Global gradients in intraspecific variation in vegetative and floral traits are partially associated with climate and species richness
Creators: name: Kuppler, Jonas
name: Albert, Cécile H.
name: Ames, Gregory M.
name: Armbruster, William Scott
name: Boenisch, Gerhard
name: Boucher, Florian C.
name: Campbell, Diane R.
name: Carneiro, Liedson T.
name: Chacón‐Madrigal, Eduardo
name: Enquist, Brian J.
name: Fonseca, Carlos R.
name: Gómez, José M.
name: Guisan, Antoine
name: Higuchi, Pedro
name: Karger, Dirk N.
name: Kattge, Jens
name: Kleyer, Michael
name: Kraft, Nathan J. B.
name: Larue‐Kontić, Anne‐Amélie C.
name: Lázaro, Amparo
name: Lechleitner, Martin
name: Loughnan, Deirdre
name: Minden, Vanessa
name: Niinemets, Ülo
name: Overbeck, Gerhard E.
name: Parachnowitsch, Amy L.
name: Perfectti, Francisco
name: Pillar, Valério D.
name: Schellenberger Costa, David
name: Sletvold, Nina
name: Stang, Martina
name: Alves‐Dos‐Santos, Isabel
name: Streit, Helena
name: Wright, Justin
name: Zych, Marcin
name: Junker, Robert R.
Publisher: name: Universität Ulm
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: community ecology
subject: flower trait
subject: functional diversity
subject: functional trait
subject: leaf trait
subject: precipitation gradient
subject: temperature gradient
subject: within-species variation
subject: MEDIATED SELECTION
subject: FUNCTIONAL TRAITS
subject: LEAF ECONOMICS
subject: R PACKAGE
subject: VARIABILITY
subject: PATTERNS
subject: FLOWER
subject: DDC 570 / Life sciences
subject: DDC 580 / Botanical sciences
subject: DDC 910 / Geography &amp; travel
subject: Biotic communities
subject: Macroecology
subject: Intraspecific variation
subject: Plant-pollinator relationships
subject: Phenotypic plasticity
subject: Variabilität
subject: Verhaltensmuster
subject: Blume
subject: Stress

description: Aim Intraspecific trait variation (ITV) within natural plant communities can be large, influencing local ecological processes and dynamics. Here, we shed light on how ITV in vegetative and floral traits responds to large‐scale abiotic and biotic gradients (i.e., climate and species richness). Specifically, we tested whether associations of ITV with temperature, precipitation and species richness were consistent with any of four hypotheses relating to stress tolerance and competition. Furthermore, we estimated the degree of correlation between ITV in vegetative and floral traits and how they vary along the gradients. Location Global. Time period 1975–2016. Major taxa studied Herbaceous and woody plants. Methods We compiled a dataset of 18,401 measurements of the absolute extent of ITV (measured as the coefficient of variation) in nine vegetative and seven floral traits from 2,822 herbaceous and woody species at 2,372 locations. Results Large‐scale associations between ITV and climate were trait specific and more prominent for vegetative traits, especially leaf morphology, than for floral traits. The ITV showed pronounced associations with climate, with lower ITV values in colder areas and higher values in drier areas. The associations of ITV with species richness were inconsistent across traits. Species‐specific associations across gradients were often idiosyncratic, and covariation in ITV was weaker between vegetative and floral traits than within the two trait groups. Main conclusions Our results show that, depending on the traits considered, ITV either increased or decreased with climate stress and species richness, suggesting that both factors can constrain or enhance ITV, which might foster plant‐population persistence in stressful conditions. Given the species‐specific responses and covariation in ITV, associations can be hard to predict for traits and species not yet studied. We conclude that consideration of ITV can improve our understanding of how plants cope with stressful conditions and environmental change across spatial and biological scales.