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Title: Within‐species patterns challenge our understanding of the leaf economics spectrum
Abstract

The utility of plant functional traits for predictive ecology relies on our ability to interpret trait variation across multiple taxonomic and ecological scales. Using extensive data sets of trait variation within species, across species and across communities, we analysed whether and at what scales leaf economics spectrum (LES) traits show predicted trait–trait covariation. We found that most variation inLEStraits is often, but not universally, at high taxonomic levels (between families or genera in a family). However, we found that trait covariation shows distinct taxonomic scale dependence, with some trait correlations showing opposite signs within vs. across species.LEStraits responded independently to environmental gradients within species, with few shared environmental responses across traits or across scales. We conclude that, at small taxonomic scales, plasticity may obscure or reverse the broad evolutionary linkages between leaf traits, meaning that variation inLEStraits cannot always be interpreted as differences in resource use strategy.

 
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Award ID(s):
1711243
NSF-PAR ID:
10056610
Author(s) / Creator(s):
 ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;
Publisher / Repository:
Wiley-Blackwell
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Ecology Letters
Volume:
21
Issue:
5
ISSN:
1461-023X
Page Range / eLocation ID:
p. 734-744
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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