@article {163315, title = {Acquisitive traits improve seedling survival with reduced soil moisture at the edges of a fragmented tropical forest}, journal = { Plant Ecology }, volume = {227}, year = {2026}, month = { 05 December 202}, type = {Research Article}, abstract = {

Climate change and habitat fragmentation threaten biodiversity, but their interactive effects remain poorly understood. In closed-canopy forests, altered rainfall patterns may induce drought conditions that are exacerbated at forest edges due to warmer, drier microclimates. Plant responses to water limitation can be mediated by functional traits related to resource acquisition and stress tolerance. We examined how reduced soil moisture and edge conditions jointly affect seedling survival, and whether species{\textquoteright} responses are explained by their traits. In a human-modified forest in the central Western Ghats, India, we transplanted ~ 1-year-old seedlings in a factorial combination of habitat (forest edge vs. interior) and moisture deficit (throughfall exclusion vs. control). We monitored survival through one year and estimated moisture response (survival in throughfall exclusion vs. control) and tested its relationship with six traits. Throughfall exclusion reduced soil moisture more at edges, particularly during dry months. At the edge, three species showed significantly lower survival under drought, whereas survival in the interior did not differ with water treatment. Acquisitive traits (low stem specific density, low leaf dry matter content, and low leaf mass per area) improved survival with reduced moisture at edges. Trait-mediated responses were not evident in the interior, likely due to buffered microclimates. Multi-trait combinations were better predictors of moisture response than individual traits, indicating trait coordination. Our results suggest that drier conditions may favour acquisitive species at forest edges, which has implications for community composition, management and restoration of fragmented forests in a changing climate.

}, keywords = {Forest fragmentation, Resource acquisition., Seedling survival, Trait-environment interactions, Tropical forests}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-025-01577-z}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11258-025-01577-z}, author = {Peddiraju Bandaru and Lakshmipriya Cannanbilla and Ashish Nambiar and Rishanth Kuruvankunath Ravi and Ashok Kumar Mani and S Saravanan Karuna Moorthy and Sharath Prakash and Ranjana Gauri Muniraja and Malavika Kamath and Meghna Krishnadas} } @article {163321, title = {Intraspecific Trait Variation Predicts Species Distributions and Niche Occupancy of Seedlings in a Tropical Wet Forest}, journal = {bioTropica}, year = {2026}, month = {29 December 2025}, type = {Research Article}, abstract = {

Functional traits enable comparison among species to elucidate general patterns and processes. While most work on trait-mediated ecology employs variation among species, recent studies show that intraspecific trait variation (ITV) can significantly affect community dynamics. We examined the extent of ITV in seedlings of woody plants and its influence on abundance patterns and niche parameters in a tropical wet forest. Using 14 species that had at least 5 individuals across 150 2 {\texttimes} 2-m plots arrayed across a gradient of light and water availability, we estimated species{\textquoteright} niche properties (breadth and position) and abundance. We measured eight functional traits corresponding to morphological and allocational features of leaves, stems and roots, from which we estimated ITV and functional position of species. We used variance partitioning to determine the relative extent of trait variation at different ecological levels and used linear models to assess the relationship between ITV, abundance, and niche properties. ITV accounted for 30{\textendash}100\% of trait variation. Only leaf dry matter content showed a significant link between abundance and ITV via niche breadth along light and soil moisture gradients and via niche position along soil organic carbon gradients. While ITV of no other trait correlated with abundance, root, stem, and leaf mass fractions showed significant relations with niche breadth. Overall, ITV in seedlings was substantial and shaped niche properties, but this did not consistently translate to patterns in abundance. Future work should link ITV to species{\textquoteright} performance to better comprehend the mechanisms underlying plant community dynamics.

}, doi = { https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.70150Digital Object Identifier (DOI)}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/btp.70150}, author = {Vikhyath Premugh and Rajaditya Das and Ashish Nambiar and Meghna Krishnadas} } @article {154352, title = {From low to high elevations, flowers adapt traits and phenology to climate, but phenology-trait relationships weak}, journal = {Functional Ecology}, year = {2025}, month = {26 January 2025}, pages = {1-14}, abstract = {
  1. Flowering phenology is central to plant reproductive success and can relate to morphological traits such as size and quality of flowers, but phenology{\textendash}trait associations of flowers remain unclear. Phenology{\textendash}trait associations can vary within and among species, especially across climate gradients, due to allocational trade-offs in response to selective pressures from abiotic stress and/or biotic factors such as pollinator availability. It is unknown whether floral morphology and phenology experience coordinated selection across climate gradients or vary independently.
  2. Understanding the drivers of trait variation and its implications for floral phenology may be especially relevant in mountains where climate and abiotic gradients change sharply with elevation. At higher elevations, increasing cold and aridity may favour higher quality, stress-tolerant flowers that withstand harsher conditions better than cheaper flowers, but trade-off with size and showiness to pollinators. Relatively benign conditions at lower elevations may permit more flexible phenotypes and weaker association between trait and phenology by allowing species more leeway for flowering times compared with the short growing season at higher elevations.
  3. We examined trait{\textendash}phenology associations within and among 250 herbaceous species in the Western Himalayas, spanning 2000{\textendash}4500 m AMSL. Intraspecific variation in traits and phenology decreased from low to high elevation at the community scale, but species showed idiosyncratic responses. Trait{\textendash}trait correlations indicated stronger selection and constraints on phenotypes and phenology at higher elevations. However, trait{\textendash}phenology correlations were relatively weak throughout, suggesting independent selection on flower morphology vs. phenology.
  4. Overall, climate imposed strong selection on flower traits and regulated floral phenology, but without any strong or consistent associations between traits and phenology. It is likely that flower morphology responded to multiple abiotic and biotic drivers, within and across elevations, whereas phenology mainly responded to temperature and thaw. Our findings suggest that selection from ongoing warming will operate separately on floral morphology and phenology of alpine plant communities, and mechanisms and consequences should be evaluated using experiments.
}, keywords = {Climate Change, floral traits, flower phenology, herbaceous plants, Himalaya, intraspecific trait variation, phenology{\textendash}trait relationships, trait-coordination}, doi = { https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14748}, url = {https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2435.14748}, author = {Mustaqeem Ahmad and Sonia Rathee and Meghna Krishnadas} }