One of ecology's grand challenges is developing general rules to explain and predict highly
complex systems. Understanding and predicting ecological processes from species' traits …

▪ Abstract Plant species differ in how they influence many aspects of ecosystem structure
and function, including soil characteristics, geomorphology, biogeochemistry, regional …

Functional traits and associated trait‐based concepts have driven rapid innovation in
ecology over recent years, with most progress based on insights from plants. However …

Summary 1 The concept of plant functional type proposes that species can be grouped
according to common responses to the environment and/or common effects on ecosystem …

The utility of plant functional traits for predictive ecology relies on our ability to interpret trait
variation across multiple taxonomic and ecological scales. Using extensive data sets of trait …

Comparative functional ecology seeks to understand why and how ecological systems and
their components operate differently across environments. Although traditionally used in …

Functional trait diversity provides a powerful means of addressing ecology's persistent
questions, through its dual role as an indicator of mechanisms driving differences in species …

Managing ecosystems to ensure the provision of multiple ecosystem services is a key
challenge for applied ecology. Functional traits are receiving increasing attention as the …

The tissue traits and architectures of plant species are important for land-plant ecology in
two ways. First, they control ecosystem processes and define habitat and resources for other …

Some commonly reported trait–trait relationships between species, including the leaf
economic spectrum (LES), are regarded as important plant strategies but whether these …