Context dependence is widely invoked to explain disparate results in ecology. It arises when
the magnitude or sign of a relationship varies due to the conditions under which it is …

In the context of a recent massive increase in research on plant root functions and their
impact on the environment, root ecologists currently face many important challenges to keep …

The effects of plants on the biosphere, atmosphere and geosphere are key determinants of
terrestrial ecosystem functioning. However, despite substantial progress made regarding …

Background Investigating the causes and consequences of intraspecific trait variation (ITV)
in plants is not novel, as it has long been recognized that such variation shapes biotic and …

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 …

The inherent complexity of high‐diversity systems can make them particularly difficult to
understand. The relatively recent introduction of functional approaches, which seek to infer …

The relationship between stomatal traits and environmental drivers across plant
communities has important implications for ecosystem carbon and water fluxes, but it has …

Trait‐based approaches are increasingly being used to test mechanisms underlying species
assemblages and biotic interactions across a wide range of organisms including terrestrial …

Generalizing the effect of traits on performance across species may be achievable if traits
explain variation in population fitness. However, testing relationships between traits and vital …

Trait variability in space and time allows plants to adjust to changing environmental
conditions. However, we know little about how this variability is distributed and coordinated …