasing severity of the environment. Abundance of species within each strategy was illustrated in contour levels in a conceptual diagram. Future developments include the use of local finer spatial resolution data in order to offer more detailed characterisation of plant species by life-form categories, metabolism and morphology, which may enhance modelling and prediction of climatic changes.