Revisiting the Holy Grail: using plant functional traits to understand ecological processes

Seedling root responses to soil moisture and the identification of a belowground trait spectrum across three growth forms

(2016) Julie E. Larson et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Functional trait diversity across trophic levels determines herbivore impact on plant community biomass

(2015) Hélène Deraison et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

A global meta-analysis of the relative extent of intraspecific trait variation in plant communities

(2015) Andrew Siefert et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

Multiple environmental drivers structure plant traits at the community level in a pyrogenic ecosystem

(2015) Gregory M. Ames et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

Leaf-trait plasticity and species vulnerability to climate change in a Mongolian steppe

(2015) Pierre Liancourt et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

Inclusion of ecologically based trait variation in plant functional types reduces the projected land carbon sink in an earth system model

(2015) Lieneke M. Verheijen et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

Traits of neighbouring plants and space limitation determine intraspecific trait variability in semi-arid shrublands

(2015) Yoann Le Bagousse-Pinguet et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

The global spectrum of plant form and function

(2015) Sandra Díaz et al.   NATURE

Plant functional traits have globally consistent effects on competition

(2015) Georges Kunstler et al.   NATURE

Functional diversity enhances the resistance of ecosystem multifunctionality to aridity in Mediterranean drylands

(2015) Enrique Valencia et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Condensed tannins increase nitrogen recovery by trees following insect defoliation

(2015) Michael D. Madritch et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Do key dimensions of seed and seedling functional trait variation capture variation in recruitment probability?

(2015) Julie E. Larson et al.   OECOLOGIA

Climatic origins predict variation in photoprotective leaf pigments in response to drought and low temperatures in live oaks (Quercus series Virentes)

(2015) J. A. Ramirez-Valiente et al.   TREE PHYSIOLOGY

Specific leaf area correlates with temperature: new evidence of trait variation at the population, species and community levels

(2015) Sergey Rosbakh et al.   Alpine Botany

Phenotypic plasticity to light and nutrient availability alters functional trait ranking across eight perennial grassland species

(2015) Alrun Siebenkäs et al.   AoB Plants

A larger investment into exudation by competitive versus conservative plants is connected to more coupled plant–microbe N cycling

(2014) Eva Kaštovská et al.   BIOGEOCHEMISTRY

Using trait and phylogenetic diversity to evaluate the generality of the stress-dominance hypothesis in eastern North American tree communities

(2014) Jessica R. Coyle et al.   ECOGRAPHY

Comparing ecophysiological traits and evapotranspiration of an invasive exotic,Pinus halepensisin native woodland overlying a karst aquifer

(2014) Brooke A. Swaffer et al.   Ecohydrology

Drivers of carabid functional diversity: abiotic environment, plant functional traits, or plant functional diversity?

(2014) Robin J. Pakeman et al.   ECOLOGY

Applying trait-based models to achieve functional targets for theory-driven ecological restoration

(2014) Daniel C. Laughlin   ECOLOGY LETTERS

The effects of phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation on forecasts of species range shifts under climate change

(2014) Fernando Valladares et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

Wood density: A tool to find complementary species for the design of mixed species plantations

(2014) Huong Nguyen et al.   FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

Multi-taxa trait and functional responses to physical disturbance

(2014) Scott M. Pedley et al.   JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY

The world-wide ‘fast-slow’ plant economics spectrum: a traits manifesto

(2014) Peter B. Reich   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Which is a better predictor of plant traits: temperature or precipitation?

(2014) Angela T. Moles et al.   JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE

Fine-root and mycorrhizal traits help explain ecosystem processes and responses to global change

(2014) M. Luke McCormack et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Functional equivalence, competitive hierarchy and facilitation determine species coexistence in highly invaded grasslands

(2014) Nicolas Gross et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Biogeographic variation in evergreen conifer needle longevity and impacts on boreal forest carbon cycle projections

(2014) P. B. Reich et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Plant Ecological Strategies Shift Across the Cretaceous–Paleogene Boundary

(2014) Benjamin Blonder et al.   PLOS BIOLOGY

Seeing the forest for the genes: using metagenomics to infer the aggregated traits of microbial communities

