title: Trait-based plant ecology: moving towards a unifying species coexistence theory : Features of the Special Section.
abstract: Functional traits are the center of recent attempts to unify key ecological theories on species coexistence and assembling in populations and communities. While the plethora of studies on the role of functional traits to explain patterns and dynamics of communities has rendered a complex picture due to the idiosyncrasies of each study system and approach, there is increasing evidence on their actual relevance when aspects such as different spatial scales, intraspecific variability and demography are considered.
authors.affiliation: Área Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, ESCET, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Adrián
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Escudero
authors.affiliation: Área Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, ESCET, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain. valladares@ccma.csic.es.|LINCGlobal, Department of Biogeography and Global Change, National Museum of Natural History, MNCN, CSIC, Serrano 115 bis, 28006, Madrid, Spain. valladares@ccma.csic.es.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Valladares
mesh_terms: D004463:Ecology; D017753:Ecosystem; D010641:Phenotype; D010944:Plants