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Is it possible to generalize relationships between certain plant traits and soil fertility? In particular, are there quantitative relationships between community-weighted mean (CWM) trait values of leaf dry-matter content (LDMC), specific leaf area (SLA), plant height, and Grime’s competitor-stress tolerator-ruderal (CSR) strategy scores and the generalized soil fertility, FG (i.e., the capacity of a soil to produce biomass when all nonsoil variables are held constant) that are generalizable across different species assemblages and geographical areas? We assessed FG in 21 sites in southern Quebec and 7 sites in southern France using a previously published method based on structural equation modeling. We then determined the CWM values of LDMC, SLA, plant height, and CSR scores in the 21 Quebec sites to obtain quantitative relationships between FG and these CWM traits. Using these relationships, we independently tested the generality of the trait–fertility relationships using data from French sites. The relationships between FG and the CWM traits were nonlinear, but displayed the expected qualitative trends as reported in the literature. In particular, the S score and CWM LDMC decreased with increasing soil fertility, and the R score and CWM SLA increased. CWM traits were more strongly correlated to measures of FG (r2 up to 0.48) than to measures of other soil characteristics (r2 up to 0.17 for nitrogen flux). Importantly, the independently tested French FG–trait relationships showed no significant deviations from these quantitative relationships. Further investigation is necessary to confirm if the same trend applies to other regions and or ecosystems.

We analyzed plant functional diversity (FD) and redundancy (FR) in Mediterranean high-mountain communities to explore plant functional patterns and assembly rules. We focused on three above-ground plant traits: plant height (H), a good surrogate of competition for light strategies, and specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf dry matter content (LDMC), useful indicators of resource exploitation functional schemes. We used the georeferenced vegetation plots and field-measured plant functional traits of four widely spread vegetation types growing on screes, steep slopes, snowbeds and ridges, respectively. We calculated Rao’s FD and FR followed by analysis of standardized effect size, and compared FD and FR community values using ANOVA and the Tukey post hoc test. Assemblage rules varied across plant communities and traits. The High FRH registered on snowbeds and ridges is probably linked to climatic filtering processes, while the high FDH and low FDSLA and FDLDMC on steep slopes could be related with underlying competition mechanisms. The absence of FD patterns in scree vegetation pinpoint random assembly processes which are typical of highly unstable or disturbed ecosystems. Improved knowledge about the deterministic/stochastic processes shaping species coexistence on high mountain ecosystems should help researchers to understand and predict vegetation vulnerability to environmental changes.

1. By comparing plant species under the same experimental field conditions, the direct effects of plant traits on ecosystem processes can be studied. We have analyzed the role of leaf traits (leaf lamina dry matter content, LDMC; leaf lamina N content, LNC and specific leaf lamina area, SLA) for the annual above-ground primary productivity (ANPP) and quality (pepsin-cellulase digestibility, crude protein content) for herbivores of 13 perennial C3 pasture grass species. 2. These relationships were investigated over 2 years with monocultures grown in a fully factorial block design crossing the plant species, the cutting frequency and the N supply factors. 3. The within species variation in leaf traits, ANPP, digestibility and protein content was less than between species variation. Species ranks for leaf traits were conserved among N supply and cutting frequency levels. Highly significant (P < 0-001) between species allometric relationships were found for LNC x SLA and SLA x LDMC, with common slopes but differences in intercept and shifts among factor levels. 4. The between species variation in ANPP was strongly (P < 0-001) and negatively correlated with the fresh-matter based leaf N content (i.e. LDMC x LNC) and was not affected by SLA, apparently because of a trade-off between SLA and leaf lamina fraction. Digestibility increased with SLA and declined with LDMC. Protein content increased with both fresh and dry-matter based LNC. 5. N supply increased LNC and SLA but reduced LDMC. Cutting frequency increased LDMC and reduced LNC. In response to cutting frequency, changes in digestibility and in fresh-matter based LNC were positively correlated. 6. We conclude that the between species variation in the annual production of digestible energy and of proteins by pasture grasses is controlled in an additive way by two leaf traits: LNC and LDMC.

