Abstract
Plants vary widely in how common or rare they are, but whether commonness of species is associated with functional traits is still debated. This might partly be because commonness can be measured at different spatial scales, and because most studies focus solely on aboveground functional traits. We measured five root traits and seed mass on 241 central European grassland species, and extracted their specific leaf area, height, mycorrhizal status and bud‐bank size from databases. Then we tested if trait values are associated with commonness at seven spatial scales, ranging from abundance in 16‐m 2 grassland plots, via regional and European‐wide occurrence frequencies, to worldwide naturalization success. At every spatial scale, commonness was associated with at least three traits. The traits explained the greatest proportions of variance for abundance in grassland plots (42%) and naturalization success (41%) and the least for occurrence frequencies in Europe and the Mediterranean (2%). Low root tissue density characterized common species at every scale, whereas other traits showed directional changes depending on the scale. We also found that many of the effects had significant non‐linear effects, in most cases with the highest commonness‐metric value at intermediate trait values. Across scales, belowground traits explained overall more variance in species commonness (19.4%) than aboveground traits (12.6%). The changes we found in the relationships between traits and commonness, when going from one spatial scale to another, could at least partly explain the maintenance of trait variation in nature. Most importantly, our study shows that within grasslands, belowground traits are at least as important as aboveground traits for species commonness. Therefore, belowground traits should be more frequently considered in studies on plant functional ecology.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
At every spatial scale, at least three traits were associated with commonness.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“At every spatial scale, commonness was associated with at least three traits.”
t0“grassland plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Traits explained 42% of abundance variance in grassland plots.
- Taxon
- grassland plantst0
- Organ / stage
- traitse0
- Outcome
- variance for abundance in grassland plotse0
- Value
- 42%e0
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“The traits explained the greatest proportions of variance for abundance in grassland plots (42%)”
t0“grassland plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Traits explained 41% of naturalization success variance.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“naturalization success (41%)”
e1“The traits explained the greatest proportions of variance for abundance in grassland plots (42%)”
t0“grassland plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Traits explained 2% of occurrence-frequency variance in Europe and the Mediterranean.
- Taxon
- grassland plantst0
- Organ / stage
- traitse1
- Outcome
- occurrence frequenciese0
- Value
- 2%e0
- Setting
- Europe and the Mediterraneane0
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“the least for occurrence frequencies in Europe and the Mediterranean (2%)”
e1“The traits explained the greatest proportions of variance for abundance in grassland plots (42%)”
t0“grassland plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Low root tissue density characterized common species at every scale.
Verbatim
e0“Low root tissue density characterized common species at every scale”
t0“grassland plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Other traits changed direction in their associations with commonness across scales.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“other traits showed directional changes depending on the scale”
e1“Low root tissue density characterized common species at every scale”
t0“grassland plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Many trait effects were significantly nonlinear, often with maximum commonness at intermediate trait values.
Verbatim
e0“many of the effects had significant non‐linear effects, in most cases with the highest commonness‐metric value at intermediate trait values”
t0“grassland plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Belowground traits explained 19.4% of commonness variance across scales.
- Taxon
- grassland plantst0
- Organ / stage
- belowground traitse0
- Outcome
- variance in species commonnesse0
- Value
- 19.4%e0
- Comparator
- aboveground traitse0
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“belowground traits explained overall more variance in species commonness (19.4%) than aboveground traits (12.6%)”
t0“grassland plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Aboveground traits explained 12.6% of commonness variance across scales.
- Taxon
- grassland plantst0
- Organ / stage
- aboveground traitse0
- Outcome
- variance in species commonnesse0
- Value
- 12.6%e0
- Comparator
- belowground traitse0
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“belowground traits explained overall more variance in species commonness (19.4%) than aboveground traits (12.6%)”
t0“grassland plants”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend considering belowground traits more often in plant functional ecology.
Verbatim
e0“belowground traits should be more frequently considered in studies on plant functional ecology”
t0“grassland plants”