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Selection experiment on guppy ornamental traits

Female preferences for male ornamental traits can arise from indirect benefits, such as increased attractiveness or better viability of progeny, but empirical evidence for such benefits is inconsistent. Artificial selection offers a powerful way to investigate indirect effects of male ornaments. Here, we selected for the area of orange spots on male guppies, a trait subject to female preferences in our population, in replicated up- and down-selected lines. We found a significant direct response to selection, and a correlated response in female preferences, with females from down-selected lines showing less interest in more orange males. Nevertheless, up-selected males sired more offspring in direct competition with low-selected males, irrespective of female origin. We did not find a significantly correlated response to selection among any other fitness correlates we measured. Our results imply that female preferences for orange spots can lead to increased reproductive success of their sons, with no effect on general viability of progeny. Furthermore, while we demonstrate that female preferences may evolve via linkage disequilibrium with the preferred trait, the potential for runaway selection by positive feedback may be constrained by the lack of corresponding linkage with male reproductive competitiveness.

Functional traits reveal the dominant drivers of long‐term community change across a North American Great Lake

The datasets here were used to determine annual sentinel fish species and trait composition in Lake Erie's western and central basins during 1969–2018 in relation to multiple anthropogenic stressors. Here, we provide three datasets, which are used in the paper by Sinclair et al. titled: "Functional traits reveal the dominant drivers of long-term community change across a North American Great Lake". Each dataset is provided as a separate tab in a single Excel worksheet. The first dataset ("Western basin") provides the annual catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE; individuals per trawl minute) for all sentinel fish species caught in Lake Erie's western basin during 1969–2018 in fall (September-October) trawl surveys conducted by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources - Division of Wildlife. The second dataset ("Central basin") provides the CPUE values for Lake Erie's central basin. The third dataset ("Environmental stressors") provides the annual values for nutrient inputs, water transparency, temperature, white perch abundances, and goby abundances for the western and central basins. A summary and explanation of each variable are also provided in the "Info" tab. Further information on how fish CPUE and stressor values were calculated is provided in the methods and supporting information of the associated article.

Evolutionary divergence of potential drought adaptations between two subspecies of an annual plant: Are trait combinations facilitated, independent, or constrained?

Premise: Whether drought-adaptation mechanisms tend to evolve together, evolve independently, and/or evolve constrained by genetic architecture is incompletely resolved, particularly for water relations traits besides gas exchange. We addressed this issue in two subspecies of Clarkia xantiana (Onagraceae), California winter annuals that separated approximately 65,000 years ago and are adapted, partly by differences in flowering time, to native ranges differing in precipitation. Methods: In these subspecies and in recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from a cross between them we scored traits related to drought adaptation (timing of seed germination and of flowering; succulence; pressure-volume curve parameters) in common environments. Results: The subspecies native to more arid environments (parviflora) exhibited slower seed germination in saturated conditions, earlier flowering, and greater succulence, likely indicating superior drought avoidance, drought escape, and dehydration resistance via water storage, respectively. The other subspecies (xantiana) had lower osmotic potential at full turgor and lower water potential at turgor loss, implying superior dehydration tolerance. Genetic correlations among RILs suggest facilitated evolution of some trait combinations and independence of others. Where genetic correlations exist, subspecies differences fell along them, with the exception of differences in succulence and turgor loss point. In that case, subspecies difference overcame genetic correlations, possibly reflecting strong selection and/or antagonistic genetic correlations with other traits. Conclusions: Clarkia xantiana subspecies' differ in multiple mechanisms of drought adaptation. Genetic architecture generally does not seem to have constrained the evolution of these mechanisms, and it may have facilitated the evolution of some of trait combinations.

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2021View details →

zenodo36/100

Data from: Spatiotemporal variation in the role of floral traits in shaping tropical plant-pollinator interactions

Supplementary datasets for Klomberg et al. 2021 Spatiotemporal variation in the role of floral traits in shaping tropical plant-pollinator interactions. Ecology Letters. All related information can be found in the cited paper. When using the dataset for anything, cite the Klomberg et al. paper. For additional information, refer to the paper or write to robert.tropek@gmail.com

Survival and malformations, swimming performance and tadpole traits

Targeted gene flow (TGF) could bolster the adaptive potential of isolated populations threatened by climate change, but could also lead to outbreeding depression. Here, we explore these possibilities by creating mixed- and within-population crosses in a terrestrial-breeding frog species threatened by a drying climate. We reared embryos on wet and dry soils and quantified fitness-related traits upon hatching. TGF produced mixed outcomes in hybrids which depended on crossing direction (origin of gametes from each sex). North-south crosses led to low embryonic survival if eggs were of a southern origin, and high malformation rates when eggs were from a northern population. Conversely, east-west crosses led to one instance of hybrid vigour, evident by increased fitness and desiccation tolerance of hybrid offspring relative to offspring produced from within-population crosses. These contrasting results highlight the need to experimentally evaluate the outcomes of TGF for focal species across generations prior to implementing management actions.