Alongside the direct destruction of natural habitats and changes in land use, invasive species are considered one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity. Daisy fleabane Erigeron annuus (L.) Pers. is among the most widespread invasive plants in Croatia. Invasions of E. annuus may be aided by morphological variability, which this study investigates. The variability of life traits (stem height, fresh and dry leaf mass, length, width and leaf area, specific leaf area, and leaf dry matter content) was examined among 18 locations throughout Zagreb and Medvednica Mt. Overall, 87 plant specimens and 435 leaves were measured and analysed using univariate and multivariate statistics. Viable populations were recorded in diverse habitat types, mostly with marked human impact. We determined Grime’s CR plant life strategies for all, except for two localities with C/CR plant strategies. Two populations with a more pronounced competitive strategy had high leaf dry matter content, with smaller leaves and medium height stems. Significant differences between the localities were found, with the specific leaf area (SLA) and plant height being the most diverse. Despite its high morphological variability, daisy fleabane had a consistent CSR strategy, which likely enables its widespread invasions across variable habitats.

• Large intraspecific functional trait variation strongly impacts many aspects of communities and ecosystems, and is the medium upon which evolution works. Yet intraspecific trait variation is inconsistent and hard to predict across traits, species and locations. • We measured within-species variation in leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), branch wood density (WD), and allocation to stem area vs leaf area in branches (branch Huber value (HV)) across the aridity range of seven Australian eucalypts and a co-occurring Acacia species to explore how traits and their variances change with aridity. • Within species, we found consistent increases in LMA, LDMC and WD and HV with increasing aridity, resulting in consistent trait coordination across leaves and branches. However, this coordination only emerged across sites with large climate differences. Unlike trait means, patterns of trait variance with aridity were mixed across populations and species. Only LDMC showed constrained trait variation in more xeric species and drier populations that could indicate limits to plasticity or heritable trait variation. • Our results highlight that climate can drive consistent within-species trait patterns, but that patterns might often be obscured by the complex nature of morphological traits, sampling incomplete species ranges or sampling confounded stress gradients

• Understanding how plant communities respond to temporal patterns of precipitation in water-limited ecosystems is necessary to predict interannual variation and trends in ecosystem properties, including forage production, biogeochemical cycling, and biodiversity. • In North American shortgrass prairie, we measured plant abundance, functional traits related to growth rate and drought tolerance, and aboveground net primary productivity to identify: species-level responsiveness to precipitation (precipitation sensitivity S spp) across functional groups; S spp relationships to continuous plant traits; and whether continuous trait–S spp relationships scaled to the community level. • Across 32 plant species, we found strong bivariate relationships of both leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and leaf osmotic potential Ψosm with S spp. Yet, LDMC and specific leaf area were retained in the lowest Akaike information criterion multiple regression model, explaining 59% of S spp. Most relationships between continuous traits and S spp scaled to the community level but were often contingent on the presence/absence of particular species and/or land management at a site. • Thus, plant communities in shortgrass prairie may shift towards slower growing, more stress-resistant species in drought years and/or chronically drier climate. These findings highlight the importance of both leaf economic and drought tolerance traits in determining species and community responses to altered precipitation.

Under climate change, extreme droughts will limit water availability for plants. However, the species-specific responses make it difficult to draw general conclusions. We hypothesized that changes in species’ abundance in response to extreme drought can be best explained by a set of water economic traits under ambient conditions in combination with the ability to adjust these traits towards higher drought resistance. We conducted a 4-year field experiment in temperate grasslands using rainout shelters with 30% and 50% rainfall reduction. We quantified the response as the change in species abundance between ambient conditions and the rainfall reduction. Abundance response to extreme drought was best explained by a combination of traits in ambient conditions and their functional adjustment, most likely reflecting plasticity. Smaller leaved species decreased less in abundance under drought. With increasing drought intensity, we observed a shift from drought tolerance, i.e., an increase in leaf dry matter content, to avoidance, i.e., a less negative turgor loss point (TLP) in ambient conditions and a constancy in TLP under drought. We stress the importance of using a multidimensional approach of variation in multiple traits and the importance of considering a range of drought intensities to improve predictions of species’ response to climate change.

