ALBERT

Description: Phenotypic traits and their associated trade-offs have been shown to have globally consistent effects on individual plant physiological functions, but how these effects scale up to influence competition, a key driver of community assembly in terrestrial vegetation, has remained unclear. Here we use growth data from more than 3 million trees in over 140,000 plots across the world to show how three key functional traits--wood density, specific leaf area and maximum height--consistently influence competitive interactions. Fast maximum growth of a species was correlated negatively with its wood density in all biomes, and positively with its specific leaf area in most biomes. Low wood density was also correlated with a low ability to tolerate competition and a low competitive effect on neighbours, while high specific leaf area was correlated with a low competitive effect. Thus, traits generate trade-offs between performance with competition versus performance without competition, a fundamental ingredient in the classical hypothesis that the coexistence of plant species is enabled via differentiation in their successional strategies. Competition within species was stronger than between species, but an increase in trait dissimilarity between species had little influence in weakening competition. No benefit of dissimilarity was detected for specific leaf area or wood density, and only a weak benefit for maximum height. Our trait-based approach to modelling competition makes generalization possible across the forest ecosystems of the world and their highly diverse species composition.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Kunstler, Georges -- Falster, Daniel -- Coomes, David A -- Hui, Francis -- Kooyman, Robert M -- Laughlin, Daniel C -- Poorter, Lourens -- Vanderwel, Mark -- Vieilledent, Ghislain -- Wright, S Joseph -- Aiba, Masahiro -- Baraloto, Christopher -- Caspersen, John -- Cornelissen, J Hans C -- Gourlet-Fleury, Sylvie -- Hanewinkel, Marc -- Herault, Bruno -- Kattge, Jens -- Kurokawa, Hiroko -- Onoda, Yusuke -- Penuelas, Josep -- Poorter, Hendrik -- Uriarte, Maria -- Richardson, Sarah -- Ruiz-Benito, Paloma -- Sun, I-Fang -- Stahl, Goran -- Swenson, Nathan G -- Thompson, Jill -- Westerlund, Bertil -- Wirth, Christian -- Zavala, Miguel A -- Zeng, Hongcheng -- Zimmerman, Jess K -- Zimmermann, Niklaus E -- Westoby, Mark -- England -- Nature. 2016 Jan 14;529(7585):204-7. doi: 10.1038/nature16476. Epub 2015 Dec 23.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Irstea, UR EMGR, 2 rue de la Papeterie BP-76, F-38402, St-Martin-d'Heres, France. ; Univ. Grenoble Alpes, F-38402 Grenoble, France. ; Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia. ; Forest Ecology and Conservation Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK. ; Mathematical Sciences Institute, The Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia. ; National Herbarium of New South Wales, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney 2000, New South Wales, Australia. ; Environmental Research Institute, School of Science, University of Waikato, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand. ; Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands. ; Department of Biology, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Pkwy, Regina SK S4S 0A2, Canada. ; Cirad, UPR BSEF, F-34398 Montpellier, France. ; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Republic of Panama. ; Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578, Japan. ; INRA, UMR Ecologie des Forets de Guyane, BP 709, 97387 Kourou Cedex, France. ; International Center for Tropical Botany, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, USA. ; Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto, 33 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B3, Canada. ; Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Landscape Dynamics Unit, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland. ; Systems Ecology, Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands. ; Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Forest Resources and Management Unit, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland. ; University of Freiburg, Chair of Forestry Economics and Planning, D-79106 Freiburg, Germany. ; Cirad, UMR Ecologie des Forets de Guyane, Campus Agronomique, BP 701, 97387 Kourou, France. ; Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans Knoll Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany. ; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e 04103 Leipzig, Germany. ; Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502 Japan. ; CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Cerdanyola del Valles 08193, Catalonia, Spain. ; CREAF, Cerdanyola del Valles, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. ; Plant Sciences (IBG-2), Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH, D-52425 Julich, Germany. ; Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA. ; Landcare Research, PO Box 40, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand. ; Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK. ; Forest Ecology and Restoration Group, Department of Life Sciences, Science Building, University of Alcala, Campus Universitario, 28805 Alcala de Henares (Madrid), Spain. ; Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, National Dong Hwa University, Hualien 97401, Taiwan. ; Department of Forest Resource Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Skogsmarksgrand, 901 83 Umea, Sweden. ; Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA. ; Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0QB, UK. ; Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus PO Box 70377 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-8377, USA. ; Institute for Systematic, Botany and Functional Biodiversity, University of Leipzig, Johannisallee 21 04103 Leipzig, Germany.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26700807" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉

