Traits are measurable features of organisms. Functional traits aspire to more. They quantify
an organism's ecology and, ultimately, predict ecosystem functions based on local …

Plant functional traits are powerful ecological tools, but the relationships between plant traits
and climate (or environmental variables more broadly) are often remarkably weak. This …

Increasing soil carbon and nitrogen storage can help mitigate climate change and sustain
soil fertility,. A large number of biodiversity-manipulation experiments collectively suggest …

Future increases in drought severity and frequency are predicted to have substantial impacts
on plant function and survival. However, there is considerable uncertainty concerning what …

Net photosynthetic CO2 assimilation rate (A n) decreases at leaf temperatures above a
relatively mild optimum (T opt) in most higher plants. This decline is often attributed to …

Taxonomic checklists used to verify published plant names and identify synonyms are a
cornerstone of biological research. Four global authoritative checklists for vascular plants …

Woody plants (shrubs and trees) are encroaching across the globe, affecting livestock
production and terrestrial ecosystem functioning. Despite the widespread practice, there has …

Traits underlie organismal responses to their environment and are essential to predict
community responses to environmental conditions under global change. Species differ in life …

Globally, plants display enormous variation in life‐history strategies and trait combinations.
However, evidence suggests that evolutionary and physiological constraints limit the …

More frequent and severe droughts are driving increased forest mortality around the globe.
We urgently need to describe and predict how drought affects forest carbon cycling and …