(2014) Noah Fierer et al.   Frontiers in Microbiology

Leaf traits within communities: Context may affect the mapping of traits to function

(2013) Jennifer L. Funk et al.   ECOLOGY

Combining the fourth-corner and the RLQ methods for assessing trait responses to environmental variation

(2013) Stéphane Dray et al.   ECOLOGY

The ecology of differences: assessing community assembly with trait and evolutionary distances

(2013) Marc Cadotte et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

Potential for evolutionary responses to climate change - evidence from tree populations

(2013) Florian J. Alberto et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

Single-trait functional indices outperform multi-trait indices in linking environmental gradients and ecosystem services in a complex landscape

(2013) Bradley J. Butterfield et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Relative contributions of plant traits and soil microbial properties to mountain grassland ecosystem services

(2013) Karl Grigulis et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

The intrinsic dimensionality of plant traits and its relevance to community assembly

(2013) Daniel C. Laughlin   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Shifts in functional traits and functional diversity between vegetation and seed bank

(2013) Robin J. Pakeman et al.   JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE

Trait-based classification and manipulation of plant functional groups for biodiversity-ecosystem function experiments

(2013) Ellen L. Fry et al.   JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE

A novel framework for linking functional diversity of plants with other trophic levels for the quantification of ecosystem services

(2013) Sandra Lavorel et al.   JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE

Testing the Link between Functional Diversity and Ecosystem Functioning in a Minnesota Grassland Experiment

(2013) Christopher M. Clark et al.   PLoS One

A Comparison of the Recruitment Success of Introduced and Native Species Under Natural Conditions

(2013) Habacuc Flores-Moreno et al.   PLoS One

Disentangling Coordination among Functional Traits Using an Individual-Centred Model: Impact on Plant Performance at Intra- and Inter-Specific Levels

(2013) Vincent Maire et al.   PLoS One

Functional traits explain variation in plant life history strategies

(2013) P. B. Adler et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Establishment and Management of Native Functional Groups in Restoration

(2013) Sarah Kimball et al.   RESTORATION ECOLOGY

Within-canopy variation in photosynthetic capacity, SLA and foliar N in temperate broad-leaved trees with contrasting shade tolerance

(2013) N. Legner et al.   TREES-STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION

Advances in modeling trait-based plant community assembly

(2013) Daniel C. Laughlin et al.   TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE

Response diversity determines the resilience of ecosystems to environmental change

(2012) Akira S. Mori et al.   BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS

Predicting invertebrate herbivory from plant traits: evidence from 51 grassland species in experimental monocultures

(2012) Jessy Loranger et al.   ECOLOGY

Functional species pool framework to test for biotic effects on community assembly

(2012) Francesco de Bello et al.   ECOLOGY

Phylogenetic diversity promotes ecosystem stability

(2012) Marc W. Cadotte et al.   ECOLOGY

Competitive interactions between forest trees are driven by species' trait hierarchy, not phylogenetic or functional similarity: implications for forest community assembly

(2012) Georges Kunstler et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

Abiotic drivers and plant traits explain landscape-scale patterns in soil microbial communities

(2012) Franciska T. de Vries et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

Functional traits explain phytoplankton community structure and seasonal dynamics in a marine ecosystem

(2012) Kyle F. Edwards et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

Does the leaf economic spectrum hold within local species pools across varying environmental conditions?

(2012) Justin P. Wright et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

A functional comparative approach to facilitation and its context dependence

(2012) Bradley J. Butterfield et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

Inferring community assembly mechanisms from functional diversity patterns: the importance of multiple assembly processes

(2012) Marko J. Spasojevic et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Selecting traits that explain species-environment relationships: a generalized linear mixed model approach

(2012) Tahira Jamil et al.   JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE

Foundation species influence trait-based community assembly

(2012) Christian Schöb et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Habitat filtering and niche differentiation jointly explain species relative abundance within grassland communities along fertility and disturbance gradients

(2012) Vincent Maire et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Rapid climate change and the rate of adaptation: insight from experimental quantitative genetics

