The traits of “trait ecologists”: An analysis of the use of trait and functional trait terminology

Samantha Dawson; Carlos Pérez Carmona; Manuela González‐Suárez; Mari Jönsson; Filipe Chichorro; Max Mallen‐Cooper; Yolanda Melero; Helen Moor; John P. Simaika; Alexander Bradley Duthie

doi:10.1002/ece3.8321

journal article Open Access Nov 11, 2021

The traits of “trait ecologists”: An analysis of the use of trait and functional trait terminology

Samantha Dawson

Carlos Pérez Carmona Manuela González‐Suárez

Mari Jönsson

Filipe Chichorro Max Mallen‐Cooper

Yolanda Melero

Helen Moor John P. Simaika Alexander Bradley Duthie

Ecology and Evolution Vol. 11 No. 23 pp. 16434-16445 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1002/ece3.8321

Abstract

AbstractTrait and functional trait approaches have revolutionized ecology improving our understanding of community assembly, species coexistence, and biodiversity loss. Focusing on traits promotes comparability across spatial and organizational scales, but terms must be used consistently. While several papers have offered definitions, it remains unclear how ecologists operationalize “trait” and “functional trait” terms. Here, we evaluate how researchers and the published literatures use these terms and explore differences among subdisciplines and study systems (taxa and biome). By conducting both a survey and a literature review, we test the hypothesis that ecologists’ working definition of “trait” is adapted or altered when confronting the realities of collecting, analyzing and presenting data. From 486 survey responses and 712 reviewed papers, we identified inconsistencies in the understanding and use of terminology among researchers, but also limited inclusion of definitions within the published literature. Discrepancies were not explained by subdiscipline, system of study, or respondent characteristics, suggesting there could be an inconsistent understanding even among those working in related topics. Consistencies among survey responses included the use of morphological, phonological, and physiological traits. Previous studies have called for unification of terminology; yet, our study shows that proposed definitions are not consistently used or accepted. Sources of disagreement include trait heritability, defining and interpreting function, and dealing with organisms in which individuals are not clearly recognizable. We discuss and offer guidelines for overcoming these disagreements. The diversity of life on Earth means traits can represent different features that can be measured and reported in different ways, and thus, narrow definitions that work for one system will fail in others. We recommend ecologists embrace the breadth of biodiversity using a simplified definition of “trait” more consistent with its common use. Trait‐based approaches will be most powerful if we accept that traits are at least as diverse as trait ecologists.

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References

Details

Published: Nov 11, 2021
Vol/Issue: 11(23)
Pages: 16434-16445
License: View

Authors

S

Samantha Dawson

Swedish Species Information Centre Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Uppsala Sweden

C

Carlos Pérez Carmona

Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences University of Tartu Tartu Estonia

M

Manuela González‐Suárez

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology School of Biological Sciences University of Reading Reading UK

M

Mari Jönsson

Swedish Species Information Centre Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Uppsala Sweden

F

Filipe Chichorro

LIBRe – Laboratory for Integrative Biodiversity Research Finnish Museum of Natural History University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland

M

Max Mallen‐Cooper

Ecology and Evolution Research Centre School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia

Y

Yolanda Melero

CREAF Cerdanyola del Vallès Spain

H

Helen Moor

Swedish Species Information Centre Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Uppsala Sweden

J

John P. Simaika

Department of Water Resources and Ecosystems IHE Delft Institute for Water Education Delft The Netherlands

A

Alexander Bradley Duthie

Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Stirling Stirling Scotland

Funding

Leverhulme Trust Award: ECF‐2016‐376

European Regional Development Fund

Koneen Säätiö

Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas Award: 2016‐00461

Cite This Article

Samantha Dawson, Carlos Pérez Carmona, Manuela González‐Suárez, et al. (2021). The traits of “trait ecologists”: An analysis of the use of trait and functional trait terminology. Ecology and Evolution, 11(23), 16434-16445. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8321

The traits of “trait ecologists”: An analysis of the use of trait and functional trait terminology

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