Flammability is an important plant trait, relevant to plant function, wildfire behaviour and plant evolution. However, systematic comparison of plant flammability across ecosystems has proved difficult because of varying methodologies and assessment of different fuels comprising different plant parts. We compared the flammability of plant species at the leaf‐level (most commonly used in flammability studies) and shoot‐level (which retains aspects of plant architecture). Furthermore, we examined relationships between leaf functional traits and flammability to identify key leaf traits determining shoot‐level flammability. We collated and analysed existing leaf‐ and shoot‐level flammability data from 43 common indigenous perennial New Zealand plant species, along with existing data on leaf morphological and chemical traits. Shoot‐level flammability was decoupled from leaf‐level flammability. Moreover, leaf‐level rankings of flammability were not correlated with rankings of flammability of plants derived from expert opinion based on field observations, while shoot‐level rankings had a significant positive relationship. Shoot‐level flammability was positively correlated with leaf dry matter content (LDMC), phenolics and lignin, and negatively correlated with leaf thickness. Synthesis. Our study suggests that shoot‐level measurements of flammability are a useful and easily replicable way of characterizing the flammability of plants, particularly canopy flammability. With many parts of the world becoming more fire‐prone, due to anthropogenic activities, such as land‐use change and global warming, this finding will help forest and fire managers to make informed decisions about fuel management, and improve modelling of fire‐vegetation‐climate feedbacks under global climate change. Additionally, we identified some key, widely measured leaf traits, such as leaf dry matter content (LDMC), that may be useful surrogates for plant flammability in global dynamic vegetation models. Shoot‐ and leaf‐level flammability were decoupled, and shoot flammability corresponded to rankings based on expert opinion, suggesting that shoot‐level tests are a useful way to characterize the flammability of canopy fuels. Furthermore, we identified some widely measured leaf traits, such as leaf dry matter content, that were highly correlated to shoot flammability and can be useful surrogates for measuring plant flammability.

Parthenium hysterophorus L. (Asteraceae) is a highly prevalent invasive species in subtropical regions across the world. It has recently been seen to shift from low (subtropical) to high (sub-temperate) elevations. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of research investigating the adaptive responses and the significance of leaf functional traits in promoting the expansion to high elevations. The current study investigated the variations and trade-offs among 14 leaf traits (structural, photosynthetic, and nutrient content) of P. hysterophorus across different elevations in the western Himalayas, India. Plots measuring 20 × 40 m were established at different elevations (700 m, 1100 m, 1400 m, and 1800 m) to collect leaf trait data for P. hysterophorus . Along the elevational gradient, significant variations were noticed in leaf morphological parameters, leaf nutrient content, and leaf photosynthetic parameters. Significant increases were observed in the specific leaf area, leaf thickness, and chlorophyll a , total chlorophyll and carotenoid content, as well as leaf nitrogen and phosphorus content with elevation. On the other hand, there were reductions in the amount of chlorophyll b , photosynthetic efficiency, leaf dry matter content, leaf mass per area, and leaf water content. The trait-trait relationships between leaf water content and dry weight and between leaf area and dry weight were stronger at higher elevations. The results show that leaf trait variability and trait-trait correlations are very important for sustaining plant fitness and growth rates in low-temperature, high-irradiance, resource-limited environments at relatively high elevations. To summarise, the findings suggest that P. hysterophorus can expand its range to higher elevations by broadening its functional niche through changes in leaf traits and resource utilisation strategies.

Despite long-standing theory for classifying plant ecological strategies, limited data directly link organismal traits to whole-plant growth rates (GRs). We compared trait-growth relationships based on three prominent theories: growth analysis, Grime’s competitive–stress tolerant–ruderal (CSR) triangle, and the leaf economics spectrum (LES). Under these schemes, growth is hypothesized to be predicted by traits related to relative biomass investment, leaf structure, or gas exchange, respectively. We also considered traits not included in these theories but that might provide potential alternative best predictors of growth. In phylogenetic analyses of 30 diverse milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) and 21 morphological and physiological traits, GR (total biomass produced per day) varied 50-fold and was best predicted by biomass allocation to leaves (as predicted by growth analysis) and the CSR traits of leaf size and leaf dry matter content. Total leaf area (LA) and plant height were also excellent predictors of whole-plant GRs. Despite two LES traits correlating with growth (mass-based leaf nitrogen and area-based leaf phosphorus contents), these were in the opposite direction of that predicted by LES, such that higher N and P contents corresponded to slower growth. The remaining LES traits (e.g., leaf gas exchange) were not predictive of plant GRs. Overall, differences in GR were driven more by whole-plant characteristics such as biomass fractions and total LA than individual leaf-level traits such as photosynthetic rate or specific leaf area. Our results are most consistent with classical growth analysis—combining leaf traits with whole-plant allocation to best predict growth. However, given that destructive biomass measures are often not feasible, applying easy-to-measure leaf traits associated with the CSR classification appear more predictive of whole-plant growth than LES traits. Testing the generality of this result across additional taxa would further improve our ability to predict whole-plant growth from functional traits across scales.