Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Fort Collins, Colorado » Center for Agricultural Resources Research » Water Management and Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #359904
Research Project: Improving the Sustainability of Irrigated Farming Systems in Semi-Arid Regions

Location: Water Management and Systems Research

Title: What do you mean “functional” in ecology? Patterns versus processes

Author
item VOLAIRE, FLORENCE - University Of Montpellier
item Gleason, Sean
item DELZON, SYLVAIN - University Of Bordeaux

Submitted to: Ecology and Evolution
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/24/2020
Publication Date: 10/15/2020
Citation: Volaire, F., Gleason, S.M., Delzon, S. 2020. What do you mean “functional” in ecology? Patterns versus processes. Ecology and Evolution. 10(21):11875-11885. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6781.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6781

Interpretive Summary: Use of the term ‘functional trait’ has increased exponentially in plant ecology. Although proposed to account for numerous ecological processes, this concept raises several issues. We propose that the term ‘functional’ is misleading because the identification of functional traits is not usually based on rigorous criteria. Moreover, most traits measured to understand organisms are ‘functional’ whatever the scale or the discipline. The most used ‘functional’ traits underpin strong patterns based on comparisons between species performed at the same time. Hence, they could be termed 'pattern-traits'. They differ from 'process-traits' that are measured several times during a plant's life time, and represent a response to fluctuating environments. A better accounting of biological development (e.g., vegetative, reproductive stages), life form (e.g., tree, shrub, vine), plasticity and genetic variability, is required to increase the convergence between pattern and process-traits across scales and disciplines.

Technical Abstract: Use of the term ‘functional trait’ has increased exponentially in plant ecology. Although proposed to account for numerous ecological processes, this concept raises several issues. We propose that the term ‘functional’ is misleading because the identification of functional traits is not usually based on rigorous criteria. Moreover, most traits measured to understand organisms are ‘functional’ whatever the scale or the discipline. The most used ‘functional’ traits underpin strong patterns based on synchronic comparisons between species. Hence, they could be termed pattern-traits. They differ from process-traits measured as a diachronic response to fluctuating environments. A better accounting of ontogeny, life form, plasticity and genetic variability, is required to increase the convergence between pattern and process-traits across scales and disciplines.