Global assessments of variation in plant functional traits and the way that these traits influence competitive interactions provide a launching pad for future ecological studies. See Article p.167 & Letter p.204

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The global spectrum of plant form and function

Díaz, Sandra; Kattge, Jens; Cornelissen, Johannes H. C.; Wright, Ian J.; Lavorel, Sandra; Dray, Stéphane; Reu, Björn; Kleyer, Michael; Wirth, Christian; Colin Prentice, I.; Garnier, Eric; Bönisch, Gerhard; Westoby, Mark; Poorter, Hendrik; Reich, Peter B.; Moles, Angela T.; Dickie, John; Gillison, Andrew N.; Zanne, Amy E.; Chave, Jérôme; Joseph Wright, S.; Sheremet’ev, Serge N.; Jactel, Hervé; Baraloto, Christopher; Cerabolini, Bruno; Pierce, Simon;

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Controlling many-body states by the electric-field effect in a two-dimensional material

Li, L. J.; O’Farrell, E. C. T.; Loh, K. P.; Eda, G.; Özyilmaz, B.; Castro Neto, A. H.

2015 Nature

doi: 10.1038/nature16175pmid: 26700810

To be able to control the properties of a system that has strong electron–electron interactions using only an external electric field would be ideal, but the material must be thin enough to avoid shielding of the electric field in the bulk material; here pure electric-field control of the charge-density wave and superconductivity transition temperatures is achieved by electrolyte gating through an electric-field double layer transistor in the two-dimensional material 1T-TiSe2.

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Rapid removal of organic micropollutants from water by a porous β-cyclodextrin polymer

Alsbaiee, Alaaeddin; Smith, Brian J.; Xiao, Leilei; Ling, Yuhan; Helbling, Damian E.; Dichtel, William R.

2015 Nature

doi: 10.1038/nature16185pmid: 26689365

An alternative material to activated carbon for water remediation is reported: a porous material based on crosslinked cyclodextrins that is better than activated carbons at adsorbing a range of pharmaceuticals, pesticides and other anthropogenic pollutants.

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Plant functional traits have globally consistent effects on competition

Kunstler, Georges; Falster, Daniel; Coomes, David A.; Hui, Francis; Kooyman, Robert M.; Laughlin, Daniel C.; Poorter, Lourens; Vanderwel, Mark; Vieilledent, Ghislain; Wright, S. Joseph; Aiba, Masahiro; Baraloto, Christopher; Caspersen, John; Cornelissen, J. Hans C.; Gourlet-Fleury, Sylvie;

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Tuft-cell-derived IL-25 regulates an intestinal ILC2–epithelial response circuit

von Moltke, Jakob; Ji, Ming; Liang, Hong-Erh; Locksley, Richard M.

2015 Nature

doi: 10.1038/nature16161pmid: 26675736

Epithelial tuft cells are shown to be the source of intestinal interleukin (IL)-25 that is required for activation of type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s), ILC2-regulated tuft and goblet cell expansion, and control of parasite infection.

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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America PLoS ONE Scientific Reports Science advances Current Science Science Bulletin Royal Society Open Science Sadhana - Academy Proceedings in Engineering Sciences Heliyon Tsinghua Science and Technology

2015 Nature

doi: 10.1038/nature16489pmid: 26700811

Earth is home to a remarkable diversity of plant forms and life histories, yet comparatively few essential trait combinations have proved evolutionarily viable in today’s terrestrial biosphere. By analysing worldwide variation in six major traits critical to growth, survival and reproduction within the largest sample of vascular plant species ever compiled, we found that occupancy of six-dimensional trait space is strongly concentrated, indicating coordination and trade-offs. Three-quarters of trait variation is captured in a two-dimensional global spectrum of plant form and function. One major dimension within this plane reflects the size of whole plants and their parts; the other represents the leaf economics spectrum, which balances leaf construction costs against growth potential. The global plant trait spectrum provides a backdrop for elucidating constraints on evolution, for functionally qualifying species and ecosystems, and for improving models that predict future vegetation based on continuous variation in plant form and function.

Zimmermann, Niklaus E.;

Westoby, Mark

2015 Nature

doi: 10.1038/nature16476pmid: 26700807

Data from millions of trees in thousands of locations are used to show that certain key traits affect competitive ability in predictable ways, and that there are trade-offs between traits that favour growth with and without competition.