In light of rapid shifts in biodiversity associated with human impacts, there is an urgent need
to understand how changing patterns in biodiversity impact ecosystem function. Functional …

Owing to the conceptual complexity of functional diversity (FD), a multitude of different
methods are available for measuring it, with most being operational at only a small range of …

Background Deep roots are a common trait among a wide range of plant species and
biomes, and are pivotal to the very existence of ecosystem services such as pedogenesis …

Although the taxonomic composition of the human microbiome varies tremendously across
individuals, its gene composition or functional capacity is highly conserved—implying an …

Ecological investigations are increasingly using functional diversity in order to understand
different patterns, such as species occurrence, species competitive abilities, and the …

Leaf economics and hydraulic traits are critical to leaf photosynthesis, yet it is debated
whether these two sets of traits vary in a fully coordinated manner or there is room for …

Pioneering investigations on the effects of introduced populations on community structure,
ecosystem functioning and services have focused on the effects of invaders on taxonomic …

The biotic mechanisms underlying ecosystem functioning and stability have been
extensively—but separately—explored in the literature, making it difficult to understand the …

Under globally accelerating rates of ecosystem degradation, maintaining ecosystem function
is a priority to avoid loss of valuable ecosystem services. Two factors are important: changes …

Invasive alien species (IAS) poses a significant threat to plant biodiversity globally and even
considered one of the largest threats to biodiversity, second to habitat loss. They behave as …