(2012) Ruth G. Shaw et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Seasonality and phenology alter functional leaf traits

(2012) Athena D. McKown et al.   OECOLOGIA

Different plant traits affect two pathways of riparian nitrogen removal in a restored freshwater wetland

(2012) A. E. Sutton-Grier et al.   PLANT AND SOIL

An invasive grass shows colonization advantages over native grasses under conditions of low resource availability

(2012) Yi Han et al.   PLANT ECOLOGY

Needle-Age Related Variability in Nitrogen, Mobile Carbohydrates, and δ13C within Pinus koraiensis Tree Crowns

(2012) Cai-Feng Yan et al.   PLoS One

Plastic Traits of an Exotic Grass Contribute to Its Abundance but Are Not Always Favourable

(2012) Jennifer Firn et al.   PLoS One

Key canopy traits drive forest productivity

(2012) P. B. Reich   PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

The return of the variance: intraspecific variability in community ecology

(2012) Cyrille Violle et al.   TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION

A trait-based approach to comparative functional plant ecology: concepts, methods and applications for agroecology. A review

(2011) Eric Garnier et al.   Agronomy for Sustainable Development

Seed Supply, Recruitment, and Assembly: Quantifying Relative Seed and Establishment Limitation in a Plant Community Context

(2011) Rebecca J. Aicher et al.   AMERICAN NATURALIST

Multivariate identification of plant functional response and effect traits in an agricultural landscape

(2011) Robin J. Pakeman   ECOLOGY

Functional and phylogenetic diversity as predictors of biodiversity–ecosystem-function relationships

(2011) Dan F. B. Flynn et al.   ECOLOGY

Cascading effects of long-term land-use changes on plant traits and ecosystem functioning

(2011) Etienne Laliberté et al.   ECOLOGY

Do invasive species show higher phenotypic plasticity than native species and, if so, is it adaptive? A meta-analysis

(2011) Amy Michelle Davidson et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

The multidimensionality of the niche reveals functional diversity changes in benthic marine biotas across geological time

(2011) Sébastien Villéger et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

A plant economics spectrum of litter decomposability

(2011) Grégoire T. Freschet et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

Extreme winter warming events more negatively impact small rather than large soil fauna: shift in community composition explained by traits not taxa

(2011) S. Bokhorst et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

TRY - a global database of plant traits

(2011) J. KATTGE et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

Going beyond limitations of plant functional types when predicting global ecosystem-atmosphere fluxes: exploring the merits of traits-based approaches

(2011) P. M. Van Bodegom et al.   GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY

The biogeography and filtering of woody plant functional diversity in North and South America

(2011) Nathan G. Swenson et al.   GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY

Phylogeography and climatic niche evolution in live oaks (Quercus series Virentes) from the tropics to the temperate zone

(2011) Jeannine Cavender-Bares et al.   JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY

Nitrification is linked to dominant leaf traits rather than functional diversity

(2011) Daniel C. Laughlin   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

How fundamental plant functional trait relationships scale-up to trade-offs and synergies in ecosystem services

(2011) Sandra Lavorel et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Evidence for a freezing tolerance-growth rate trade-off in the live oaks (Quercus series Virentes) across the tropical-temperate divide

(2011) Kari Koehler et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Invasive plants do not display greater phenotypic plasticity than their native or non-invasive counterparts: a meta-analysis

(2011) Kattia Palacio-López et al.   OIKOS

When and how should intraspecific variability be considered in trait-based plant ecology?

(2011) Cécile H. Albert et al.   PERSPECTIVES IN PLANT ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS

Functional Structure of Biological Communities Predicts Ecosystem Multifunctionality

(2011) David Mouillot et al.   PLoS One

Environmental Conditions Influence the Plant Functional Diversity Effect on Potential Denitrification

(2011) Ariana E. Sutton-Grier et al.   PLoS One

Within- and Across-Species Responses of Plant Traits and Litter Decomposition to Elevation across Contrasting Vegetation Types in Subarctic Tundra

(2011) Maja K. Sundqvist et al.   PLoS One

Fossil evidence for Cretaceous escalation in angiosperm leaf vein evolution

(2011) T. S. Feild et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Why intraspecific trait variation matters in community ecology

