Functional ecology is the branch of ecology that focuses on various functions that species
play in the community or ecosystem in which they occur. This accessible guide offers the …

In its simplest definition, a trait is a surrogate of organismal performance, and this meaning
of the term has been used by evolutionists for a long time. Over the last three decades …

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 …

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 …

Trait‐based approaches are widespread throughout ecological research as they offer great
potential to achieve a general understanding of a wide range of ecological and evolutionary …

The current definition of a functional trait as any trait that is linked to growth, reproduction
and survival is problematic. With this logic all traits within an organism can be defined as …

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

Trait and functional trait approaches have revolutionized ecology improving our
understanding of community assembly, species coexistence, and biodiversity loss. Focusing …

Functional traits are morphological, biochemical, physiological, structural, phenological or
behavioural characteristics of organisms that influence performance or fitness. Grouping …

Trait-based approaches are an alternative to species-based approaches for functionally
linking individual organisms with community structure and dynamics. In the trait-based …