Recently, it has been assumed that functional aspects of biodiversity provide a more mechanistic explanation of the interaction between plant species and ecosystem functions. Plant communities control ecosystem functions (EFs) involved in biogeochemical cycles such as aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) through Plant Functional Traits (PFTs) i.e., characters measurable at the individual level, which indirectly affect plant fitness. The type, range and relative abundance of PFTs throughout the plant community defines the Plant Functional Diversity (PFD). Two not mutually exclusive hypotheses (Dominance and Complementarity hypotheses) explain the mechanisms underlying the relationship between PFD and EFs. Nevertheless, their relative importance in explaining EFs remains unclear, especially for complex and highly biodiverse systems such as the Mediterranean shrublands. On the other hand, biodiversity plays a strategic role in determining the ecosystem resilience to disturbance. This project aims at exploring the functional pathways linking FPD, EFs, disturbance factors and ecosystem resilience by answering the following questions: ii) how does PFD affect EFs, and in particular ANPP in the Mediterranean shrublands; ii) can PFD affect the resilience of ANPP after a disturbance event such as wildfire? If so, is Dominance or Complementary hypothesis more suitable to explain the resilience of the ANPP in Mediterranean shrublands? Answering these questions will allow to: i) promote advancements in plant trait research to better understand the PFTs assemblage rules in defining trait distribution and variability; ii) improve knowledge on a currently open research field such as the role of PFD in driving ecosystem functions; iii) to define new and more efficient strategies, not only for biodiversity conservation but also for ecosystem function recovery.