Trait-habitat associations explain novel bird assemblages mixing native and alien species across New-Zealand landscapes

Aim: Species introductions have reshaped island faunas for the last 200 years, often threatening native biodiversity. Approximately equal numbers of native and alien species currently co-occur in the New Zealand avifauna, but they show distinct habitat use. Antagonistic interactions, habitat affinities and legacies of introduction history may concur to explain their segregation along habitat gradients. To investigate these processes, we explored how habitat, ecological traits and introduction history relate with the current composition of bird assemblages. Location: New Zealand Taxon: Birds Methods: We analysed 917 bird point counts spread along habitat and elevation gradients in the Canterbury region, South Island, and related 10 ecological traits to landscape composition using a three-table ordination method known as 'RLQ analysis', accounting for spatial autocorrelation and phylogeny. We tested whether alien species' positions in the RLQ were related to proxies of introduction history. Results: Eighteen endemic, 11 native and 19 alien species were distributed along a gradient from forest to open-habitat assemblages, in relation to foraging mode, nesting site and body size. A second gradient segregated species between native and exotic forests according to territoriality, sedentarity and diet. Traits accounted for the separation of native and alien bird species in forests, but not in open habitats. Phylogenetic signals emerged from the separation of native and alien species by forest type, and spatial structures suggested a landscape-level, rather than regional or local determinism. These correlations were independent of introduction history, although open-habitat assemblages tended to host alien species introduced later in time. Main conclusions: Habitat type and resource availability explain the spatial partitioning of New Zealand bird assemblages between native and alien species more consistently than competitive exclusion. We conclude that trait-mediated ecological differences among species have likely played a predominant role in species' segregation among landscapes, while maintaining endemic bird assemblages in native forests.

opencc-zeroOct 2022View details →

Environmental-related variation of stoichiometric traits in body and organs of non-native sailfin catfishes Pterygoplichthys spp.

Intraspecific variation in stoichiometric traits was thought to be an adaptive response to reduce the elemental imbalance between organisms and diet in the habitat. Studying the spatial variation of stoichiometric traits of non-native species and the factors contributing to the variation could help to better understand the invasion mechanism of non-native fish. In this study, stoichiometric traits (i.e. carbon [C], phosphorus [P], calcium [Ca] and their ratios) variation in the body and organs of non-native sailfin catfishes Pterygoplichthys spp. were investigated across 13 river sections in the main river basins of south China. The relationships between environmental factors and stoichiometric traits were analyzed using a general linear model and an information-theoretic approach. A manipulated feeding experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of food quality on the stoichiometry of sailfin catfishes in a greenhouse. Sailfin catfishes exhibited considerable variability in body and organ elemental composition. Site identity was the main factor contributing to the variation, which could be explained by a combination of environmental factors including climate, diet quality, fish species richness, and trophic status in the invaded rivers. Water chemistry (i.e. total nitrogen and phosphorus, ammonia nitrogen, and soluble reactive phosphorus) contributed to the most variation of stoichiometric traits. Imbalances of P and Ca between sailfin catfishes and food resources varied among sampling sites, reflecting the spatial heterogeneity of nutrient limitation. Juvenile sailfin catfishes exhibited stoichiometric homeostasis (0<1/H<0.25) for all elemental contents and ratios in the feeding experiment. These findings suggested variation in stoichiometric traits of sailfin catfishes might be attributed to the changes in elemental metabolism to cope with context-specific environments. This study provided heuristic knowledge about environmental-related variation in stoichiometric traits, which could enhance the understanding of the non-native species' adaptation to resource fluctuation in the invaded ecosystems.

opencc-zeroOct 2022View details →

The evolution of sexually dimorphic traits in ecological gradients: An interplay between natural and sexual selection in hummingbirds

