Concepts and applications in functional diversity

The use of functional diversity analyses in ecology has grown exponentially over the past two decades, broadening our understanding biological and its change across space time. Virtually all ecological sub-disciplines recognise critical value looking at species communities from a perspective, this led to proliferation methods for estimating contrasting dimensions diversity. Differences between these their development generated terminological inconsistencies confusion about selection most appropriate approach addressing any particular question, hampering potential comparative studies, simulation exercises meta-analyses. Two general mathematical frameworks are prevailing: those based on dissimilarity matrices (e.g. Rao entropy, dendrograms) relying multidimensional spaces, constructed as either convex hulls or probabilistic hypervolumes. We review frameworks, discuss strengths weaknesses provide an overview main R packages performing calculations. In parallel, we propose way organising metrics unified scheme quantify richness, divergence regularity individuals under each framework. This offers roadmap confidently approaching both theoretically practically. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within Supporting Information article.