MelastomaTRAITs 1.0: A database of functional traits in Melastomataceae, a large pantropical angiosperm family.

The recent availability of open-access repositories of functional traits has revolutionized trait-based approaches in ecology and evolution. Nevertheless, the underrepresentation of tropical regions and lineages remains a pervasive bias in plant functional trait databases, which constrains large-scale assessments of plant ecology, evolution, and biogeography. Here, we present MelastomaTRAITs 1.

Climbing mechanisms and the diversification of neotropical climbing plants across time and space.

Climbers germinate on the ground but need external support to sustain their stems, which are maintained attached to supports through modified organs, that is, climbing mechanisms. Specialized climbing mechanisms have been linked to higher diversification rates. Also, different mechanisms may have different support diameter restrictions, which might influence climbers' spatial distribution.