Traits that exhibit differences between the sexes have been of special interest in the study of phenotypic evolution. Classic hypotheses explain sexually dimorphic traits via intrasexual competition and mate selection, yet natural selection may also act differentially on the sexes to produce dimorphism. Natural selection can act either through physiological and ecological constraints on one of the sexes or by modulating the strength of sexual/social selection. This predicts an association between the degree of dimorphism and variation in ecological environments. Here, we characterise the variation in hummingbird dimorphism across ecological gradients using rich databases of morphology, colouration, and song. We show that morphological dimorphism decreases with elevation in the understorey and increases with elevation in mixed habitats, that dichromatism increases at high altitudes in open and mixed habitats, and that song is less complex in mixed habitats. Our results are consistent with flight constraints, lower predation pressure at high elevations, and with habitat effects on song transmission. We also show that dichromatism and song complexity are positively associated, while tail dimorphism and song complexity are negatively associated. Our results demonstrate that key ecological factors shape sexually dimorphic traits and that different communication modalities do not always evolve in tandem.

How detritivores, plant traits and time modulate coupling of leaf versus woody litter decomposition rates across species

1. Plant functional traits are increasingly used to understand ecological relationships and (changing) ecosystem functions. For understanding ecosystem-level biogeochemistry, we need to understand how (much) traits co-vary between different plant organs across species, and its implications for litter decomposition. However, we do not know how the degree of synchronous variation in decomposition rates between organs across species could be influenced by different keystone invertebrates decomposing different senesced plant organs, especially in warm-climate forests. Here we asked whether interspecific patterns in wood and leaf decomposition rates and in the spectra of resource economics traits underpinning them, co-vary across woody species; and how (much) the keystone invertebrate decomposers of the litter of these organs enhance or lower such co-variation of decomposition rates through time. 2. We addressed these questions through an 18-month "common-garden" decomposition experiment using leaf, twig and branch litter of 41 woody species in two distant subtropical forest sites in east China. We quantified the effects of leaf, twig, and branch functional traits and their respective key invertebrates (moth larvae, termites) on the decomposition rates of those organs. 3. Interspecific variation in wood traits was partly decoupled from that in leaf traits across species, while strong coupling was found between twigs and branches. The co-variation between leaf and woody organ decomposition rates was altered dynamically through the shifting activities of the key decomposers, which created non-linear relationships of invertebrate litter consumption as a function of species rankings along the resource economic trait spectra of leaves and branches. 4. The deviations from coupling of decomposition rates between organs were likely caused by combinations of three mechanisms: (1) (de-)coupling between organs of other traits, not commonly considered in resource economics spectra (e.g., resins) (2) leaf and wood decomposers having specific diet requirements, and (3) temporal patterns of the decomposers' activity. 5. Synthesis. Our study highlights the importance of considering the different ways by which invertebrate detritivores drive decomposition processes through time. Under the ongoing biodiversity decline, future research would benefit from a better understanding of the role of the dynamic interactions between detritivore activities and plant functional traits on the carbon turnover in ecosystems.

Lianas have a faster resource acquisition strategy than trees: belowground evidence from root traits, phylogeny, and the root economics space

1. The competitive advantage of lianas over trees has been widely documented in studies of their leaf functional traits across diverse habitats; however, the relative contribution of root functional traits to the competitive superiority of lianas over trees has not yet been evaluated. The aim of this study was to explore the root functional traits, phylogenetic structure of these traits, and root trait dimensions of lianas to clarify why lianas can outperform trees. 2. We sampled 69 liana species from tropical and temperate forests in China and measured nine key functional traits of first-order roots of each species, including morphological, architectural, anatomical, and chemical traits, as well as the percentage of mycorrhizal colonization. Data on these traits were then compared with similar data of 127 tree species from the same biome obtained from the Global Root Traits (GRooT) database and our previous studies. 3. Liana roots had lower construction costs and could acquire resources more rapidly compared with tree roots. Significant differences were observed in most tree root traits between tropical and temperate sites. However, no significant differences were observed in any of the liana root traits between tropical and temperate sites, apart from the root branching ratio. 4. Lianas showed much weaker phylogenetic conservatism in their root traits than trees when species were pooled across sites. Phylogenetic constraint was lower for nearly all root traits of both temperate lianas and trees compared with those of tropical lianas and trees. 5. The root economics space of lianas and trees had two orthogonal dimensions with "conservation" and "collaboration" axes. However, lianas occupied the trait space with higher root nitrogen concentration and greater specific root length, showing "fast" resource acquisition strategy, while trees placed opposite space and exhibited relatively "slow" strategy. 6. Synthesis. The ability of lianas to outcompete trees in harsh environments might be explained by their faster resource acquisition strategy and the lower phylogenetic constraint in root traits. Generally, lianas might play an increasingly important role in the structure and function of forest ecosystems in the future with ongoing habitat fragmentation and climate change.

