Catherine M. Hulshof

TL;DR: New T-statistics ('T' for trait) are introduced, based on the comparison of intraspecific and interspecific variances of functional traits across organizational levels, to operationally incorporate intrapecific variability into community ecology theory.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors studied how individuals, species, and communities in seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTF) will cope with the hotter, drier conditions predicted by climate models.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors quantify leaf trait variation within and across ten coexisting tree species in a dry tropical forest in Costa Rica to ask: (i) whether the majority of trait variation is located between species, within groups, within individuals or within the leaves themselves; (ii) whether trait values collected using standardized methods correlate with those collected using unstandardized methods; and (iii) to what extent can we differentiate plant species on the basis of their traits?

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors measured woody plant species abundance and a key functional trait associated with competition for resources and environmental tolerance (specific leaf area, SLA) along elevational gradients in low-latitude tropical (Costa Rica), midlatitude desert (Arizona) and high latitude mediterranean (southern Oregon) biomes.

TL;DR: Intra- and inter-specific patterns of SLA variation appeared broadly consistent with the idea that the relative strength of biotic and abiotic drivers on community assembly changes along elevational and latitudinal gradients.