Global Variation in Forest Stomatal Traits Driven by Phylogeny and Climate

This dataset contains stomatal trait measurements—stomatal density, guard cell length, and maximum stomatal conductance—for 480 species-site combinations across global forests. It reveals how phylogenetic heritage and current climate independently drive trait variation, with angiosperms showing higher stomatal density and conductance but lower guard cell length compared to ferns and gymnosperms. The data highlights potential mismatches between species traits and current environments at a macro scale.

Use Cases

• Modeling forest carbon and water fluxes under changing climates
• Testing hypotheses about phylogenetic conservatism in stomatal traits
• Analyzing biogeographic patterns in plant functional traits

Strengths

• 480 species-site combinations provide broad taxonomic and geographic coverage
• Includes three key stomatal traits (SD, GCL, gsmax) for cross-trait analysis
• Explicitly tests phylogenetic versus environmental drivers via statistical methods

Limitations

• Sample size per species-site is unknown; may limit within-population inferences
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred
• Freshness should be verified—last updated 2026-05-10

Provenance

Source

Data compiled from peer-reviewed study published on figshare

Collection Method

Stomatal traits measured via microscopy and gas exchange instruments

Time Range

Collection dates not specified; likely aggregates historical studies

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-10; consider verifying with newer literature

Geography

Global forest ecosystems