Data set for: Genetic dissection of marker trait associations for grain micro-nutrients and thousand grain weight under heat and moisture deficit stress conditions in wheat

The study material in the GWAS panel with 193 bread wheat genotypes from Indian and exotic collections was selected to map the genomic regions responsible for grain iron and Zinc content under drought and heat stress treatments. Phenotypic data: The GWAS panel was evaluated at IARI, New Delhi - DL (28.6550° N, 77.1888° E, MSL 228.61 m) under Irrigated (IR), Restricted Irrigated (RI) and Late sown (LS) treatment conditions over 2 years i.e. 2020 and 2021 with augmented RCBD design. Data was collected on Grain Iron and Grain zinc content along with thousand-grain weight. Around 20 g of grain sample from each of 282 genotypes from the GWAS panel under all three conditions were used for phenotyping GFeC and GZnC through high-throughput Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (ED-XRF) machine (model X-Supreme 8000; Oxford Instruments plc, Abingdon, United Kingdom) calibrated with glass beads-based values. To record TGW, manual counting of grains was followed and the weight of the grains was recorded in grams with an electronic balance. Genotypic data: Genomic DNA of the GWAS panel was extracted from the leaves of seedlings by Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) method. The panel was genotyped using Axiom Wheat Breeder's Genotyping Array (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA, United States) having 35,143 genome-wide SNPs. The monomorphic, markers with minor allele frequency (MAF) of <5%, missing data of >10%, and heterozygote frequency >50% were removed from the analysis. The remaining set of 13,947 high-quality SNPs was used in GWAS analysis.

Interactions between protea plants and their animal mutualists and antagonists are structured more by energetic than morphological trait matching

Traits mediate mutualistic and antagonistic interactions between plants and animals, and should thus be useful for predicting trophic species interactions. Studies to date have examined the importance of morphological trait matching for plant-animal interactions, but have rarely explored the extent to which these interactions are shaped by matching between energetic provisions of plants and energetic demands of animals. We tested whether energetic and/or morphological trait matching shapes interactions between Protea plant species and their interacting animal mutualists and antagonists in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa. We recorded interactions between 22 Protea species, pollinating insects, and vertebrates as well as seed predators (endophagous insect larvae in protea cones) at 21 study sites. To relate species interactions to matching trait pairs, we measured key morphological traits (shape and size of flower heads and seed cones, and mouth part length as well as body length) and quantified the animals' energetic demands (metabolic rate) together with the plants' energetic provisions (nectar sugar amount, seed-to-cone mass ratio). We calculated log ratios of both energetic and morphological traits between animals and plants as predictor variables for the number of observed interactions between Protea species and their animal interaction partners. For both mutualistic and antagonistic interactions, we found significant effects of morphological and energetic trait ratios on the interactions between plants and animals. Trait ratios accounted for 11% to 22% of the variation in species interactions. Consistent with energetic trait matching, we found a hump-shaped relationship between interaction frequency and log ratios of energetic traits of animals and plants, indicating that interactions were most frequent at intermediate log ratios between energetic demand and provision. Effects of morphological trait ratios on interactions were statistically supported in most cases but were variable in the magnitude and shape of the predicted relationships. Across animal taxa and interaction types, energetic traits had more consistent effects on interactions between plants and animals than morphological traits. This suggests that energy can function as an important interaction currency and facilitate the understanding and prediction of trophic species interactions.

Data for the article: Coupling of leaf elemental traits with root fungal community composition reveals a plant resource acquisition strategy in a desert ecosystem