(2011) Daniel I. Bolnick et al.   TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION

Angiosperm wood structure: Global patterns in vessel anatomy and their relation to wood density and potential conductivity

(2010) Amy E. Zanne et al.   AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY

The role of plant traits and their plasticity in the response of pasture grasses to nutrients and cutting frequency

(2010) Laíse da Silveira Pontes et al.   ANNALS OF BOTANY

Plant resource-use strategies: the importance of phenotypic plasticity in response to a productivity gradient for two subalpine species

(2010) Fabrice Grassein et al.   ANNALS OF BOTANY

Germination, Postgermination Adaptation, and Species Ecological Ranges

(2010) Kathleen Donohue et al.   Annual Review of Ecology Evolution and Systematics

Towards an assessment of multiple ecosystem processes and services via functional traits

(2010) Francesco de Bello et al.   BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION

High-dimensional coexistence based on individual variation: a synthesis of evidence

(2010) James S. Clark et al.   ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS

Niche complementarity due to plasticity in resource use: plant partitioning of chemical N forms

(2010) Isabel W. Ashton et al.   ECOLOGY

A distance-based framework for measuring functional diversity from multiple traits

(2010) Etienne Laliberté et al.   ECOLOGY

How do traits vary across ecological scales? A case for trait-based ecology

(2010) Julie Messier et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

Opposing effects of competitive exclusion on the phylogenetic structure of communities

(2010) Margaret M. Mayfield et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

A structured and dynamic framework to advance traits-based theory and prediction in ecology

(2010) Colleen T. Webb et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

Trait plasticity in species interactions: a driving force of community dynamics

(2010) Matty P. Berg et al.   EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY

Quantifying phenological plasticity to temperature in two temperate tree species

(2010) Yann Vitasse et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

Leaf economics traits predict litter decomposition of tropical plants and differ among land use types

(2010) Maartje Anne Bakker et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

Functional diversity measures: an overview of their redundancy and their ability to discriminate community assembly rules

(2010) Maud A. Mouchet et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

Viewing leaf structure and evolution from a hydraulic perspective

(2010) Tim J. Brodribb et al.   FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY

Plant functional traits in Australian subtropical rain forest: partitioning within-community from cross-landscape variation

(2010) Robert Kooyman et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

A link between plant traits and abundance: evidence from coastal California woody plants

(2010) William K. Cornwell et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Linkages of plant traits to soil properties and the functioning of temperate grassland

(2010) Kate H. Orwin et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Using plant functional traits to understand the landscape distribution of multiple ecosystem services

(2010) Sandra Lavorel et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Intraspecific variability and trait-based community assembly

(2010) Vincent Jung et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Intraspecific functional variability: extent, structure and sources of variation

(2010) Cécile Hélène Albert et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Impact of the hydraulic capacity of plants on water and carbon fluxes in tropical South America

(2010) Jung-Eun Lee et al.   JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH

Coordinated variation in leaf and root traits across multiple spatial scales in Chinese semi-arid and arid ecosystems

(2010) Guofang Liu et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Early emergence and resource availability can competitively favour natives over a functionally similar invader

(2010) Jennifer Firn et al.   OECOLOGIA

Regeneration niche differentiates functional strategies of desert woody plant species

(2010) Bradley J. Butterfield et al.   OECOLOGIA

Plant Trait Diversity Buffers Variability in Denitrification Potential over Changes in Season and Soil Conditions

(2010) Bonnie M. McGill et al.   PLoS One

Individuals and the Variation Needed for High Species Diversity in Forest Trees

(2010) J. S. Clark   SCIENCE

Plant species traits regulate methane production in freshwater wetland soils

(2010) Ariana E. Sutton-Grier et al.   SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY

Plant phenotypic plasticity in a changing climate

(2010) A.B. Nicotra et al.   TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE

Community assembly and shifts in plant trait distributions across an environmental gradient in coastal California

(2009) William K. Cornwell et al.   ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS

Leaf traits capture the effects of land use changes and climate on litter decomposability of grasslands across Europe

