DOI: 10.5061/dryad.sj3tx9621
title: Intraspecific functional trait structure of restoration-relevant species: implications for restoration seed sourcing

description: Recent research has highlighted the existence of significant intraspecific
 trait variation within and among populations of plant species. This
 inherent variation within species means there is a wealth of trait
 diversity from which to source germplasm for use in ecological
 restoration. However, it remains unclear how to source materials from this
 pool of trait diversity in order to achieve desired outcomes and support
 ecosystem function in a restoration context. We provide a framework to
 study the structure of trait variation across populations and genotypes in
 an effort to bridge functional trait research with the sourcing of native
 plant materials for restoration. We investigated the structure of
 intraspecific functional trait variation in three forb species used in
 restoration on the Colorado Plateau to (i) understand the structure of
 functional trait variation within and among populations, and (ii)
 determine if individual and multivariate functional traits differ between
 populations while accounting for trait variation within and among
 genotypes. We found considerable functional trait variation at all
 sampling levels, with variation within populations often surpassing
 variation among populations. Still, we observed population-level
 differences in trait values in eight of the twelve species-by-trait
 combinations and populations largely segregated in multivariate trait
 space. Synthesis and applications. Using micropropagation techniques, we
 uncovered population-level differences in functional trait variation,
 suggesting that mixing populations to create restoration germplasm
 following a regional admixture provenancing approach could lead to
 increased functional diversity in restorations. However, the substantial
 trait variation identified within some populations of our study species
 also suggests a similar potential when utilizing genotypically diverse
 material from even a single population. Further research on these and
 other species is needed to understand the structure of intraspecific
 functional trait variation and how it impacts ecosystem function. The
 approach outlined in this study can assist researchers in assessing the
 underlying trait variation present in various restoration materials and
 provide managers with more detailed information that can help make
 germplasm sourcing decisions.
description: Individual level trait data collected from micropropagated plants
 grown in a growth chamber. Individual plants are identified by species,
 population, genotype, and replicate (clone). Biomass measurements were
 manually collected with an analytic balance for each individual plant. 
 Measurements were collected for three leaves of each individual using leaf
 scans and ImageJ software (v.1.51, Schneider, Rasband, & Eliceiri,
 2012).
description: This dataset includes all of the raw data needed to calculate the
 functional traits used in the study. Root-mass ratio was calculated as the
 ratio of dry below-ground biomass to total dry biomass. Specific leaf area
 (SLA) of each leaf was calculated as leaf area divided by leaf dry mass
 (mm²/mg) and leaf dry matter content (LDMC) was calculated as the ratio of
 dry to fresh leaf mass (mg/g). Leaf traits were calculated individually
 for each of three leaves harvested from each individual plant which were
 then averaged to provide a single value for each individual plant in
 subsequent analyses.