Functional Traits 2.0
- Author(s)
- Tom W. N. Walker, Jake M. Alexander, Pierre-Marie Allard, Oliver Baines, Virginie Baldy, Richard D. Bardgett, Pol Capdevila, Phyllis D. Coley, Bruno David, Emmanuel Defossez, Maria-Jose Endara, Madeleine Ernst, Catherine Fernandez, Dale Forrister, Albert Gargallo-Garriga, Vincent E. J. Jassey, Sue Marr, Steffen Neumann, Loic Pellissier, Josep Penuelas, Kristian Peters, Sergio Rasmann, Ute Roessner, Jordi Sardans, Franziska Schrodt, Meredith C. Schuman, Abrianna Soule, Henriette Uthe, Wolfram Weckwerth, Jean-Luc Wolfender, Nicole M. van Dam, Roberto Salguero-Gomez
- Abstract
A major aim of ecology is to upscale attributes of individuals to understand processes at population, community and ecosystem scales. Such attributes are typically described using functional traits, that is, standardised characteristics that impact fitness via effects on survival, growth and/or reproduction. However, commonly used functional traits (e.g. wood density, SLA) are becoming increasingly criticised for not being truly mechanistic and for being questionable predictors of ecological processes. This Special Feature reviews and studies how the metabolome (i.e. the thousands of unique metabolites that underpin physiology) can enhance trait-based ecology and our understanding of plant and ecosystem functioning. In this Editorial, we explore how the metabolome relates to plant functional traits, with reference to life-history trade-offs governing fitness between generations and plasticity shaping fitness within generations. We also identify solutions to challenges of acquiring, interpreting and contextualising metabolome data, and propose a roadmap for integrating the metabolome into ecology. We next summarise the seven studies composing the Special Feature, which use the metabolome to examine mechanisms behind plant community assembly, plant-organismal interactions and effects of plants and soil micro-organisms on ecosystem processes. Synthesis. We demonstrate the potential of the metabolome to improve mechanistic and predictive power in ecology by providing a high-resolution coupling between physiology and fitness. However, applying metabolomics to ecological questions is currently limited by a lack of conceptual, technical and data frameworks, which needs to be overcome to realise the full potential of the metabolome for ecology.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Materials Chemistry, Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Research Platform Vienna Metabolomics Center
- External organisation(s)
- Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Université de Neuchâtel, Geneva University Hospital, Université de Fribourg, University of Nottingham, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie marine et continentale (IMBE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Reims, Institut de recherche pour le développement, Sorbonne Université, Aix-Marseille Université, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Bristol, University of Oxford, Utah State University (USU), University of Utah, Université de Lille, Université Lille I - Sciences et Technologies, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), Universidad de las Americas, Statens Serum Institut, Centro de Investigacion Ecologica y Aplicaciones Forestales (CREAF), Instituto de Física Corpuscular (IFIC), Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Institut national polytechnique de Toulouse, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzenbiochemie, Eidgenössische Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft, University of Melbourne, Universitätsspital Zürich, Michigan State University, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
- Journal
- Journal of Ecology
- Volume
- 110
- Pages
- 4-20
- No. of pages
- 17
- ISSN
- 0022-0477
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13826
- Publication date
- 01-2022
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 106057 Metabolomics, 106030 Plant ecology
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Environmental Science (miscellaneous), Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
- Portal url
- https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/functional-traits-20(36df18e8-6deb-41a3-8a80-f6061b9c1a70).html