Trait–Climate Relationships Are Comparable for Modern Pollen Assemblages and Extant Vegetation Plots
Abstract
Aim Reliable climate simulations require comparison with robust reconstructions of past climates, often based on fossil pollen assemblages. This is particularly critical in drylands, where climate models frequently diverge. Yet, traditional pollen‐based reconstructions often overlook the mechanistic links between climate and plant functioning, complicating their interpretation. Integrating functional traits into pollen analyses may help identify and reduce biases in climate reconstructions. Location Arid Central Asia. Time Period Present and Holocene. Major Taxa Studied Spermatophytes (pollen‐producing plants). Methods Here, we combine plant functional traits, modern surface pollen assemblages and vegetation plots to test whether assemblage‐level trait–climate relationships are consistent between pollen and vegetation data. Two levels of taxonomic resolution of pollen identification ( fine vs. coarse ) were tested. The biogeographical distributions of plant traits derived from pollen and vegetation were examined, and community‐weighted means of traits were compared between the pollen and vegetation datasets to determine: (1) whether similar trait–climate relationships can be detected in both and (2) which of these relationships are strongest. Results Leaf area, leaf nitrogen content per unit mass, specific leaf area and stem specific density (SSD) showed consistent spatial patterns across pollen and vegetation datasets. The trait–climate relationships were moderately correlated (ca. r of 0.6) between pollen and vegetation data, and the directions of correlations were similar for 85% of the individual relationships. Both fine and coarse taxonomic resolutions capture broad vegetation functional responses to climate, whereas finer pollen identification improves the accuracy of trait–climate relationships. Mean annual precipitation and cold‐quarter temperature and precipitation were the climatic variables most strongly related to traits. Leaf area correlated positively with the three climate parameters, while plant height and SSD correlated positively with annual precipitation. Main Conclusions Our findings support the use of pollen‐derived leaf area, plant height and SSD to track past vegetation structure and improve the reliability of pollen‐based climate reconstructions. Expanding trait databases to better represent water‐stress tolerance traits may strengthen this approach.
Related
- Evaluating 35-Year Vegetation Dynamics in Anambra State: An NDVI-Climate Correlation Analysis
- Modeling climate change impacts on coastal land use and vegetation dynamics
- Asymmetric response of vegetation NPP to extreme climate over a vulnerable karst Region in Southwest China
- Biome classification across global vegetation models reveals consistent biome shifts under future climate change
- Host Plant Effects on Soil Microbial Assemblages in Ultramafic Soils in New Caledonia: Insights From the Ni‐Hyperaccumulator Pycnandra acuminata and Its Non‐Hyperaccumulator Congener P. fastuosa
BibTeX
@article{dugerdil2026traitclimate,
title = {{Trait–Climate Relationships Are Comparable for Modern Pollen Assemblages and Extant Vegetation Plots}},
author = {Lucas Dugerdil and Odile Peyron and Cyrille Violle and Sébastien Joannin and Guillemette Ménot and Pierre Denelle and Helge Bruelheide and Richard Field and Mohamed Hatim and Hamid Gholizadeh and Jiri Dolezal and Valério Pillar and Kamal Shaltout and Franziska Schrodt and Eric Garnier},
journal = {Global Ecology and Biogeography},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1111/geb.70303},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05744250v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Trait–Climate Relationships Are Comparable for Modern Pollen Assemblages and Extant Vegetation Plots
AU - Lucas Dugerdil
AU - Odile Peyron
AU - Cyrille Violle
AU - Sébastien Joannin
AU - Guillemette Ménot
AU - Pierre Denelle
AU - Helge Bruelheide
AU - Richard Field
AU - Mohamed Hatim
AU - Hamid Gholizadeh
AU - Jiri Dolezal
AU - Valério Pillar
AU - Kamal Shaltout
AU - Franziska Schrodt
AU - Eric Garnier
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/06
JO - Global Ecology and Biogeography
DO - 10.1111/geb.70303
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05744250v1
AB - Aim Reliable climate simulations require comparison with robust reconstructions of past climates, often based on fossil pollen assemblages. This is particularly critical in drylands, where climate models frequently diverge. Yet, traditional pollen‐based reconstructions often overlook the mechanistic links between climate and plant functioning, complicating their interpretation. Integrating functional traits into pollen analyses may help identify and reduce biases in climate reconstructions. Location Arid Central Asia. Time Period Present and Holocene. Major Taxa Studied Spermatophytes (pollen‐producing plants). Methods Here, we combine plant functional traits, modern surface pollen assemblages and vegetation plots to test whether assemblage‐level trait–climate relationships are consistent between pollen and vegetation data. Two levels of taxonomic resolution of pollen identification ( fine vs. coarse ) were tested. The biogeographical distributions of plant traits derived from pollen and vegetation were examined, and community‐weighted means of traits were compared between the pollen and vegetation datasets to determine: (1) whether similar trait–climate relationships can be detected in both and (2) which of these relationships are strongest. Results Leaf area, leaf nitrogen content per unit mass, specific leaf area and stem specific density (SSD) showed consistent spatial patterns across pollen and vegetation datasets. The trait–climate relationships were moderately correlated (ca. r of 0.6) between pollen and vegetation data, and the directions of correlations were similar for 85% of the individual relationships. Both fine and coarse taxonomic resolutions capture broad vegetation functional responses to climate, whereas finer pollen identification improves the accuracy of trait–climate relationships. Mean annual precipitation and cold‐quarter temperature and precipitation were the climatic variables most strongly related to traits. Leaf area correlated positively with the three climate parameters, while plant height and SSD correlated positively with annual precipitation. Main Conclusions Our findings support the use of pollen‐derived leaf area, plant height and SSD to track past vegetation structure and improve the reliability of pollen‐based climate reconstructions. Expanding trait databases to better represent water‐stress tolerance traits may strengthen this approach.
SN - 1466-822X
SN - 1466-822X
ER -