The puzzle of trait covariation: a commentary on ‘Elevated CO2, warming and drought differentially impact reproductive and vegetative economic traits in two grassland species’

A central aim of functional plant ecology is to identify the main axes of trait variation that define ecological strategies.Influential frameworks such as the leaf economics spectrum and Competitor-Stress Tolerator-Ruderal (CSR) strategy theory have been built largely on vegetative traits, while other dimensions of plant form and function, most notably floral traits, have received comparatively less attention (E-Vojtk et al., 2022).Yet, flowers are a fundamental component of plant fitness and mediate interactions with pollinators and other biotic agents.In the perennial, iteroparous L. corniculatus, responses differ.Leaves show high plasticity, responding markedly 1 to climatic stress, shifting towards more conservative economics under drought and elevated CO 2 , while floral 2 traits remain largely stable across most treatments.Only under the most severe combination of drought, elevated 3 CO 2 , and warming do floral traits covary with leaf traits, showing higher of leaf dry matter content and