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 D, Myers-Smith, Isla H, Elmendorf, Sarah C, Kattge, Jens, Diaz, Sandra, Vellend, Mark, Blok, Daan, Cornelissen, J Hans C, Forbes, Bruce C, Henry, Gregory H R, Hollister, Robert D, Normand, Signe, Prevey, Janet S, Wookey, Philip A
• Other Authors: Natural Environment Research Council, University of Edinburgh, University of Gothenburg, University of Colorado Boulder, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, University of Cordoba, Université de Sherbrooke, Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), Vrije University Amsterdam, University of Lapland, University of British Columbia, Grand Valley State University, Aarhus University, U.S. Geological Survey, Biological and Environmental Sciences, orcid:0000-0001-5957-6424
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Nature Publishing Group 2020
• Subjects: Biogeography; Ecology; Macroecology; Theoretical ecology; Alatalo; Anadon; Beck; Collier; Cornwell; Eskelinen; Hudson; Michelsen; Tremblay; Venn; Tundra
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1893/30857; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15014-4; http://dspace.stir.ac.uk/bitstream/1893/30857/1/s41467-020-15014-4.pdf

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. Additional co-authors: C. Rixen, G. Schaepman-Strub, M. Wilmking, S. Wipf, W. K. Cornwell, P. S. A. Beck, D. Georges, S. J. Goetz, K. C. Guay, N. Rüger, N. A. Soudzilovskaia, M. J. Spasojevic, J. M. Alatalo, H. D. Alexander, A. Anadon-Rosell, S. Angers-Blondin, M. te Beest, L. T. Berner, R. G. Björk, A. Buchwal, A. Buras, M. Carbognani, K. S. Christie, L. S. Collier, E. J. Cooper, B. Elberling, A. Eskelinen, E. R. Frei, O. Grau, P. Grogan, M. Hallinger, M. M. P. D. Heijmans, L. Hermanutz, J. M. G. Hudson, J. F. Johnstone, K. Hülber, M. Iturrate-Garcia, C. M. Iversen, F. Jaroszynska, E. Kaarlejarvi, A. Kulonen, L. J. Lamarque, T. C. Lantz, E. Lévesque, C. J. Little, A. Michelsen, A. Milbau, J. Nabe-Nielsen, S. S. Nielsen, J. M. Ninot, S. F. Oberbauer, J. Olofsson, V. G. Onipchenko, A. Petraglia, S. B. Rumpf, R. Shetti, J. D. M. Speed, K. N. Suding, K. D. Tape, M. Tomaselli, A. J. Trant, U. A. Treier, M. Tremblay, S. E. Venn, T. Vowles, S. Weijers, T. J. Zamin, M. Bahn, B. Blonder, P. M. van Bodegom, B. ...