Predicting plastic responses is crucial to assess plant species potential to adapt to climate
change, but little is known about which factors drive the biogeographical patterns of …

It has been recognized for a long time that the overstorey composition of a forest partly
determines its biological and physical–chemical functioning. Here, we review evidence of …

The leaf economics spectrum (LES) provides a useful framework for examining species
strategies as shaped by their evolutionary history. However, that spectrum, as originally …

Question Are plant traits more closely correlated with mean annual temperature, or with
mean annual precipitation? Location Global. Methods We quantified the strength of the …

Leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations constrain photosynthetic and
metabolic processes, growth and the productivity of plants. Their stoichiometry and scaling …

The life span of leaves increases with their mass per unit area (LMA). It is unclear why. Here,
we show that this empirical generalization (the foundation of the worldwide leaf economics …

Aim Most vascular plants on E arth form mycorrhizae, a symbiotic relationship between
plants and fungi. Despite the broad recognition of the importance of mycorrhizae for global …

The whole‐plant economics spectrum (PES) refers to the trade‐offs among the many plant
functional traits that are commonly used as indicators of major adaptive strategies, thereby …

Background Earth system models describe the physical, chemical and biological processes
that govern our global climate. While it is difficult to single out one component as being more …

Functional diversity is critical for ecosystem dynamics, stability and productivity. However,
dynamic global vegetation models (DGVM s) which are increasingly used to simulate …