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Functional trait analyses, the identification of unifying patterns and trade-offs in morphological and physiological traits, have contributed to recent advances in plant ecology (eg Anderegg, 2015; Dıaz et al., 2015). At the plant level, anatomical features and shoot architecture can be predictive of performance and growth. At larger scales, functional trait analyses can help to elucidate relationships between species composition and ecosystem processes, making them important tools for predicting the influence of changing environmental conditions on plants and plant-mediated processes such as carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling.