Global plant trait relationships extend to the climatic extremes of the tundra biome

• Published in: Nature Communications
• Main Authors: THOMAS Haydn J. D., BJORKMAN Anne, MYERS-SMITH Isla H., ELMENDORF Sarah, KATTGE Jens, DIAZ Sandra, VELLEND Mark, BLOK Daan, CORNELISSEN J. Hans C., FORBES Bruce, HENRY Gregory H. R., HOLLISTER Robert D., NORMAND Signe, PREVEY Janet S., RIXEN Christian, SCHAEPMAN-STRUB Gabriela, WILMKING Martin, WIPF Sonja, CORNWELL William K., BECK Pieter, GEORGES Damien, GOETZ Scott J., GUAY Kevin C., RUGER Nadja, SOUDZILOVSKAIA Nadejda A., SPASOJEVIC Marko J., ALATALO Juha M., ALEXANDER Heather D., ANADON-ROSELL Alba, ANGERS-BLONDIN Sandra, TE BEEST Mariska, BERNER Logan, BJORK Robert G., BUCHWAL Agata, BURAS Adam, CARBOGNANI Michele, CHRISTIE Katherine, COLLIER Laura Siegwart, COOPER Elisabeth J., ELBERLING Bo, ESKELINEN Anu, FREI Esther R., GRAU Oriol, GROGAN P., HALLINGER Martin, HEIJMANS Monique M. P. D., HERMANUTZ Luise, HUDSON James, JOHNSTONE Jill F., HULBER Karl, ITURRATE-GARCIA Maitane, IVERSEN Colleen M., JAROSZYNSKA Francesca, KAARLEJARVI Elina, KULONEN Aino, LAMARQUE Laurent J., LANTZ Trevor, LEVESQUE Esther, LITTLE Chelsea J., MICHELSEN Anders, MILBAU Ann, NABE-NIELSEN Jacob, SCHOLER NIELSEN Sigrid, NINOT Joseph M., OBERBAUER Steven F., OLOFSSON Johan, ONIPCHENKO Vladimir G., PETRAGLIA Alessandro, RUMPF Sabine B., SHETTI Rohan, SPEED James D. M., SUDING Katherine N., TAPE Ken D., TOMASELLI Marcello, TRANT Andrew J, TREIER Urs. A, TREMBLAY Maxime, VENN Susanna, VOWLES Tage, WEIJERS Stef, WOOKEY Philip A., ZAMIN T. J., BAHN Michael, BLONDER Benjamin, VAN BODEGOM Peter, BOND-LAMBERTY Benjamin, CAMPETELLA Giandiego, CERABOLINI Bruno E. L., CHAPLIN III F. S., CRAINE Joseph, DAINESE Matteo, GREEN Walton, JANSEN S., KLEYER M., MANNING Peter, NIINEMETS Ulo, ONODA Yusuke, OZINGA Wim A., PENUELAS J., POSCHLOD Peter, REICH Peter, SANDEL Brody, SCHAMP Brandon, SHEREMETIEV S. N., DE VRIES Franciska
• Language: English
• Published: NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP 2020
• Subjects: Tundra
• Online Access: https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC112158; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-15014-4#MOESM3; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15014-4

The majority of variation in six traits critical to the growth, survival and reproduction of plant species is thought to be organised along just two dimensions, corresponding to strategies of plant size and resource acquisition. However, it is unknown whether global plant trait relationships extend to climatic extremes, and if these interspecific relationships are confounded by trait variation within species. We test whether trait relationships extend to the cold extremes of life on Earth using the largest database of tundra plant traits yet compiled. We show that tundra plants demonstrate remarkably similar resource economic traits, but not size traits, compared to global distributions, and exhibit the same two dimensions of trait variation. Three quarters of trait variation occurs among species, mirroring global estimates of interspecific trait variation. Plant trait relationships are thus generalizable to the edge of global trait-space, informing prediction of plant community change in a warming world. JRC.D.1 - Bio-economy