Description: Earth is home to a remarkable diversity of plant forms and life histories, yet comparatively few essential trait combinations have proved evolutionarily viable in today's terrestrial biosphere. By analysing worldwide variation in six major traits critical to growth, survival and reproduction within the largest sample of vascular plant species ever compiled, we found that occupancy of six-dimensional trait space is strongly concentrated, indicating coordination and trade-offs. Three-quarters of trait variation is captured in a two-dimensional global spectrum of plant form and function. One major dimension within this plane reflects the size of whole plants and their parts; the other represents the leaf economics spectrum, which balances leaf construction costs against growth potential. The global plant trait spectrum provides a backdrop for elucidating constraints on evolution, for functionally qualifying species and ecosystems, and for improving models that predict future vegetation based on continuous variation in plant form and function.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Diaz, Sandra -- Kattge, Jens -- Cornelissen, Johannes H C -- Wright, Ian J -- Lavorel, Sandra -- Dray, Stephane -- Reu, Bjorn -- Kleyer, Michael -- Wirth, Christian -- Prentice, I Colin -- Garnier, Eric -- Bonisch, Gerhard -- Westoby, Mark -- Poorter, Hendrik -- Reich, Peter B -- Moles, Angela T -- Dickie, John -- Gillison, Andrew N -- Zanne, Amy E -- Chave, Jerome -- Wright, S Joseph -- Sheremet'ev, Serge N -- Jactel, Herve -- Baraloto, Christopher -- Cerabolini, Bruno -- Pierce, Simon -- Shipley, Bill -- Kirkup, Donald -- Casanoves, Fernando -- Joswig, Julia S -- Gunther, Angela -- Falczuk, Valeria -- Ruger, Nadja -- Mahecha, Miguel D -- Gorne, Lucas D -- England -- Nature. 2016 Jan 14;529(7585):167-71. doi: 10.1038/nature16489. Epub 2015 Dec 23.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biologia Vegetal (IMBIV), CONICET and FCEFyN, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Casilla de Correo 495, 5000 Cordoba, Argentina. ; Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knoll-Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, Germany. ; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany. ; Systems Ecology, Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands. ; Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia. ; Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine, UMR 5553, CNRS - Universite Grenoble Alpes, 38041 Grenoble Cedex 9, France. ; Laboratoire de Biometrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR5558, Universite Lyon 1, CNRS, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France. ; Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Johannisallee 21, 04103 Leipzig, Germany. ; Escuela de Biologia, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Cra. 27 Calle 9, 680002 Bucaramanga, Colombia. ; Landscape Ecology Group, Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Oldenburg, D-26111 Oldenburg, Germany. ; Department of Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, University of Leipzig, Johannisallee 21, 04103 Leipzig, Germany. ; AXA Chair in Biosphere and Climate Impacts, Grand Challenges in Ecosystems and the Environment and Grantham Institute - Climate Change and the Environment, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot SL5 7PY, UK. ; Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (UMR 5175), CNRS-Universite de Montpellier - Universite Paul-Valery Montpellier - EPHE, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France. ; Plant Sciences (IBG-2), Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH, D-52425 Julich, Germany. ; Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota 55108, USA. ; Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Penrith New South Wales 2751, Australia. ; Evolution &Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Australia, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia. ; Collections , The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Wakehurst Place, Ardingly, West Sussex, RH17 6TN, UK. ; Center for Biodiversity Management, P.O. Box 120, Yungaburra, Queensland 4884, Australia. ; Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, Washington DC 20052, USA. ; Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development, Missouri Botanical Garden, St Louis, Missouri 63121, USA. ; UMR 5174 Laboratoire Evolution et Diversite Biologique, CNRS &Universite Paul Sabatier, Toulouse 31062, France. ; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Panama. ; Komarov Botanical Institute, Prof. Popov Street 2, St Petersburg 197376, Russia. ; INRA, UMR1202 BIOGECO, F-33610 Cestas, France. ; Universite de Bordeaux, BIOGECO, UMR 1202, F-33600 Pessac, France. ; International Center for Tropical Botany, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, USA. ; INRA, UMR Ecologie des Forets de Guyane, 97310 Kourou, French Guiana. ; Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, University of Insubria, Via J.H. Dunant 3, I-21100 Varese, Italy. ; Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (DiSAA), University of Milan, Via G. Celoria 2, I-20133 Milan, Italy. ; Departement de biologie, Universite de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1K 2R1, Canada. ; Biodiversity Informatics and Spatial Analysis, Jodrell Building, The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond TW9 3AB, UK. ; Unidad de Bioestadistica, Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion y Ensenanza (CATIE), 7170 Turrialba, 30501, Costa Rica.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26700811" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