All traits are functional: an evolutionary viewpoint

There is increasing confusion regarding the term ‘functional trait’ and its links with ecosystem functioning. Functional traits are defined as traits that affect individual fitness. I use an evolutionary rationale that considers the integration of the phenotype, the environmental variation, and the...

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Bibliographic Details
Author: Sobral Bernal, Mª Mar
Format: article
Publication Date:2021
Country:España
Institution:Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (USC)
Repository:Minerva. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Santiago de Compostela
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:minerva.usc.gal:10347/45819
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10347/45819
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Ecosystem function
Fitness
Functional trait
Integrated phenotype
Phenotypic trait
Selective coefficient
Description
Summary:There is increasing confusion regarding the term ‘functional trait’ and its links with ecosystem functioning. Functional traits are defined as traits that affect individual fitness. I use an evolutionary rationale that considers the integration of the phenotype, the environmental variation, and the relationship between both, to propose that all traits are functional