Data from: Are leaf functional traits “invariant” with plant size, and what is “invariance” anyway?

We also examine the influence of habitat, biome and global spatial scales on the size-relative variance in plant functional traits. We suggest that while invariance is an intuitive concept, an objective statistical definition is elusive. Expanding on ideas drawn from the study of life history invariants, we propose five criteria to identify traits that are effectively invariant, depending on the research question.

We show that all studied “leaf economic spectrum” (LES) traits approach invariance within and between herbaceous and woody plant groups; angiosperms and gymnosperms; and within most biome and habitat types. Individual leaf area, however, shows a modest increase with plant size, and there are significant shifts in the average LES trait values at a given plant maximum height, among the plant growth forms and taxonomic groups.

Our results demonstrate that generally, LES traits show little interspecific variation with maximum plant height, which provides some support for attempts to model plants with “average” leaf properties. Our work also highlights the need for a better understanding of the drivers of leaf size variation within and across individuals, functional groups, clades, biomes and habitats. <h3>Usage Notes</h3> Price et al Data for DryadLeaf functional trait data, plant and leaf size, habitat and biome classifications for 540 plant species.