Purpose: Plant-associated microbes enhance nutrient access and stress tolerance of the host species, and therefore, are crucial for plant traits and resource strategies. However, the links between aboveground plant traits and belowground microbes related to plant resource strategies under stressful conditions remain poorly understood. Methods: We tested the relationships between leaf traits linked to water (carbon isotopic composition, δ13C) and nutrient use (elemental concentrations and stoichiometry) with microbial compositions in roots and rhizospheres of two dominant species (Artemisia ordosica and Leymus secalinus) in the Mu Us Desert, northern China. Results: L. secalinus exhibited higher Mg and Mn concentrations, N:P ratios, stoichiometric flexibility, and root fungi:bacteria ratios, but lower foliar K and Ca concentrations and δ13C values than A. ordosica. The leaf N:P of L. secalinus increased with the root fungi:bacteria ratios, whereas the leaf N:P of A. ordosica decreased with the root fungi:bacteria ratios. The plant elemental levels (P, N, K, Ca, Mn, and δ13C) of L. secalinus but not A. ordosica were significantly related to their root fungal composition. Additionally, the random forest model identified four key fungal families in predicting leaf elemental traits for both plant species. Conclusion: The results suggested tight coupling and coordination between leaf elemental traits and root microbial compositions (especially fungal communities) related to plant resource acquisition strategies. By regulating aboveground and belowground feedback loops through trait flexibility and root microbial compositions, the studied plant species can sustain their resource strategies under stressful environmental conditions.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2022View details →

zenodo36/100

Functional traits of Arctiinae species of Barro Colorado Island, Panama

A matrix of trait data for 192 species of Arctiinae moth recorded on Barro Colorado Island from 2009 to 2019, collected as part of the Forest GEO arthropod initiative.

Data for: The effect of brief or prolonged bouts of winning or losing male-male contests on plasticity in sexually selected traits

Fight outcomes often affect male fitness by determining their access to mates. Thus 'winner-loser' effects, where winners often win their next contest, while losers tend to lose, can influence how males allocate resources towards pre- and post-copulatory traits. We experimentally manipulated the winning/losing experiences of pairs of size-matched male Gambusia holbrooki for either a day, a week or three weeks to test whether prior winning/losing experiences differentially affect the plasticity of male investment into either mating effort (pre-copulatory) or ejaculates (post-copulatory). When winner/loser pairs directly competed for a female, winners had better pre-copulatory outcomes than losers for three of the four traits we measured: mating attempts, successful attempts, and time spent with the female (but not aggression). However, winners and losers did not differ in either their total sperm counts nor sperm velocity. Interestingly, absolute male size, an important predictor of fighting success, mediated winner-loser effects on how long males then spent near a female. Compared to losers, smaller winners spent more time with the female than did larger winners, suggesting that how males respond to prior social experiences is size-dependent. We discuss the general importance of controlling for inherent male condition when comparing male investment into condition-dependent traits.

Hydraulic traits are not robust predictors of tree species stem growth during a drought in a wet tropical forest

Severe droughts have led to lower plant growth and high mortality in many ecosystems worldwide, including tropical forests. Drought vulnerability differs among species but there is limited consensus on the nature and degree of this variation in tropical forest communities. Understanding species-level vulnerability to drought requires examination of hydraulic traits since these reflect the different strategies species employ for surviving drought. Here we examined hydraulic traits and growth reductions during a severe drought for 12 common woody species in a wet tropical forest community in Puerto Rico to ask: Q1. To what extent can hydraulic traits predict growth declines during drought? We expected that species with more hydraulicly vulnerable xylem and narrower safety margins would grow less during drought. Q2. How do species successional association relate to levels of vulnerability to drought and hydraulic strategies? We predicted that early- and mid-successional species would exhibit more acquisitive strategies, making them more susceptible to drought than shade-tolerant species. Q3. What are the different hydraulic strategies employed by species and are there trade-offs between drought avoidance and drought tolerance? We anticipated that species with greater water storage capacity would have leaves that lose turgor at higher xylem water potential and be less resistant to embolism forming in their xylem (P50). We found a large range of variation in hydraulic traits across species; however, they did not closely capture the magnitude of growth declines during drought. Among larger trees (≥10 cm diameter at breast height—DBH), some tree species with high xylem embolism vulnerability and risk of hydraulic failure experienced substantial declines during drought but this pattern was consistent across species. We found a trade-off among species between drought avoidance (capacitance) and drought tolerating (P50) in this tropical forest community. Hydraulic strategies did not align with successional associations. Instead, some of the more drought-vulnerable species were shade-tolerant dominants in the community, suggesting that a drying climate could lead to shifts in long-term forest composition and function in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

Data from: Hedging at the rear edge: Intraspecific trait variability drives the trajectory of marginal populations in a widespread boreal tree species

