Résultats de projet Publié : 9 September 2025 I Mis à jour : 17 September 2025

DIVGRASS | Assembling, analysing and sharing data on plant functional diversity to understand the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning

This document presents the main results of the FRB-CESAB DIVGRASS group “Plant Functional DIVersity of GRASSlands – Assembling, analysing and sharing data on plant functional diversity to understand the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning : a case study with French Permanent Grasslands“.

Each grassland is unique. For instance, some contain more species than others, some are taller than others. Why do these differences exist? Are they due to different climatic conditions? Due to the way grasslands are managed by farmers? Due to different soils? What is the impact of these differences for the functioning of these grasslands (like fodder production for example)? The FRB-CESAB DIVGRASS aimed to integrate and share existing knowledge on plant diversity in French grasslands to elucidate these puzzling questions.

The project proposed a unique compilation of:

botanical sampling data,
climate, soil and land-use information and
information about the functional role of each grassland species (for instance their ability to capture light and transform it into energy).

DIVGRASS showed that the ecological differences are primarily driven by soil and climate variables only when farmers have hardly modified the grasslands. Conversely, when fertilization is high, the project’s researchers found an ecological homogenization of grasslands across the territory. This result has high importance for the predictions of the role played by grasslands in carbon sequestration, water regulation etc. Earth science models do not yet account for ecological differences among grasslands and neglect the effect of different agricultural practices on ecosystem functioning. Therefore, DIVGRASS findings should help to understand the response of grasslands to global change and the effects of grasslands on earth system functioning.

This document summarizes in a few pages the group’s context and objectives, the methods and approaches used, the main findings, as well as the impact for science, society, and both public and private decision-making.