Convergent effects of elevation on functional leaf traits within and among species

1.Spatial variation in filters imposed by the abiotic environment causes variation in functional traits within and among plant species. This is abundantly clear for plant species along elevational gradients, where parallel abiotic selection pressures give rise to predictable variation in leaf phenotypes among ecosystems. Understanding the factors responsible for such patterns may provide insight into the current and future drivers of biodiversity, local community structure, and ecosystem function. 2.In order to explore patterns in trait variation along elevational gradients, we conducted a meta-analysis of published observational studies that measured three key leaf functional traits that are associated with axes of variation in both resource competition and stress tolerance: leaf mass:area ratio (LMA), leaf nitrogen content per unit mass (Nmass), and N content per unit area (Narea). To examine whether there may be evidence for a genetic basis underlying the trait variation, we conducte...