Rear-edge populations at the warm margin of species distribution are small, isolated and face environmental conditions at the limit of species bioclimatic envelope. Intraspecific phenotypic variation contributing to the persistence of peripheral populations is expected to become increasingly important under future climate conditions in order to avoid local extirpation where range shifts lag behind climate change velocity. We investigated the putative role of intraspecific phenotypic variation for the maintenance of rear-edge populations of fire-prone jack pine (Pinus banksiana), an obligate pyriscent boreal species. We assessed whether variation in cone serotiny is associated with the population trajectory of marginal stands located south of the boreal biome, in the temperate forest where natural wildfires are infrequent and unpredictable. To this end, we estimated stand-scale serotiny, minimal age and tree size structure in 26 jack pine stands from the rear edge (n = 17 sites) and the core (n = 9 sites) of the species' range in eastern Canada. On average, rear-edge jack pine populations are less serotinous albeit more variably compared to range-core populations where serotiny is more uniformly high. Rear-edge stands are generally older and display reverse J-shape tree size structure indicative of a multi-aged demographic equilibrium, whereas range-core stands are younger and show a unimodal stand structure depicting a single aging cohort generally lacking interfire recruitment. Eco-evolutionary dynamics shifts from a dependency on wildfires in range-core populations to stands that can regenerate and persist without recurrent fires at the rear edge, where stand-scale serotiny reaches values below 85%. Synthesis: Unlike range-core populations, rear-edge jack pine populations can locally rely on a dual life-history strategy to ensure both steady recruitment during fire-free intervals and successful postfire regeneration. This capacity to cope with infrequent and unpredictable fire regime should increase the resilience and resistance of jack pine populations as global changes alter fire dynamics of the boreal forest. More generally, unique intraspecific phenotypic variation in rear-edge populations contributes to long-term species persistence in marginal environmental conditions that might scale up with global changes. The conservation of rear-edge populations and their genetic legacy appears crucial for the resilience of species.

Lianas rapidly colonize early stages of tropical forests, presumably through leaf trait diversification

Questions: Ecological succession is the process during which ecosystems recover after disturbances. Studies investigating community re-assembly during tropical forest succession have rarely compared lianas to trees. We addressed two questions: (1) How do changes in stem density, total basal area, and species richness of lianas and trees compare throughout a secondary succession, and to what extent does the relative basal area of lianas change along a secondary succession? (2) How do the successional trajectories of functional community trait values of lianas and trees compare? Location: Yoko forest reserve, central Congo basin. Methods: Using univariate Bayesian modeling techniques, we analyzed differences in successional pathways between lianas and trees in terms of community structure, and functional assembly in a replicated chronosequence spanning from young to old-growth forests. Results: We found divergent structural trajectories between lianas and trees along the forest chronosequence. The stem density of lianas peaked at the intermediate stage, while that of trees almost linearly decreased from the early to late stages of succession. The basal area of lianas increased at a higher rate than that of trees, which translated into a marginal increase of liana relative basal area over succession. On the contrary, we observed a lower rate of increase in species richness for lianas than trees over succession. We found a progressive convergence in the responses of lianas and trees to changes with succession in terms of specific leaf area and leaf nitrogen content, but a diverging response in terms of leaf phosphorus content. These functional composition patterns most probably resulted from environmental filtering, induced by a change from nitrogen to phosphorus limitation as the succession progressed to mature forest. Conclusions: These findings underscore the rapid colonization of tropical forests by lianas after agricultural abandonment, presumably by deploying a more diverse leaf economic spectrum early in succession.

Data and code for: Functional traits mediate individualistic species-environment distributions at broad spatial scales while fine-scale species' associations remain unpredictable

Ecological communities are structured by a diverse set of processes acting at different spatial scales. In plant communities, assembly processes like ecological sorting, limiting similarity, and stochastic events are all expected to influence plant distributions and co-occurrence patterns. We assembled a data set describing the distribution of 139 herbaceous plant species within and among 257 forest stands in Wisconsin (USA) to elucidate the spatial scales at which these assembly processes operate. Analyses of these data in conjunction with detailed information about environmental conditions, plant functional traits, and phylogenetic relationships provided new insights into the scale-dependent drivers of plant community assembly in temperate forest understories. Traits like leaf height, specific leaf area, and seed mass all influenced individualistic plant distributions along landscape-scale gradients in soil texture, soil fertility, light availability, and climate while phylogenetic relationships did not predict species-environment relationships. These findings point to the importance of trait-mediated ecological sorting in shaping individualistic plant distributions at broad spatial scales. Contrary to our expectations about the importance of limiting similarity at local scales, neither functionally similar nor phylogenetically related herbs segregated among microsites within forest stands. We hypothesize strong ecological sorting among forest stands coupled with stochastic fine-scale interactions among species appear deterministic, niche-based assembly processes at local scales.