A recurrent theme in marine ecology is that the community dynamics of sessile, suspension‐feeding animals is primarily limited by the availability of space, but in some habitats, filtration by these organisms may locally deplete water column resources, setting the stage for exploitative competition for food. We examined filtration by sponge assemblages in the shallow waters (~2 m depth) of Florida Bay (Florida, USA), where wat...

Large‐scale, climate‐induced synchrony in the productivity of fish populations is becoming more pronounced in the world's oceans. As synchrony increases, a population's “portfolio” of responses can be diminished, in turn reducing its resilience to strong perturbation. Here we argue that the costs and benefits of trait synchronization, such as the expression of growth rate, are context dependent. Contrary to prevailing views, s...

Aim Plant trait databases often contain traits that are correlated, but for whom direct (undirected statistical dependency) and indirect (mediated by other traits) connections may be confounded. The confounding of correlation and connection hinders our understanding of plant strategies, and how these vary among growth forms and climate zones. We identified the direct and indirect connections across plant traits relevant to com...