Related to article: Shift from acquisitive to conservative plant strategies with increasing drought and temperature extremes in an alpine shrub

Full details here: https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf211 Background and Aims Trait-based approaches have advanced our understanding of plant strategies; however,they often focus on leaf-level traits, overlooking the functional roles of stem anatomy and twig characteristics. Weinvestigated intraspecific trait variation in Salix flabellaris, an alpine dwarf shrub, along climatic gradients in theHimalayas. Our goal was to identify distinct axes of trait variation related to stem, twig and leaf traits, assess theirenvironmental drivers and evaluate population-specific growth responses to recent climate change.Methods We measured anatomical and morphological traits in stems, twigs and leaves across central andmarginal populations along three Himalayan transects. Environmental gradients included variation in growingseason temperature and soil moisture. Basal area increment from 2000 to 2021 was analysed to assess longtermgrowth trends in different areas.Results Trait dimensions were largely independent, reflecting distinct ecological strategies: (1) stem anatomicaltrade-off between hydraulic safety and conductivity; (2) twig dimension balancing construction costs andmechanical strength; and (3) leaf dimension along the exploitative–conservative axis. Higher temperaturesenhanced performance, manifested as larger twigs and reduced tissue construction costs, but only in conditionswith sufficient soil moisture. Central populations at mid-elevations displayed the favourable trait combinationsand highest growth rates. In contrast, marginal populations (higher and lower elevations) showed traitsindicating structural reinforcement and conservative resource use. Climate warming over recent decadesenhanced stem growth primarily in high-elevation populations, where low-temperature constraints were relaxed.Conclusions This study demonstrates that stem, twig and leaf traits represent distinct yet complementarystrategies, with environmental filtering shaping their expression along climate gradients. Central populationsexhibit the highest growth in current conditions, and climate change is shifting growth advantages towardshigher elevations. These findings highlight the need for integrated, multi-organ trait assessments to predictspecies performance, persistence and potential range shifts under future climatic scenarios.