Analytical framework
To synthesize current work on trait-based approaches for predicting
ecological dynamics under global change, we conducted a systematic
review of published literature on the topic via structured keyword
searches in online internationally recognized databases (Supplementary
Materials 1). We classified the resulting studies according to eight
attributes related to the insights traits provided into ecological
change: (1) the type(s) of traits examined in the study (life history,
morphological, behavioural, physiological) (2) the specific organismal
traits that were quantified in the study, (3) the scale of environmental
filtering on which the research focused (abiotic matching, dispersal, or
biotic interactions [which was further refined into trophic
interactions], as in Figure 1), (4) the ecosystem and (5) taxonomic
focus, (6) the research methodology used (experimental or observational
study of differences among groups, reviews and metanalyses, or
theoretical modelling), (7) whether a driver of global change was
examined, and if so, the type (e.g. climate change, biological invasion,
habitat degradation), and (8) crucially, whether or not the study
included predictions for ecological outcomes beyond the data set for
which the analysis was initially constructed. In addition to summarizing
trends in trait-based research over time and in these eight domains, we
visualized similarities and differences between the assemblages of
traits used to investigate ecological processes across studies
representing different levels of these factors through non-metric
multidimensional scaling (nMDS) plots, generated from dissimilarity
matrices of the multivariate trait data and grouped by levels of the
factors 3-8 above (Supplementary Materials 2a). Finally, we identified
trait types contributing to differences between domains of trait-based
research by constructing rank abundance curves and evaluating
multivariate generalized linear models of the traits used in the
literature, again grouped by factors 3-8 above (Supplementary Materials
2b).