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SUMMARY:Exploring Local and Global Patterns of Intraspecific Trait Variatio
 n in Grasses
LOCATION:Bio 136
TZID:America/Denver
DTSTART:20230404T160000
UID:2026-04-22-16-20-03@natsci.colostate.edu
DTSTAMP:20260422T162003
Description:Grasses are a highly successful family of plants (Poaceae) with
  &gt\; 11\,000 species worldwide. They are the dominant growth form of gra
 sslands\, which cover 52 million km²\, or roughly 40% of Earth’s terres
 trial land surface\, and make a substantial contribution to the terrestria
 l carbon sink. Humans are heavily dependent on grasses for food (e.g. cere
 al grains)\, building materials (e.g.\, bamboo)\, and forage for livestock
 . Despite their ecological\, economic\, and cultural importance\, grasses 
 have received relatively little attention in the field of plant functional
  traits. Plant traits are useful for understanding how species respond to 
 environmental change and influence ecosystem processes. Much of our unders
 tanding of how plant traits respond to their environment stems from inters
 pecific comparisons\, although traits can vary significantly within specie
 s. In this talk\, I will explore both local and global patterns of intra-s
 pecific trait variation of grasses.\n\nIn local grasslands of the San Fran
 cisco Bay Area\, I measured the relative abundance\, maximum height\, and 
 specific leaf area (SLA\; leaf area / leaf dry mass) of 19 grass species a
 cross 117 unique plots spanning a steep precipitation gradient. Using this
  dataset\, I show how traits can be predictive of an individual’s abunda
 nce and vice versa\, and that these relationships depend on biotic interac
 tions more than climate. I then added these data to a global dataset of gr
 ass traits spanning six continents to explore variation in trait-climate r
 elationships worldwide. Overall\, I find that traits do not respond consis
 tently to either temperature or precipitation. However\, while intraspecif
 ic trait-climate relationships may at first appear idiosyncratic\, variati
 on in the magnitude (i.e.\, slope) and direction of trait-climate relation
 ships is linked to a species’ lifespan and its typical form and function
 . Finally\, I discuss the utility of these trait-climate relationships for
  training predictive models of trait variation\, particularly in regions t
 hat are not easily accessible for field work. 4:00 pm
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