(2009) Claire Fortunel et al.   ECOLOGY

Towards a worldwide wood economics spectrum

(2009) Jerome Chave et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

Linking individual response to biotic interactions with community structure: a trait-based framework

(2009) Nicolas Gross et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

Variation in leaf functional trait values within and across individuals and species: an example from a Costa Rican dry forest

(2009) Catherine M. Hulshof et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

Using functional traits to predict grassland ecosystem change: a mathematical test of the response-and-effect trait approach

(2009) KATJA KLUMPP et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

Global patterns in plant height

(2009) Angela T. Moles et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Evidence of the ‘plant economics spectrum’ in a subarctic flora

(2009) Grégoire T. Freschet et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Comparison of two plant functional approaches to evaluate natural restoration along an old-field - deciduous forest chronosequence

(2009) Isabelle Aubin et al.   JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE

Hydraulic adjustment of Scots pine across Europe

(2009) J. Martínez-Vilalta et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Competition, traits and resource depletion in plant communities

(2009) Cyrille Violle et al.   OECOLOGIA

Convergence of tree water use within an arid-zone woodland

(2009) A. P. O’Grady et al.   OECOLOGIA

Desirable plant root traits for protecting natural and engineered slopes against landslides

(2009) Alexia Stokes et al.   PLANT AND SOIL

Using Phylogenetic, Functional and Trait Diversity to Understand Patterns of Plant Community Productivity

(2009) Marc W. Cadotte et al.   PLoS One

Angiosperm leaf vein evolution was physiologically and environmentally transformative

(2009) C. K. Boyce et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Altering Light Availability to Restore Invaded Forest: The Predictive Role of Plant Traits

(2009) Jennifer L. Funk et al.   RESTORATION ECOLOGY

The role of plant leaf attributes in linking land use to ecosystem function in temperate grassy vegetation

(2008) S. McIntyre   AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT

Intraspecific variability in leaf traits strongly affects alder leaf decomposition in a stream

(2008) Antoine Lecerf et al.   BASIC AND APPLIED ECOLOGY

Seedling Traits Determine Drought Tolerance of Tropical Tree Species

(2008) Lourens Poorter et al.   BIOTROPICA

ARE FUNCTIONAL TRAITS GOOD PREDICTORS OF DEMOGRAPHIC RATES? EVIDENCE FROM FIVE NEOTROPICAL FORESTS

(2008) L. Poorter et al.   ECOLOGY

NEW MULTIDIMENSIONAL FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY INDICES FOR A MULTIFACETED FRAMEWORK IN FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

(2008) Sébastien Villéger et al.   ECOLOGY

Species’ traits predict the effects of disturbance and productivity on diversity

(2008) Nick M. Haddad et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

Plant functional traits and soil carbon sequestration in contrasting biomes

(2008) Gerlinde B. De Deyn et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

Plant species traits are the predominant control on litter decomposition rates within biomes worldwide

(2008) William K. Cornwell et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

Scaling environmental change through the community-level: a trait-based response-and-effect framework for plants

(2008) KATHARINE N. SUDING et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

Differences in plasticity between invasive and native plants from a low resource environment

(2008) Jennifer L. Funk   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Functional identity is more important than diversity in influencing ecosystem processes in a temperate native grassland

(2008) Karel Mokany et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Plant response traits mediate the effects of subalpine grasslands on soil moisture

(2008) N. Gross et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Testing the Holy Grail framework: using functional traits to predict ecosystem change

(2008) Katharine N. Suding et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

On the identification of the most suitable traits for plant functional trait analyses

(2008) Markus Bernhardt-Römermann et al.   OIKOS

A phylogenetic perspective on the distribution of plant diversity

(2008) M. J. Donoghue   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Evolutionary history and the effect of biodiversity on plant productivity

(2008) M. W. Cadotte et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Canopy nitrogen, carbon assimilation, and albedo in temperate and boreal forests: Functional relations and potential climate feedbacks

(2008) S. V. Ollinger et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Restoration through reassembly: plant traits and invasion resistance

(2008) Jennifer L. Funk et al.   TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION