Trait‐based ecology aims to understand the processes that generate the overarching
diversity of organismal traits and their influence on ecosystem functioning. Achieving this …

The origin, distribution, and function of biological diversity are fundamental themes of
ecology and evolutionary biology. Research on birds has played a major role in the history …

Functional traits offer a rich quantitative framework for develo** and testing theories in
evolutionary biology, ecology and ecosystem science. However, the potential of functional …

Animals have diversified into a bewildering variety of morphological forms exploiting a
complex configuration of trophic niches. Their morphological diversity is widely used as an …

The origin and expansion of biological diversity is regulated by both developmental
trajectories, and limits on available ecological niches,,,,. As lineages diversify, an early and …

Urbanisation is driving rapid declines in species richness and abundance worldwide, but the
general implications for ecosystem function and services remain poorly understood. Here …

Avian egg shape is generally explained as an adaptation to life history, yet we currently lack
a global synthesis of how egg-shape differences arise and evolve. Here, we apply …

Aim The diversity of birds and mammals is typically described in separate analyses, but
species may play similar roles. Here, we develop a comparative trait framework for birds and …

Mountain systems are exceptionally species rich, yet the associated elevational gradients in
functional and phylogenetic diversity and their consistency across latitude remain little …

Vertebrates perform key roles in ecosystem processes via trophic interactions with plants
and insects, but the response of these interactions to environmental change is difficult to …