Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects.We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives. Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP) and DIVERSITAS, the TRY database (TRY-not an acronym, rather a statement of sentiment; https ://www.try-db.org; Kattge et al., 2011) was proposed with the explicit assignment to improve the availability and accessibility of plant trait data for ecology and earth system sciences. The Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry (MPI-BGC) offered to host the database and the different groups joined forces for this community-driven program. Two factors were key to the success of TRY: the support and trust of leaders in the field of functional plant ecology submitting large databases and the long-term funding by the Max Planck Society, the MPI-BGC and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, which has enabled the continuous development of the TRY database.

The application of a functional trait-based approach to ecological restoration is receiving growing attention worldwide, but lack of knowledge on functional traits and how they link to ecosystem services imposes a major barrier to operationalize such approach. Synthesizing the existing knowledge on functional trait-based restoration is thus a timely and important challenge. We systematically reviewed the literature to assess how ecosystem services are associated to functional traits across organisms, ecosystem types, and continents. We also assessed the existing trait-based frameworks to target ecosystem services in restoration ecology. Then, we discussed future perspectives for the field, especially the challenges of applying trait-based frameworks in megadiverse tropical ecosystems, which have ambitious restoration commitments. Most papers focused on plants (72%), terrestrial habitats (69%), and non-tropical ecosystems (68%) and monitored ecosystem services and functional traits after restoration started rather than using them as previous targets. Only 12% of the papers targeted the restoration of both services and traits a priori, and 3.8% presented a clear trait-based framework to target ecosystem services in restoration. The possibility of selecting alternative subsets of complementary species in their provisioning of ecosystem services should make functional restoration more feasible than traditional approaches in species-rich tropical ecosystems. With this review and our critical insights on the perspectives of applying functional trait-based restoration widely, we hope to assist broad-scale restoration programs to obtain higher levels of benefits for nature and human well-being per unit of area undergoing restoration, going beyond the areabased approach that has dominated restoration commitments.

Background Functional and phylogenetic diversity are increasingly used to infer the important community assembly processes that have structured local communities, which is one of the most fundamental issues in ecology. However, there are critical assumptions and pitfalls associated with these analyses, which can create ambiguity in interpreting results.

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Questions What is the magnitude of between‐species trait variability (BSV) and within‐species trait variability (WSV) of specific leaf area (SLA) in a sapling meta‐community? To what extent do species turnover and WSV influence community‐level mean trait responses to an environmental gradient and trait spread patterns across this gradient? What is the role of WSV for mean plant responses to environmental variation and niche partitioning in structuring sapling communities? Location Forest patches within a native grassland matrix in southern Brazil. Methods We recorded saplings in community plots across a canopy openness gradient in forest patches and described each of the 1129 individuals using SLA. First, we partitioned trait variation into BSV and WSV irrespective of co‐occurrence in plots. Then, using the community data, we partitioned the total variation of community‐weighted trait means (CWM) and Rao's functional diversity (FD) into components explained by canopy openness, species turnover and WSV. We also partitioned the effects of WSV between and within plots on FD. Finally, we explored the responses of CWM and FD to the gradient using the whole trait variability, only BSV or only WSV. Results Specific leaf area presented a substantial proportion of variation within species (37%), although it varied more between species (63%). Species turnover and WSV explained 48% and 19% of the variation in CWM across the gradient, respectively. Species turnover and WSV explained 51% and 45% of the variation in FD across the gradient, respectively. SLA varied within species more along the gradient than within communities. Within‐species variability enhanced shifts in CWM and FD across the gradient. Canopy openness significantly predicted CWM at all levels, and FD at all but the within‐species level. Conclusions Plastic responses of species mirrored the average response of communities to the environmental gradient. Within‐species trait variability enhanced the mean plant responses to environmental variation as well as niche partitioning, and was especially important in enabling species to establish in a wider portion of the environmental gradient. Our study provides new evidence that population‐level phenomena matter for community assembly.