DOI: 10.5061/dryad.bzkh189h0
title: Unraveling the clonal trait space: Beyond aboveground and fine-root traits

description: Plant trait variation is constrained by mechanical and energetic tradeoffs
 as attested by the global spectrum of plant form and function and the
 fine-root economics space for above- and belowground traits. However,
 traits that are key for fitness maintenance in some plant groups, such as
 clonal and bud bank traits, have not yet been integrated within the
 frameworks provided by the aboveground and the fine-root economics space.
 By using an extensive dataset encompassing aboveground, fine-root, clonal,
 and bud bank traits of 2000 species of Central European herbs, we asked
 whether clonal and bud bank traits correspond to the placement of species
 in the aboveground or fine-root trait spaces. Perennial clonal and
 non-clonal herbs show indistinct positioning within the aboveground and
 fine-root trait spaces. This extends and reinforces previous fragmentary
 evidence of weak correlations between clonal and bud bank traits and
 aboveground trait dimensions. Additionally, we identify for the first time
 a limited correlation between clonal and fine-root traits as well. This
 disconnection suggests that clonal traits operate independently from other
 trait spectra. For this reason, we introduce the concept of a “clonal
 trait space” for clonal herbs. The first dimension of this space is
 defined by bud bank size and the persistence of clonal connection,
 reflecting a gradient of species specialisation for on-spot persistence
 and tolerance to disturbance (persistence dimension). The second
 dimension, defined by multiplication rate and lateral spread, reflects a
 specialisation axis for clonal multiplication and horizontal size
 dimension (clonal multiplication dimension). Clonal trait dimensions add
 non-redundant information to the aboveground or fine-roots trait space.
 Synthesis: We champion the integration of the persistence and clonal
 multiplication dimensions from the “clonal trait space” into the
 frameworks provided by the aboveground trait and the fine-root economics
 spaces, thereby enhancing our comprehension of the multifaceted trait
 strategies exhibited by plants.
description: # Data and code to reproduce the analyses reported in the main text of the
 article: Title: "Unraveling the clonal trait space: beyond
 aboveground and fine-root traits" Authors: Chelli, Stefano;
 Klimešová, Jitka; Tsalakos, James; Puglielli, Giacomo Journal: Journal of
 Ecology --- # Data: ## 1 - CloPla\_GSPFF\_Imputed.csv It includes ### 1.1.
 - Taxonomic information Resolved_name: species binomial according to the
 Plant List v.1.1. genus: the genus to which each species belongs. family:
 the family to which each species belongs. order: the order to which each
 species belongs. ### 1.2. - Metadata from Klimešová et al. (2017, Ecology
 98, 1179-1179) woody (binomial): 1- woody plant, excluding small shrubs
 (chamaephytes) and suffruticose plants, 0 - otherwise annual (binomial): 1
 - plants typically living for one season. Includes winter annuals, 0 -
 otherwise. perennial (binomial): 1 - plants that do not multiply
 vegetatively and are neither annual nor woody, 0 - otherwise clonal
 (binomial): 1 - plants that live longer than one year, multiply
 vegetatively and flower several times in their lifetime, 0 - otherwise ###
 1.3. - Species-specific information for leaf and plant traits defining the
 global spectrum of plant form and function. These are: la (mm2):
 individual size of a leaf. Area of a leaf in the one-sided projection. ln
 (mg g-1): leaf notrogen content on a mass basis. Ratio of the quantity of
 nitrogen in the leaf per respective unit dry mass. ph (m): maximum plant
 height. Maximum height of a whole plant. sla (mm2 mg-1): specific leaf
 area. Ratio of the area of a leaf to its dry mass. ssd (mg mm-3): stem
 specific density. Ratio of the mass of the stem after drying to its volume
 assessed without drying sm (mg): seed mass. Mass of a seed assessed after
 drying. Note that these traits were imputed using the procedure explained
 in the main text of the article. Not imputed trait data were obtained from
 Carmona et al. (2021, Nature 597, 683–687). ### 1.4. - Clonal traits,
 obtained from Klimešová et al. (2017, Ecology 98, 1179-1179). These are:
 BBRsize (count): total bud-bank size. Total number of buds stored in bud
 bearing organs per rooting unit. persistence (year): persistence of clonal
 connection. Period of connection between offspring rooting unit and
 parental rooting unit offspring (count): multiplication rate. Number of
 offspring rooting units produced by a parental rooting unit per year.
 spread (m year-1): lateral spread. Distance between offspring rooting
 units and parental rooting unit. Note: NAs indicate missing information
 for clonal traits. --- ## 2 - CloPla\_RES\_Imputed.csv It includes: ###
 2.1. - Taxonomic information Resolved_name: species binomial according to
 the Plant List v.1.1. genus: the genus to which each species belongs.
 family: the family to which each species belongs. order: the order to
 which each species belongs. ### 2.2. - Metadata from Klimešová et al.
 (2017, Ecology 98, 1179-1179) woody (binomial): 1- woody plant, excluding
 small shrubs (chamaephytes) and suffruticose plants, 0 - otherwise annual
 (binomial): 1 - plants typically living for one season. Includes winter
 annuals, 0 - otherwise. perennial (binomial): 1 - plants that do not
 multiply vegetatively and are neither annual nor woody, 0 - otherwise
 clonal (binomial): 1 - plants that live longer than one year, multiply
 vegetatively and flower several times in their lifetime, 0 - otherwise ###
 2.3. - Species-specific information for fine-root traits defining the root
 economics space. These are: SRL (m g-1): Specific root length. Ratio of
 the length of fine roots to the corresponding fine root mass assessed
 after drying. D (mm): Mean root diameter. Diameter of a fine root. N (mg
 g-1): Root nitrogen content. Ratio of the quantity of nitrogen in the root
 to the corresponding root mass assessed after drying. RTD (g cm-3): Ratio
 of root mass after drying to the volume assessed without drying. Note that
 these traits were imputed using the procedure explained in the main text
 of the article. Not imputed trait data were obtained from Carmona et al.
 (2021, Nature 597, 683–687). ### 2.4. - Clonal traits, obtained from
 Klimešová et al. (2017, Ecology 98, 1179-1179). These are: BBRsize
 (count): total bud-bank size. Total number of buds stored in bud bearing
 organs per rooting unit. persistence (year): persistence of clonal
 connection. Period of connection between offspring rooting unit and
 parental rooting unit offspring (count): multiplication rate. Number of
 offspring rooting units produced by a parental rooting unit per year.
 spread (m year-1): lateral spread. Distance between offspring rooting
 units and parental rooting unit. Note: NAs indicate missing information
 for clonal traits. --- # Code Note that each of the following script can
 be executed separately given that the datasets are loaded in the global
 environment. ### 1 - Trait\_Space\_Growth\_Forms\_Perennials\_only It
 allows reproducing Fig. 1 and all the associated results (including
 TPD-based dissimilarity). ### 2 - corr.plot It allows reproducing Fig. 2.
 ### 3 - Aboveground\_Analysis It allows reproducing Fig. 3 and all the
 associated results. ### 4 - Procustes\_Above\_and\_Dimensions It performs
 procustes analysis between aboveground and clonal trait space. ### 5 -
 Belowground analysis It allows reproducing Fig. 4 and all the assocaited
 results. ### 6 - Procustes\_Below\_and\_Dimensions It performs procustes
 analysis between belowground and clonal trait space.