PhenoSpace: A Shiny application to visualize trait data in the phenotypic space of the global spectrum of plant form and function

Published in	Ecology and Evolution Volume 11, Issue 4 Pages 1477-1936
Authors	Segrestin, J., Sartori, K., Navas, M.L., Kattge, J., Díaz, S., Garnier, E.
Publication year	2021
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6928
Affiliations	CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valery Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Institut Agro, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), CONICET and FCEFyN, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
IAI Program	SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM: THE ROLE OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN ADAPTATION TO GLOBAL CHANGE FOR HUMAN WELLBEING (SGP-HW) Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (grant SGP-HW 017) Comisión Sectorial de Investigación Científica of Uruguay (CSIC Grupos ID 32) Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada
IAI Project	1645887
Keywords	comparative plant ecology functional dimensions plant phenotypes plant traits trait variation user-friendly application
	Ecology and Evolution - 2021 - Segrestin - PhenoSpace A Shiny application to visualize trait data in the phenotypic space.pdf

Abstract

A recent analysis of variation in six major traits conducted on a large worldwide sample of vascular plant species showed that three-quarters of trait variation was captured by a two-dimensional global spectrum of plant form and function (&ldquoglobal spectrum&rdquo hereafter). We developed the PhenoSpace application, whose aim is to visualize and export the position of any individual/population/species in the phenotypic space of the global spectrum.PhenoSpace is a Shiny application that helps users to manipulate and visualize data pertaining to the global spectrum of plant form and function. It is freely accessible at the following URL: https://shiny.cefe.cnrs.fr/PhenoSpace/.PhenoSpace has three main functionalities. First, it allows users to visualize the phenotypic space of the global spectrum using different combinations of traits and growth forms. Second, trait data from any new user-defined dataset can be projected onto the phenotypic space of the global spectrum, provided that at least two of the six traits are available. Finally, figures produced and loadings of the imported data on the PCA axes can be downloaded, allowing users to conduct further analyses.PhenoSpace fulfills the practical goal of positioning plants in the phenotypic space of the global spectrum, making it possible to compare trait variation at any level of organization against the worldwide background. This serves a major aim of comparative plant ecology, which is to put specific sets of individuals, populations or species into a broader context, facilitating comparison and synthesis of results across different continents and environments using relevant indicators of plant design and function.