Functional Traits
What is a functional trait according to the paper?
A measurable characteristic that strongly influences organismal performance (eg. body mass, beak size, behavioral versatility).
What is the difference between fundamental and realized niche?
Fundamental niche = where a species can survive without competition; Realized niche = where a species is present.
What is a trade-off in ecological terms?
A situation where improving one function reduces performance in another.
Which trait is most important in the hummingbird example?
Body size
Name one ecological process that the trait-based approach may underestimate.
Dispersal, extreme events, evolution, historical contingency.
Why do the authors criticize “nomenclatural ecology”?
Because species names do not explain mechanisms or allow generalization.
Why do the authors argue that realized niches are not always smaller than fundamental niches?
Because dispersal and source–sink dynamics allow persistence.
According to the paper, why are trade-offs important for species coexistence?
Because they prevent one species from being best at everything.
What trade-off explains coexistence in the lakeshore plant community?
Growth and competitive ability vs tolerance to stress.
Why might traits not be enough to explain all community changes?
Because factors like dispersal, extreme events, and history also matter.
Give one reason why traits are useful for studying many species at once.
They are measurable, comparable, and linked to the environment.
Why might a species not be most abundant at its fundamental niche optimum?
Because in shared niches, the best conditions are taken by dominant competitors, forcing other species to live in less optimal environments.
Give one example of a trade-off mentioned in the paper.
Competitive dominance vs tolerance to low resources; Growth rate vs stress tolerance; Body size vs energy requirements
In simple terms, why does one beetle species exclude the other?
Because it grows faster under the same conditions.
When do the authors say this approach works less well?
In systems with very few species or strong pairwise interactions.