This article critically reviews the concept of plant
functional types as an alternative to the traditional taxonomic
approach to plant community description in
biogeography and ecology. Plant functional types are nonphylogenetic
of species that show close similarities in their
response to environmental and biotic controls. Functional
often cut across taxonomic classifications and may
be more meaningful in terms of plant response.
Practical applications of plant functional
types in biogeography and ecology are also reviewed. Plant functional
aid in the understanding of ecological processes,
such as the assembly and stability of communities and succession, and
the detection and prediction of response to
environmental change at a range of scales. Despite its potential, the
type approach is probably best viewed as a
complementary approach to description using traditional taxonomy.