Trait-based plant ecology a flawed tool in climate studies? The leaf traits of wild olive that pattern with climate are not those routinely measured.
Climate-related studies have generally focussed upon physiologically well-defined 'mechanistic' traits rather than 'functional' ones relating indirectly to resource capture. Nevertheless, field responses to climate are likely to typically include both 'mechanistic' spec...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2019-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0219908 |
| _version_ | 1818682498103640064 |
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| author | Jalal Kassout Jean-Frederic Terral John G Hodgson Mohammed Ater |
| author_facet | Jalal Kassout Jean-Frederic Terral John G Hodgson Mohammed Ater |
| author_sort | Jalal Kassout |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Climate-related studies have generally focussed upon physiologically well-defined 'mechanistic' traits rather than 'functional' ones relating indirectly to resource capture. Nevertheless, field responses to climate are likely to typically include both 'mechanistic' specialization to climatic extremes and 'functional' strategies that optimize resource acquisition during less climatically-severe periods. Here, this hypothesis was tested. Seventeen traits (six 'functional', six 'mechanistic' and five 'intermediate') were measured from 19 populations of oleaster (wild olive) along a climatic gradient in Morocco. Principal components analysis of the trait dataset identified size and the 'worldwide leaf economics spectrum' as PCA axes 1 and 2. However, contrary to our prediction, these axes, and commonly-measured 'functional' traits, were little correlated with climate. Instead, PCA 3, perhaps relating to water-use and succulence, together stomatal density, specific leaf water content and leaf shape, patterned with altitude, aridity, rainfall and temperature. We concluded that, at least for slow-growing species, such as oleaster, 'mechanistic' traits are key to identifying mechanisms of climatic restriction. Meaningful collaboration between 'mechanistic' and 'functional' disciplines provides the best way of improving our understanding of the global impacts of climate change on species distribution and performance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T10:19:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bb5b950db2f048cf884e55b8bee6f91f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T10:19:48Z |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-bb5b950db2f048cf884e55b8bee6f91f2022-12-21T21:52:49ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032019-01-01147e021990810.1371/journal.pone.0219908Trait-based plant ecology a flawed tool in climate studies? The leaf traits of wild olive that pattern with climate are not those routinely measured.Jalal KassoutJean-Frederic TerralJohn G HodgsonMohammed AterClimate-related studies have generally focussed upon physiologically well-defined 'mechanistic' traits rather than 'functional' ones relating indirectly to resource capture. Nevertheless, field responses to climate are likely to typically include both 'mechanistic' specialization to climatic extremes and 'functional' strategies that optimize resource acquisition during less climatically-severe periods. Here, this hypothesis was tested. Seventeen traits (six 'functional', six 'mechanistic' and five 'intermediate') were measured from 19 populations of oleaster (wild olive) along a climatic gradient in Morocco. Principal components analysis of the trait dataset identified size and the 'worldwide leaf economics spectrum' as PCA axes 1 and 2. However, contrary to our prediction, these axes, and commonly-measured 'functional' traits, were little correlated with climate. Instead, PCA 3, perhaps relating to water-use and succulence, together stomatal density, specific leaf water content and leaf shape, patterned with altitude, aridity, rainfall and temperature. We concluded that, at least for slow-growing species, such as oleaster, 'mechanistic' traits are key to identifying mechanisms of climatic restriction. Meaningful collaboration between 'mechanistic' and 'functional' disciplines provides the best way of improving our understanding of the global impacts of climate change on species distribution and performance.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0219908 |
| spellingShingle | Jalal Kassout Jean-Frederic Terral John G Hodgson Mohammed Ater Trait-based plant ecology a flawed tool in climate studies? The leaf traits of wild olive that pattern with climate are not those routinely measured. PLoS ONE |
| title | Trait-based plant ecology a flawed tool in climate studies? The leaf traits of wild olive that pattern with climate are not those routinely measured. |
| title_full | Trait-based plant ecology a flawed tool in climate studies? The leaf traits of wild olive that pattern with climate are not those routinely measured. |
| title_fullStr | Trait-based plant ecology a flawed tool in climate studies? The leaf traits of wild olive that pattern with climate are not those routinely measured. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Trait-based plant ecology a flawed tool in climate studies? The leaf traits of wild olive that pattern with climate are not those routinely measured. |
| title_short | Trait-based plant ecology a flawed tool in climate studies? The leaf traits of wild olive that pattern with climate are not those routinely measured. |
| title_sort | trait based plant ecology a flawed tool in climate studies the leaf traits of wild olive that pattern with climate are not those routinely measured |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0219908 |
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