Phenotypic limits of crop diversity: a data exploration of functional trait space

Relationships between crop genetic and functional diversity are key to addressing contemporary agricultural challenges. Yet, there are few approaches for quantifying the relationship between genetic diversity and crop functional trait expression. Here, we introduce 'functional space accumulation curves' to analyze how trait space increases with the number of crop genotypes within a species. We explore the potential for functional space accumulating curves to quantify genotype-trait space relationships in four common annual crop species: barley (Hordeum vulgare), rice (Oryza sativa), soybean (Glycine max), and durum wheat (Triticum durum). We also employ these curves to describe genotype-trait space relationships in the wild annual Arabidopsis thaliana, which has not been subjected to artificial selection. All five species exhibited asymptotic functional space accumulation curves, suggesting a limit to intraspecific functional crop diversity, likely due to: dominant phenotypes represented by several genotypes; or functional redundancy that might exist among genotypes. Our findings indicate that there is a diminishing return of functional diversity with increasing number of genotypes. Our analysis demonstrates the efficacy of functional space accumulation curves in quantifying trait space occupancy of crops, with implications for managing crop diversity in agroecosystems, and genetic diversity in crop breeding programs.