Aim Plant functional traits can influence interaction outcomes between nurse and target plants through a “functional trait match”, which occurs when the traits of nurse plants ameliorate their environment, and target plants possess traits that allow them to benefit from this ameliorated environment. We investigated how the traits of putative nurse species affect interaction outcomes across global drylands and determined the fu...

The native fucalean macroalga Carpophyllum flexuosum (Esper) Grev. has recently occupied many reefs on wave‐exposed coasts in north‐eastern New Zealand. At recently colonised sites, C. flexuosum occurs mainly on coralline‐dominated areas with moderate densities of sea urchins ( Evechinus chloroticus ). At these sites, stipes of C. flexuosum are shorter, with more branching, reduced laminae, and increased stipe weights compared...