traits

Functional traits explain the Hutchinsonian niches of plant species

[Access the paper here](https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13048) Aim: The Hutchinsonian niche is a foundational concept in ecology and evolutionary biology that describes fundamental characteristics of any species: the global maximum population growth rate …

Land cover change homogenizes functional and phylogenetic diversity within and among African savanna bird assemblages

[Access the paper here](https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-019-00939-z) or …

TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access

[Access the paper here.](https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14904) Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic …

Fire and life history affect the distribution of plant species in a biodiversity hotspot

[Access the paper here.](https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12921) Aim: Species distribution models (SDMs) provide valuable insights into species--environment relationships and potential climate change impacts on diversity. Most SDMs do not account for the …

Do Mixed Fire Regimes Shape Plant Flammability and Post-Fire Recovery Strategies?

[Access the paper here.](https://doi.org/10.3390/fire1030039) The development of frameworks for better-understanding ecological syndromes and putative evolutionary strategies of plant adaptation to fire has recently received a flurry of attention, …

Processes of community assembly in an environmentally heterogeneous, high biodiversity region

[Access the paper here.](https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.01945) Despite decades of study, the relative importance of niche-based versus neutral processes in community assembly remains largely ambiguous. Recent work suggests niche-based processes are …

Leaf traits of African woody savanna species across climate and soil fertility gradients: evidence for conservative versus acquisitive resource-use strategies

[Access the paper here](https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12598) Establishing trade‐offs among traits and the degree to which they covary along environmental gradients has become a key focal point in the effort to develop community ecology into a …

Maintenance of species integrity in the context of a recent radiation: the case of Jamesbrittenia (Scrophulariaceae: Limoselleae) in southern Africa

[Access the paper here](https://doi.org/10.1111/boj.12447) Incomplete post-zygotic isolation poses challenges for the maintenance of species integrity in recently radiated lineages. An example is Jamesbrittenia, a southern African-centred genus, the …

On bird functional diversity: species richness and functional differentiation show contrasting responses to rainfall and vegetation structure in an arid landscape

[Access the paper here.](https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-015-9875-8) Biodiversity affects ecosystem function through species' functional traits. Although it is possible to predict species richness (SR) patterns along environmental gradients, whether …

The assembly and function of Cape plant communities in a changing world

[More on the book here.](https://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199679584.001.0001/acprof-9780199679584)